Page 70 of Undone

Colt didn’t even register the scene he’d walked in on as he held up his phone and then finally looked at us. Walker stirred for a moment, then settled back down.

“Figured you’d be here,” he said to me.

“Why the fuck are you barging into my house late at night, you jackass?” Dorian exhaled and released me, standing and stepping toward Colt. My skin still burned where he had touched me, my heart pounding as if it hadn’t caught up to reality yet.

Colt paused, giving me a sympathetic glance. “It’s John…”

My stomach dropped, a sour taste rising in my throat as every nerve in my body snapped to attention. I pushed myself to my feet.

“What?” Dorian’s tone was sharp, the heat in his gaze replaced with a cold, hard edge as he focused on Colt.

Colt stepped closer, handing his phone to Dorian. I leaned over to catch a glimpse of the screen. I stared at the headline, my stomach twisting tighter with every word. The headline flashed in bold letters.

Another Marketplace Murderer Victim Found in Arizona.

My chest constricted as I scanned the article. Beside me, Dorian’s posture went rigid, his eyes narrowing on the screen.

The heat of the moment evaporated, replaced by something much colder.

“How the hell is he still doing this?” Dorian’s tone was laced with frustration.

“He’s always one step ahead,” Colt replied, running a hand over his hair that was tied back. The calm, composed exterior he usually wore was cracking. “Lilah called me before the news broke.”

My mind raced as I handed the phone back to Colt. “There’s something new with this victim,” he said, pausing and glancing at me.

“What is it?” I asked as unease crawled up my spine.

Dorian cleared his throat. Colt turned to him, then nodded. “First the earrings, then the nails… now it’s rings.”

“Two of them?” I asked.

“Yeah. Two rings.” Colt looked down at my hand, where the two rings I always wore caught what little light there was, their shine stark in the dim room.

Four. Three. Two.

“It’s a countdown,” I said.

“Seems that way,” Colt replied.

Dorian blinked rapidly, as if trying to put the pieces together. “A countdown?”

Dorian turned toward me, his eyes gentle, sorrowful. “Four earrings, three fingernails, two rings,” I said.

“Exactly,” Colt added.

My stomach churned, and bile rose in my throat, though I fought to swallow it down. Dorian’s arm wrapped around my waist, his touch comforting. I let myself melt into him, drawing on his unfaltering stability.

“A countdown to what, though?” Dorian asked.

“I don’t know. Lilah can only get so much information and of that, she only gives me pieces.” He sighed. “I just… I needed you to know. You need to be careful.”

I knew my relationship with John had been unraveling before he even disappeared. We were growing apart, but I hadn’t expected this to be the reason why.

I had, at the very least, believed he was a good person. And despite all the hours I’d spent trying to make sense of it, I still couldn’t reconcile the man I knew with the monster he turned out to be.

Colt’s voice snapped me back to the present. “You okay?” he asked me. I blinked, forcing myself to stand straighter.

“I’m fine,” I lied.

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