Page 24 of Strangers in Love

I was here. I was safe. And that wasn’t how things had gone down.

It’d been months ago. Far away. It was awful and one of the worst things that’d ever happened to me. But it was over. No matter how much I hated it, I’d survived.

My feet were on solid ground. I was sitting in a comfortable chair with expensive fabric. I was in a safe room in a safe house. My family was here and safe. I was in Seattle. There were no gunshots. No explosions.

The sounds I heard were kids at a party. Evanne’s party. My niece.

A slow inhale.

A slow exhale.

Repeat.

A slow inhale.

A slow exhale.

Repeat.

A slow inhale.

A slow exhale.

The world stopped spinning, and the past went back to where it belonged. And it stayed there.

I settled back in the chair and waited for my body to catch up to my brain. Gradually, the adrenaline receded, leaving my hands shaking. I dug my fingers into the arms of the chair until the trembling stopped. I still didn’t trust myself to stand, and I definitely wasn’t ready to go back to the party, but this was a good place to wait until I was ready.

I didn’t know how much time had passed when I heard someone come into the room.

“A little too much for you too?” It was Alec.

I gave what I hoped was a casual shrug. “Noise bugs me sometimes.”

Noise…and finding out that Aspen had been in love with my best friend. I couldn’t stop wondering if he’d known. She’d said he hadn’t, but who knew. I stood up as Alec thanked me for helping him. I moved to the window so I wouldn’t have to look at him, but I grabbed onto the topic, needing something to stop the shit going round and round in my head.

“I’m glad I was able to help. It was good to feel like I was doing some good again.” This was as good a time as any to start telling people that I finally thought I had some direction in my life. “I’ve been thinking I might want to do something like private security or private investigating.” I rubbed the back of my neck. “Is that stupid?”

“Not at all. Anything I can do to help, just say the word.”

“I will.”

Before either of us could say anything else, a herd of kids came running into the library, waving around aluminum foil swords. Maybe lightsabers? Either way, Alec and I both knew who was responsible for it.

“Brody.”

As Alec worked on getting the kids back into the main part of the house, I stayed where I was, wanting a few more minutes to get my head together so I could talk to Da about my idea. Today was as good a time as any to make a fresh start.

Eighteen

Aline

I was thirsty,and I had to pee.

Those two thoughts were the first indication that a significant amount of time had passed. And then my brain asked the next logical question, which was: passed since what?

For a few panicked seconds, I couldn’t remember, and then it came back with horrifying clarity.

Three men with guns pulling me from the taxi I’d been taking to the airport. Shoving me into the back of a van. A hood over my head. Wrists restrained. An awful, jolting ride that seemed to go on for days.

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