Page 8 of Wilder
Royal presses his lips tightly together, as if he doesn’t want to let the words out. “She’s dead. Her boyfriend, Zane, too. We found them in Beckham’s bed.”
Kara’s grip on the chair tightens. “Are you fucking kidding me? This was at SIN.” It’s not posed as a question, more like she’s trying to get the facts straight in her head. I don’t blame her one bit. The poor woman stands there, gape-mouthed, trying to assimilate this information into her head, and it’s not quite processing. She blinks hard, shaking her head.
I don’t know if I’m the only one to notice it, but her phone buzzes again. I frown, wondering who the hell is messaging her at this hour. Then again, she was awake when we got here… and clearly ready for a visitor.
I tear my eyes away from the offending phone in time for Royal’s eyes to flick to mine, then Wilder’s as he does a quick check in with us. Royal rubs a hand over his stubble-covered cheek, and I can tell by the way he’s not coming right out with it that he’s unsure how much to say, how much she can handle. “Yeah. It was pretty gruesome. Quite a lot of stab wounds on each of them.” He pauses, studying her anxious features. “I want to make sure you understand the magnitude of the situation. Not to be gross about it, but it was like they were lying in a pool of blood and, I dunno, I’m almost certain they’d both vomited something up like they’d been given a dr?—”
“Echo saw this?” Kara’s face has turned ghost-white, and she lets go of the chairback to cover the lower half of her face. At thesame time, a very uncomfortable noise is dragged from Wilder. I don’t fucking know who to focus on—our girl’s older sister, who’s about to go into meltdown mode, or this man I know so well, who’s not acting nearly like himself. After a split second, I narrow my eyes, aiming my stare at Wilder. I intend to figure out what the hell is going on with him. Sure, we discovered dead bodies tonight, which was a fucking awful shock, but I get the feeling witnessing the scene of the murder has triggered something. A memory, maybe. Whatever it is has some vicious claws, that’s for fucking sure.
Just as I’m about to ask him if he’d like to talk in private, Echo walks in, and there’s no doubt she’s heard her sister’s question. She strides directly to her. “I did see it. All four of us were right there. We turned on the light and—” Her voice catches as Kara swiftly pulls her sister into her arms.
“Oh, baby girl,” she whispers. “I’m so sorry you had to see that.”
Echo nods, her face tucked against Kara’s neck. “It was pretty bad. Not gonna lie.”
It’s agonizing to watch them huddled together and shaking, because it only makes me wonder what it was like when they discovered their parents.
“They don’t know who—?” Kara sputters to a stop. Her phone vibrates again, this time getting her attention. She drags in an unsteady breath as she rubs her hand over Echo’s back in a soothing gesture, but she simply stares at the phone where it lies at the center of the table, making no move to look at it. “Sorry.” Her eyes crash shut. “Okay. I don’t know what to ask.” She lets out a heavy breath, then her gaze connects with mine.
I dislike how this brave, levelheaded woman is so unnerved, so I offer up some information. “We’ve already spoken to one of the detectives, but we’ll need to go to the station later today after we’ve gotten some sleep.”
“Shit.” Kara makes an exasperated, yet anxious noise. “You don’t think it has anything to do with the other stuff?”
“We don’t honestly know.” Echo finally detaches herself from Kara and tugs her toward the table. “I’ve gotta sit down. I’m really exhausted, but there’s no way I’m going to be able to sleep anytime soon.”
“We figured we’d be up for a while,” Wilder grits out from where he’s pouring coffee. “Who needs caffeine?” At the raising of everyone’s hands, I get up to help him bring steaming mugs of coffee over, then he goes back for cream and sugar, plunking them in the middle of the table for everyone before sitting down himself. Good fucking thing he acclimated himself to their kitchen because I doubt Kara would be a capable hostess at the moment. Wilder takes a sip of the steaming-hot brew, then throws out a hand in an irritated gesture. “I want to think there’s no connection, but”—he pauses to grit his teeth—“I don’t trust it.”
