Page 25 of Give Me Redemption

My lungs burn and sweat slides down my back and drips from my nose. I could have just run in the gym at work, but there’s something about being outside. The breeze that drifts across my face every so often. The sound of birds and people around me. I’m alone, but it doesn’t totally feel like it.

I slide my sunglasses up my nose and dart my eyes to the road as I round the running path in the park. I almost come to a stop when I spot the guy I saw at the grocery store more than a week ago.

He’s in a black T-shirt and jeans with a coffee in his hand. I look back in front of me and keep running. But once I’m away from his view, I stop. Bending over, I rest my hand on my knees and wipe the sweat from my brow.

He can’t see me, but I can see him. He starts to walk toward the park and my heart beats even harder, hammering my pulse against the skin on my neck. I stand up straight, but he stops when another man walks out of the coffee shop.

The two look a lot alike. Both have buzz cuts. The one who just walked out looks older and leaner, while my grocery store guy is bulkier. His face is that of a pretty boy. Damn, he’s cute. That’s why I couldn’t help but smile at him in the store.

But he didn’t return my smile. I spotted him a few more times while he was shopping. He was so focused and clearly ready to get out of there.

He gets into the car and I can no longer see him.

I exhale, cluck my tongue, and head back to work.

After a shower, I put my hair up into a bun and let it dry. I walk back into the office and fire up my emails. Narrowing my eyes, I click on some photos that were sent to me.

Along with a message.

You’ve surprised even me, little rabbit. After all this time, you’re the only who didn’t quit. She looks the best when she’s tied up. You should see her now.

My mouth falls open and tears spring to my eyes when I scan through the photos. “Fuck,” I say, jumping up. “Fuck, fuck, fuck!” I cover my mouth and jump up like I’ve been shocked.

My eyes move around the office as everyone at gazes at me.

“What?” Monroe asks.

“It’s him,” I say. “It’s fucking him!”

“What the hell’s going on?” Davy asks, walking out of his office with a napkin in his shirt and one in his hand.

“It’s him, Davy. The man who took her.”

He tosses his napkin into the trash and yanks the one from his shirt, balling it up as he walks to me. I look at the screen.

It’s her. God, she’s hardly grown. He’s kept her hidden. She’s obviously malnourished and her skin is pale except for the red marks across her stomach.

She’s tied to a chair, half-naked.

My hands shake; my emotions misfire.

“She’s alive,” I say to him as he looks for himself. “I knew it.”

Chapter Twelve

Jace

The first thing I do when we arrive at the ranch is light my smoke. I say hey to Pops and Emily, and as Bryce takes off with her to the barn, I slip away from Pops and head to the bathroom. I slide my key into the small bag of powder and breathe in hard when I bring it to my nose. Leaning my head back, I sniff again and look to the mirror, my pupils stretching over sapphire.

I rest my hands on the sink, hating myself right now. I lower my head and place my forehead against the mirror. Closing my eyes, I think about the past. The hurt inside of me blooms like a mature rose.

Flashbacks run through my mind. I have this movie in my head that replays over and over. But it’s not the whole thing, only clips. Moments in time that my brain has chosen to remember so vividly, it’s like I’m there again when I think about it.

“The hell you looking at?” Banister says to Adams who’s lying on his cot with his ankles crossed.

“None of your business, fucker,” Adams replies, putting the paper in his hand down. Like Rocket, Banister, Davidson, and Adams have been with me since boot camp.

Adams was single this whole time just like me, but he met a girl on his last trip home and he won’t stop talking about her.

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