Page 59 of Unmask
Kreed’s attention since I moved into his house had been solely on me. I hadn’t seen him with other girls, and judging by my reaction, I didn’t want to. It made me sick to think about him with anyone else, but how could I hate someone and stillbe so consumed? Possessive? Affected? I didn’t know what I felt anymore other than he made me feel.
I leaned my head back, exhaling. I just wanted one day without the world crumbling underneath me.
Tipping my head to the right, I glanced at the thorn in my side, studying his profile. His lips twitched slightly, knowing my gaze was on him. He had cuts on his knuckles and bruises that I hadn’t noticed before. I grabbed his hand before I thought about it. “What happened?”
He shrugged it off, flipping his hand around to interlock our fingers. “Nothing. Just the repercussions of football.”
Frowning, I pulled my hand away from his. “Why don’t I believe you?”
A single dark brow shot up. “Are you worried about me, little raven?”
I snorted just as my phone buzzed in my pocket. Dropping his hand, I pulled out the device, Carson’s face popping up on my screen. I caught Kreed’s scowl as I answered and smiled faintly, pressing the phone to my ear. “Hey, Car?—”
His voice came through in a frantic rush, tripping over itself, so fast I could barely make out the words. “Kay—oh my god—it’s Kenny—I don’t know what to do—I can’t find her—no one’s seen her?—”
My stomach plunged. “Carson,” I said, sitting up straighter. “Slow down. Take a breath. Tell me what happened.”
Beside me, Kreed tensed, his focus snapping fully to me.
I hit the speaker button so he and Evan could hear too.
Carson took a shaky breath and tried again. “It’s Kenny. She’s missing.”
My brain stuttered, refusing to process the words. “What do you mean, missing?” My fingers trembled around the phone, a sinking feeling forming in my gut.
“No one’s seen her, Kay. Not since yesterday. She’s not answering her phone. Her parents tried everything. They’re filing a missing person’s report right now.” He was barely holding it together. “Have you heard from her? Anything?”
That desperate edge in his voice was raw and pleading, making my stomach churn. I almost wanted to lie to give him a fraction of hope, but instead, I stared blankly out the window, city lights smearing against the glass like watercolors, and whispered, “No. Nothing. I haven’t talked to her since…the other day.”
He swore under his breath. “This is bad. I have a horrible feeling. Shit. I don’t know how it happened.”
The color drained from my face. “When was the last time you spoke to her?”
“Yesterday morning. Before school. We had a fight.” His voice dropped, thick with what I swore was guilt.
“A fight?” I echoed, meeting Kreed’s troubled gaze for a moment. “About what?”
There was a pause. “It was stupid. We were arguing about you.”
“Me?” My breath hitched. “What for?”
He didn’t answer right away, and that told me enough. Whatever it was, it mattered, and it wasn’t good.
Kreed shifted beside me, the leather creaking as he leaned forward slightly, eyes locked on mine.
Carson’s voice pulled me back. “It doesn’t matter. It was dumb. I should’ve let it go.”
“You don’t think she’s really missing, do you?” he asked, rushing his words. “Maybe this is just one of her stunts. You know how she gets. She’s impulsive. Dramatic. Maybe she just wanted attention or needed space or?—”
“I’m sure it’s something like that,” I said quickly, too quickly. “Maybe she got stuck somewhere. Her phone died. Her car broke down or?—”
“Her car’s been at school since yesterday,” Carson cut in. “She never drove home.”
That froze me. “Since yesterday?” I repeated, my brows furrowing. “Why didn’t you call me sooner?”
“I thought she’d show up! I really did. I kept checking my phone every hour, but then today, when she didn’t come to school, I panicked. And when I got home—” He gulped. “The cops were already there.”
My heart continued to drop as I shifted my grip on the phone. I was shocked I could still hold it. Nothing in my body seemed to want to function properly. “Did you track her phone?”
