Page 103 of Octane

“What the hell happened? The police are outside, and there’s an ambulance too. And I just saw the EMT’s bringing Daniel out on a stretcher!”

My eyes shoot wide open.

“A stretcher? Was he awake?” I ask.

“Yeah, and he looked like he could kill someone.”

I shoot a worried look at Jackson.

“Don’t worry. From now on, where you go, I go. And vice versa,” he assures me.

“There was a huge crowd of people outside, and I overheard someone say that they heard a loud commotion from the condo next to theirs. When they went to see what it was, they found Daniel laying there and called 911.”

I listen with worry as Carissa explains what she heard.

“Do you think we’re going to get into trouble?” I look at Jackson, my stomach twisting.

“No,” he answers, seeming very sure of himself.

“How can you be so certain?”

“Because he has cameras in there, remember? We can prove that it was self-defense.”

“Yeah, but we don’t have access to them.”

Jackson pulls a familiar-looking cell phone from his back pocket, and my eyes go wide.

“That’s Daniel’s cell phone! How did you get it?”

“I saw it on the floor just after you hit him with the lamp. So I grabbed it when I got up. Do you know the passcode to unlock it?”

“No, unfortunately I don’t,” I huff out sadly.

“It’s not a big deal, I can get someone to crack it.”

He smiles at me, and I get caught up in it.

“Um, hello! Still waiting to hear what you did to the bastard!” I turn back to my sister and give her another hug.

“Long story short? Daniel attacked, Jackson fought back, I hit Daniel over the head with a lamp.”

Carissa looks at me with disbelief, but it quickly changes to excitement.

“Bad ass! Damn, I wish I could have seen that!”

My face turns serious as I open my mouth to speak again.

“Riss, I’m so sorry for the things I said the last time we spoke. If I would have tried to say anything else, Daddy would have paid the price. Or even you, and I couldn’t let either of those things happen.”

“You have nothing to apologize for,” she insists. “I’m just glad it’s all over.”

“Me too,” I agree. “I’m still nervous that he’ll try something else. I’ll have to find another apartment. I can’t go back to the same one. He’ll know to look there.”

“Wewill need to find another place to live,” Jackson corrects me. “That is, if you want to move in with me?”

I can’t stop the smile that forms on my face or the butterflies soaring through my stomach at his question.

“Are you asking me to move in with you?”

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