Page 50 of Better Run
She has her eyes closed, lashes dark against her cheek, and her head leaned back against the wall. I shampoo her hair as best I can, getting soaked in the process.
I can’t take the silence anymore. I ask, “What did he do to you?”
The water patters down on her face. For a while I think she’s going to ignore me like every other time. Until she speaks. “He told me he didn’t want me,” she grimaces. “He couldn’t stand to look at me. That I’m a whore and a slut, and the world would be better off without me.” She cracks her eyes open and looks at me. Really looks at me for the first time. Her eyes are slightly glazed. “Don’t let him hurt you. He’ll get close to you and then break your heart.” She closes her eyes. “It’s a game to him. You need to get as far away from him as you can.”
I swallow. “How long were you together?”
“Nine years.”
A pang shoots through me. It almost feels like jealousy. I stamp it down.
“Nine years.” She goes on, her voice wistful. “I met him before he went to the police academy. He convinced me to quit my job and live with him. Said he’d provide for me.” She laughs softly. “I was an idiot.”
I stare at the steam that billows off her body and the floor.
“When he dumped me, I had nothing.”
The water falls like rain for a while. It starts to cool.
“Why are they giving you drugs?”
She laughs. “I got clean a year ago. Broke my back when I was a teen and got prescribed Percocet. Got addicted. Cleaned my life up before he broke up with me. Apparently, that makes him mad.”
Rage fills me.
She looks at me with tired eyes. “Girl, you’re hot. You could have anyone. Why him?”
I grit my teeth. “I didn’t have a choice.”
“Ah yes, love will make you do crazy things.” She closes her eyes.
“It’s not love!”
She doesn’t answer. She’s clearly not going to believe me. And I don’t know that I entirely blame her. Jayden seems to be doing his best to convince her we are together.
Which we aren’t.
We sit in silence for a while. The water gets icy, and I turn it off. I get Cole to help me carry her back upstairs.
Sage is not doing well. What else does he have planned for her? The dread that has been lurking the past few days fills me. What else does he have planned for me?
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Jayden
Our kitten sleeps between us again, where she belongs. The first night she refused to touch us, but she’s gotten more relaxed now, not going stiff every time our skin brushes. It feels nice in a way I didn’t expect. I find myself relaxing around her.
I pull her soft, sexy body into me. I can’t get enough of her soft curves, her silky skin, and the little hairs on the back of her neck. She makes a mewling sound that turns me on and starts to wriggle away.
“No.” I clamp her down. I need her tonight. My heart has been racing all day. I’ve been trying not to think about it, but my mind keeps hijacking my control.
I fall asleep with her tucked into me.
I wake up, and she’s gone. I’m in my mom’s living room, with its maroon and green decor and live laugh love signs.
Panic runs through me, and I start to sweat. Something is wrong. Something is very wrong. I look around the small room. No one is here with me. I need to get there in time. I need to hurry. I run down to her room and find her before I get there. She’s lying on the ground, half out of the bathroom. She’s face up, her eyes are open, and her lips are blue.
“No!” I drop to my knees beside her and start CPR. She’s cold. I feel her ribs crack beneath my hands. No, no, no, I wasn’t in time. There’s a pill bottle on the sink. It’s Advil, but I know what she actually keeps in there.
