Page 54 of Surrender
“I know I look like a mess. I can’t help it,” I protested playfully.
He smirked. “One of us has to look like they have their shit together, and we both know that’s never been me.”
“I’m pretty sure having your shit together is a subjective thing,” I explained as he once again pressed his hand to my back and guided me out the rear door onto the porch. “Like, I can do tenfouettésin a row but can’t parallel park for shit. So as a ballerina, yes, I have my shit together, but if I were an Uberdriver, not so much.”
“She’s got a point,” Match agreed with a chuckle, he and Bishop sitting on the steps that went down to the backyard. The sun beamed down on them, and I headed straight for them, finding a spot in the warmth while a few of the other boys sat in under the covered porch.
Nate walked to the bottom and leaned on the railing so his eyeline was at the same level as mine. “So, you find some stuff about the girls?”
Despite the warmth, a chill tickled at my spine, sending a shudder radiating out through my body.
Nate raised an eyebrow, but I flashed a smile, turning slightly toward Match, who had his laptop beside him. He glanced up, meeting my eyes for a moment before looking at Nate.
“So far, I’m at six.”
“Six what?” Bishop questioned, his voice low and rough.
The muscles in Match’s jaw twitched, just once, but it was enough to twist my stomach.
Twitches meant bad.
“Six girls,” he said again. “Including the two Darcy mentioned, who have dated Carrington, then seeminglycut offtheir friends and families.”
“Six!” I choked out, my heart pounding against my ribs.
Match nodded grimly. “And the story was much the same across the board. Carrington gets a little intense and controlling, and the girls decide it’s too much and plan to break up with him.”
“Then they ghost,” I added, the words struggling to find their way around my tongue. Like if I say them out loud, it makes them true. “They move away without telling anyone, and all they send are vague emails about embracing a simpler life.”
“Right…” Match confirmed, his eyes a little wide.
“It’s what Jasmine’s parents said at the party,” I explained.“And then what the waitress told me the other night about Kylie.”
Bishop scrubbed at his beard. “So what the fuck are we looking at here? A serial killer, or some fucker who is so damn toxic, he literally drives women into hiding off the grid.”
“After Darcy’s breakup story, my money’s on option one,” Nate said, his voice clipped. His grip on the banister was white-knuckled. He wanted to have a go at Parker, and I couldn’t blame him.
“For all we know, there could be more too,” Match added quietly. “These were just the girlfriends I could find and the families who answered.”
I started shaking my head, harder than I meant to.
Nope. No way.
There couldn’t be.
I couldn’t have been dating a serial killer.
That’s fucking crazy.
I would have known or seen some kind of signs.
Right?
“Darcy.”
Nate’s voice was loud, but a little fuzzy.
“Breathe.”
