Page 9 of Boulder's Weight

I check it out of habit—no messages.

Okay, good.

Setting it aside, I continue unpacking, trying not to think about the DVDs I found hidden in Mom's things after she died.

The ones that showed me exactly what kind of monster my father really was.

The truth about our family business that made me sick to my stomach and that’s how I became Kelsey.

The bile rises in my throat at the memory, and I force it down.

There’s no use dwelling on it now.

I'm in Chihuahua, Mexico, thousands of miles from Billings, Montana.

Far from Benji and Craig.

Far from the Warlow name.

I'm just Kelsey now.

Not Cady.

I’ll never be Cady ever again.

She died when she found those DVDs.

A heaviness settles in my chest when I think of Sam, my youngest brother.

He’s the only decent one of the bunch.

The only one who helped me get away after I went to the police with what I'd found and got my father locked up.

I hope he's okay. I hope he isn’t being pressured by our brothers or father to be part of the family business.

I just hope Benji hasn't figured out Sam helped me escape.

I glance at my watch—still a few hours before I need to sleep.

Tomorrow's my first day at the cat café.

Tara set it up through her club connections, and I'm grateful for the job, though I don't love being close to the club.

I wanted a fresh start, a new life.

Still, beggars can't be choosers when you're running for your life.

The thought of working in another café eases some of my anxieties. It’s already a huge change to be leaving the United States.

At least a café is familiar. Something I know I'm good at.

I need a break from unpacking, from thinking.

One night to pretend I'm just a normal girl in a new city, not someone running away from the demons who are trying to chase her down and kill her.

There's a bar not far from here that the landlady mentioned when I moved in.

She called it tourist friendly, so it sounds perfect for someone trying to blend in.

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