We haven’t had a chance to lay everything out yet, but the fact that both Wilder and I were drawn into this mess in the last few days hasn’t come up yet. Is it a coincidence that the murder happened in my bed? I don’t have a fucking clue. I blink, realizing I missed Kara say something.
“We’ll be vigilant. Promise.” And then Wilder swallows, but he struggles with whatever lump is in his throat.Fuck.This isn’t good. He’s running swiftly toward a chasm, and I don’t have any fucking idea what it will take to keep him from going over the edge.
And speaking of going over the edge, Kara’s phone vibrates three times in rapid succession. All of us pointedly look at her, and finally she snatches it up and flips it over.
Echo nudges Kara, frowning. “Who’s blowing up your phone at this hour?”
“Um—” She grits her teeth, then rubs a hand over her face before shooting off a couple text messages. “It’s Todd. He was supposed to come over.” Her face flushes pink, and she shakes her head. “I texted him when I went upstairs to change. I figured it was best that he not come since something serious must have happened on campus for you all to show up here in the middle of the night. I didn’t have details yet, but…” She hesitates as she looks down when another text comes in. “Anyway, I guess he was worried, so he drove toward the college and could see the flashing lights from several streets over. He says it’s not obvious what’s happening, and he couldn’t find information about it anywhere yet. I don’t know if that’s helpful information or not.” She nibbles on her lip as she responds to his text, only to have one more come through. Tucking her phone into a pocket in her leggings, she gives us an awkward smile. “He says he’s glad you all are okay.”
A moment later, a key in the lock at the front door disturbs all thoughts and conversation, especially when the rapid punch of numbers tells us Davis is home. We shoot out of the kitchen chairs, loosely circling Echo, and Kara by extension. Davis isn’t even trying to be quiet as he storms down the hallway. He stops as soon as he enters the room, his eyes narrowing as he lets them roam.
“I fuckin’ knew you’d be here,” he growls. “Couldn’t you go to a goddamn hotel like they suggested?”
He looks like he’s been through it tonight, which, I do get it—he was scared for Echo’s well-being. We all heard the panic in his voice as he shouted for her and caused a general ruckus downstairs while the cops held him back.But fuck. Shut up, man. Don’t be a dick.
Wilder’s dark stare is lethal, as if his eyes are lasers aimed at Davis’s skull. “We’re here for your sister, so maybe shut your fucking mouth.”
Davis throws back his head, a rather unstable laugh tripping from his lips. “Oh yeah. I bet you are.” He eyes the three of us before his gaze falls on Echo.
She inhales deeply through her nose, as if she’s trying to control an outburst. In a low voice, she mutters, “You could at least be quiet, Davis. Chase is asleep. Or he was until your belligerent ass stomped in here.” She rolls her eyes. “I don’t fucking get you. You’re so concerned about me one minute, and the next, you’re a nasty, snarling beast. Frankly, you’re starting to really piss me off.”
I gently put my hand on Echo’s shoulder, squeezing my reassurance because I hate to see her riled up like this. Davis takes one look at where my hand is and gives Echo a rude-as-fuck sneer. “Find somewhere else for your orgy.”
I’ll be damned if I’m moving my hand, so I simply smile calmly at him. “No need to be an ass-faced dickwad,” I say in a moderately cheerful tone. His lip curls as we lock eyes. I give him a shrug that I mean to antagonize him, even though I know he’s already like a raging bull. I can’t help myself. The fucker needs someone to put him in his place.
“Davis. That’s e-fucking-nough.” Kara’s expression as she stares at her brother is one of pure astonishment. “I would have thought you’d be more understanding. They witnessed something awful tonight. You know what that’s like and how hard it can be.” She shakes her head, decisively ending the matter when she bites out, “They’ll be staying here. Period.”
Davis’s face morphs, giving him the appearance of a petulant child, and he grumbles something I can’t make out under his breath before speaking up. “Whatever. Do whatever the fuck you want, Echo. Orwhoever the fuck you want. I’m going to bed. I want no part in this.”
“Davis, just fuck off for now, please. Your shitty attitude isnothelping.”
