Page 63 of Edge of Control

One: blood covered my fist. I stuffed my hand in my pocket.

Two: my father was somehow involved in my sister’s death. I bit my cheek until I could taste blood.

Three: I had left without grabbing the camera that recorded everything inside that room. My father would know it was me behind Nevermore.

The game was over. Everything shattered around me.

Ding.The elevator door opened. An older woman walked in with her yapping Pomeranian on a bright pink leash. “Can you hit four for me, please?”

I was about to take out my bloody hand. About to just give myself up.

I hit four with my elbow. Smiled at her.

Inside, I was dead. Ruined.

My father.

I had to find him before he found me.

I had to kill him.

“I need a shot,” I said. I stood up and went to the kitchen. Jace, once again, followed close behind me. He had a concerned look in his eye as I poured the tequila. “Want one?”

“I’m good.”

“I’ll have yours, then.” I downed the drink, then took the second shot.

How? How could my father be involved in this? And what would he do when he found out that I was onto him? Did he have something to do with my sister’s death? And would Kyler or Halden bring that footage to the police or to their boss? Both? They didn’t have my real name or my address, but still, I could be tracked.

I began to pour another shot. Jace placed a gentle handon my wrist. “Maybe we should go for a walk. Get some fresh air.”

Sure. Why not? That wasn’t going to fix anything, but it would at least get me out of these four walls.

I still poured myself the shot. Drank it without wincing.

Jace put a hand behind my neck and another on my cheek. There was a tenderness in his touch. I swallowed, stared into his soft brown eyes. I’d saved him once before; was he doing the same for me now? This felt right. More right than anything else in the world. My entire universe had been flipped on its head, but Jace was somehow putting everything back into its proper place.

He leaned in and kissed me gently, as if he were close to scaring me away.

I pushed back into him. He could never scare me away. Never.

“Everything’s going to be alright. Nothing can’t be handled. And when you’re ready to tell me what happened today, I’ll be here to listen. No judgments. No nothing.” Jace’s forehead rested against mine. His eyes were closed. “Theo. I don’t know what’s going on between us, but I’ve never felt anything like this before. This connection between us, it’s something so strong it scares me. It makes me want to do things I’ve never done before. Makes me want to protect you from anything and everything. Makes me want you, day in and day out.”

I kissed him, again and again. “I feel the same. I haven’t been able to stop thinking of you. You’re in my dreamswhen I sleep, in my daydreams at work. You’re in my fantasies. You’re everywhere.”

“And I’m not going anywhere.”

“Good,” I said, his breath soft against my mouth. “I don’t think I can handle it if you left.” It was raw, it was real. I couldn’t hold it back.

“I won’t.”

He kissed me, and I didn’t want to separate. I wanted us to fuse together. Wanted us to be one forever. That would surely solve all my problems. How wouldn’t it?

“Come, let’s go for that walk,” Jace said. His smile unlocked a soft, cozy corner of comfort in my chest. A very stark contrast to the panic that made me feel like banging my head against the wall.

I led him to the living room, where I grabbed my sneakers from the shoe rack by the door. Jace walked over to my bookshelf. Luke watched him from his cat perch next to the balcony. Maybe we didn’t have to go anywhere. Maybe we could stay inside, stay here for the rest of time.

Jace made an odd “hmm” sound. He bent down to the ground. Rose back up. He was looking at something in his hand, but his back was turned to me. I couldn’t see it.

---