Page 66 of New Beginnings
I opened the book, sinking into the plush cushions of my chair as I immersed myself in its pages. Fuck it wasn’t dated which meant this was going to be a long process.
It was too painful to deal with. I couldn’t eat. I couldn’t sleep. Everything that happened was my fault. I had gotten someone killed. Austin warned me to stay away from Bradley because he was an enemy of Demons United, but I hated to be told what to do. I had to be such a fucking brat. I had to prove I was independent. And now Doug was dead. I started a war and now a good man I had known most of my life was dead.
“There isn’t a date on it, but I think this is way before she met you,” I said, looking at him. “But not the time frame we’re looking for. I’m going to try another box.”
“Yeah, these in this box are from her childhood.”
I placed the journal back inside the box, put the lid back on it, then sat it on the floor. Maybe I’d have better luck with the next box. I grabbed the one closest to me, removed the lid then pulled out the journal on top. It looked newer than the ones in the other box.
I opened it and read.
I can’t believe how good it’s going. We’ve been seeing each other for only three months but I have no complaints. He treats me like a queen which is something I’m definitely not use to. He’s rich, older than me, and married. Definitely someone my brother or Kira would not approve of. But why does any of that matter? He’s nice. He takes care of me. He even said he’d leave his wife as soon as I finished college. While I don’t know if that’s true, a girl can dream. I can see this relationship lasting a long time and I’m eager for what the future holds.
My eyes widen. “This might be it.”
As I passed J.D. the journal, he quickly reached out and took it from me. He scanned the pages. “She was sleeping with a married man,” he said in disbelief.
He scrubbed his hand down his face. I didn’t think that was what he was expecting, judging by the surprised look on his face. She was young and in love. And while this happened way before they had met, he had put Dani on a pedestal. Without a doubt, he was going to experience a whole new side of her. I believed this was just the start of things to come.
“This was the beginning of the relationship,” he said, closing the journal. “This has to be the guy Kira was talking about. She said he came from money and according to Dani he was rich and treated her like a queen. Hand me one from that box.”
“Are you sure?” I asked.
I hated for him to see a side of her he wasn’t ready to see.
“Although I appreciate your concern, this is something I have to do. Her life before me has no bearing on our marriage, Rebel. She was my wife, and I loved her dearly. It doesn’t make me look at her any differently. We all have a past. While I might have thought hers was a little different, it doesn’t change what I thought about her.”
“Okay. Let’s get back to it then.”
I reached into the box and pulled out another one then handed it to him. Then I grabbed one and scanned the pages.
“This one is seven months into their relationship,” I said. “There’s definitely been a change in her thoughts.”
He nodded. “Yeah. She seems more irritated in this one. It’s eight months into their relationship. Have you seen his name mentioned anywhere?” he asked.
“No,” I said. “Nowhere.”
“Me either.” He flipped through the pages. “She kept his identity a secret.”
I picked up another one, flipped through the pages, and continued to read.
He’s been drinking more lately, and I don’t know what to do about it. It’s not like he’s going to let me walk away. I’ve tried that before, and I ended up having to go to the emergency room. Anytime I try to end it, he gets violent. There’s not too much more I can take of this.
“This talks about the abuse. So, this was at least,” I ran my fingers down the page and stopped, “a year into the relationship.”
I handed it to him then grabbed another one.
Drastic times call for drastic measures. He’s hit me for the last time. I don’t have to put up with this. I’m better than this. I deserve better than this. So, when he shows up tonight, he’s never going to leave, at least not alive.
“Holy fuck,” I said. “She planned to kill him.”
“Give it to me,” J.D. said, and I handed him the journal. “This could be what Agent Revels has on her. Kira said the man came from money which means his disappearance made the news. More than likely the FBI were involved.”
J.D. flipped through the pages while I pulled out another journal. “Here it is!” he shouted, tapping the page of the journal. “Corey Astor.”
My brows furrowed. “Why in the hell does that name sound familiar?”
He shrugged. “I don’t know but this is the guy. It has to be. He’s rich. He’s abusive.”
