Page 145 of Exposé

The shower hissed, masking the world outside but not the noise in my head. I leaned into the scalding water, letting it bite at my skin.

Nate lied.

He lied to me.

Knock-knock.

I shut off the water and froze, holding my breath as if the slightest hiss of my lungs would stop me from missing a pertinent clue.

No second knock.

Drip.

Drip.

Stepping out of the shower, I wrapped the robe around me and walked to the door, my feet leaving behind a trail of my water-soaked misery.

My stomach quivered, and a bite of bile burned the back of my throat.

What if it's Nate?

Or Liam?

Do I want to see either?

I pressed my ear to the door and listened for the most inconsequential sounds.

My ears screamed with high-pitched torture.

Inhaling a deep breath, I peeled myself away from the door and looked into the peephole.

Nothing.

No one's there.

I raised a brow, my stomach twisting into knots, my heart racing as I backed away and dug into my purse buried in the box.

My fingers wrapped around the familiar cylinder and pulled out the mace as I readied myself at the door and yanked it open.

Claudia, three doors down, paused, her key halfway in the door as she stared at me. "You okay there, Ava?"

Heat brushed my cheeks. I swallowed and gave a curt nod. "Yeah. Thought I heard something."

She eyed me and turned the key, opening her door. "Okay, then."

"Did you..." I glanced down and froze. "Did you see who put this here?"

Reaching down, I scooped up the manila folder, its edges damp and half-tucked under the mat as though they'd left in a hurry.

"Nope. I just got up here." Claudia rushed into her apartment, casting a skeptical glance over her shoulder—her lips pressed into a thin line. "Have a nice night." The door closed behind her with a sharpclick, leaving me alone in the hallway.

"Yeah, you too." My words faded into the emptiness as I pressed the folder to my chest and looked both ways down the hall. Backing into my apartment, I closed the door and slammed the deadbolt into place.

Mr. Anonymous?

I flipped the manila folder over, tore through the seal, and shoved my hand inside.

A single piece of paper.

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