Page 46 of Craving You
“Ross,” I snap.He looks at his boss, and she shrugs.
“Lorelei, I’m not sure if you want to imagine her this way,” he says softly.
“It was meant to be me,” I say as tears well up.“I want to know what would have happened to me.”
“She was tortured,” he says after a moment of silence.“She had marks that tell me she was likely whipped with something from her neck to her shins.She was violently assaulted and mutilated.”
“How did she die of blood loss then?”Cam asks.
“She was assaulted with a knife,” Andrea says when Ross doesn’t.“The autopsy will confirm, but it caused significant damage from the onset, based on what we’ve seen.”
“Can we see her?”I ask quietly.
“Hun, I don’t really think that’s a good idea,” Ross says.“I have a picture of just her face that I can show you, but I think it would be best if you didn’t see her like this.”
“Okay,” I whimper.
I cover my mouth to keep the sobs from escaping when he turns his phone around for us to see.Her eyes are closed but her skin is a grayish color.It’s subtle, but you can tell that she is gone.She looks to be at peace, despite what her body endured.I have no doubts that she died just as stubborn as she lived.She was fiercely protective of me.I think she fought with everything she had, even if only mentally.
“I am so sorry,” Ross says softly.“I think this is the point where we need to get you all in witness protection.”
“No,” I sniff.
“Lorelei, this proves that they are after you,” he says.
“I don’t care.I’m not running,” I say.“We have a company to run.”
“Cameron?Remington?”Ross asks.
“It’s up to her,” Cam says, rubbing my back.
“Cameron will come stay here with us,” Remington says.“She will never be alone.”
“Mom?Dad?”I ask.
“We are going to go to the hunting cabin,” Dad says softly.
“Okay,” I say.“I’m supposed to be her executor, so I guess I’ll have to sign for her to go to a funeral home?”
“Yes,” Ross says.“I’ll get the medical examiner to call you when she can be released.”
“Okay,” I say simply.
“Lorelei,” Ross says.
“What, Ross?”I ask.
“You can’t be reckless,” he says.“I know you are going to try and protect everyone, but you can’t do that here.Okay?”
“I won’t let anyone else get hurt,” I say.
“If you go and get yourself killed, she will have died for nothing,” Mom speaks up.“We all know that girl was likely given a chance to give you up and she would have been stubborn to the very end.”
“Yeah,” I whisper.“I won’t survive if I lose anyone else… if I hadn’t worked there…”
“Stop,” Remy says, turning my face to meet his.“What would she tell you right now?”
“That it’s okay to be selfish and protect myself,” I say tearfully.
