Page 155 of Exposé

A truck horn honked behind me, and I jumped, my bag dumping onto the floor, my purse in hand. "Shit."

My hands shook, and the pressure in my temples grew.

"Let's go, lady." A man’s voice barked. "We don't have all day. Either pump or leave."

Dammit.

I threw the door open and stepped out, my jaw tight as I marched to the pump. Sliding my card into the reader, I whispered a silent prayer.

Select fuel grade.

I mentally high-fived myself as I grabbed the nozzle, selected the cheapest fuel grade, and shoved the nozzle into the fuel inlet.

Fill it up, drive to BFE, and disappear.

My butt leaned against the car, my arms folded over my chest as I glanced around, the dirty, rust-pitted Chevy parked behind me, my gaze averting anywhere but there.

The automatic shut-off mechanism clicked, and I removed the nozzle, replaced it with the cap, and climbed into my car as my phone rang.

Cold dread climbed my spine, gripping my chest like a steel band. My fingers trembled as I flipped the phone over, relief hitting like a fleeting breath of air.

"Hi, Liam."

"Tell me where you are. Are you hurt? Are you safe?"

The engine purred to life as I started the car, the Chevy behind me revving in irritation. I eased onto the road, my voice steady. "I'm fine. I wasn't there."

"Then whose blood is this?"

"The dead man laying in my kitchen."

Silence crackled on the line, the weight of his pause heavier than the air in the car.

"Ava," he said slowly. "There isn’t a body here. Just blood. A massacre. But no bodies."

My grip on the wheel tightened. The empty freeway stretched ahead, and goosebumps prickled along my arms. "What do you mean there isn’t a body?"

" The officers who got here before me said it looked like a war zone—blood everywhere, furniture overturned—but no sign of a body."

"But I—"

"Ava." His tone dropped to something quieter, something that made the hairs on the back of my neck stand. "I need to ask you something."

I gulped. Tears burned the edges of my vision. "Okay."

"Were you planning on committing suicide?" His words landed like an unforgiving gut punch. "Because if you are, we can get you some hel—"

"I would never do that." The words tore from my raw throat. Hot tears streaked down my cheeks, the road ahead warping into a blur. "You have to believe me. You know I wouldn’t do that."

I don't want to be her.

I can't be like her.

"You'd tell me, right?"

"Of course I would." My body trembled as the words came fast and desperate. "Listen to me, Liam. If you ever find my body, and it looks like I killed myself, you need to know—I didn’t. I am not suicidal."

"Ava..."

---