Page 28 of Forged in Flames (Made of Steel 2)

There was another message from last night, from about the same time I had probably stumbled out of the frat house. It was from V. I rolled my eyes. Eli could have just texted me as himself. Maybe he was having an identity crisis. Kind of like me. I shook away the thought. My eyes scanned the message. He wanted to know where I was. What the hell? He knew exactly wher

e I was, because he left me there. He should have just come back for me.

The last unread message was from Liza. "Did you find anything out from Eli yet? I've got nothing."

I tossed my phone onto my bed. Yesterday had been a complete disaster. Pretending my problems didn't exist wasn't going to fix anything. There was no point in acting like a normal college student. I wasn't normal. I grabbed my shower caddy and stormed out of my room. Everything would be better if I just pretended like last night had never happened. I needed to focus on what really mattered. Vengeance. I swallowed hard. I meant justice. I pulled back the shower curtain, ignoring the screech of the metal rungs. It didn't matter what I called it. Soon enough I'd be a murderer. I'd have blood on my hands. I'd be guilty. My life would be over.

Chapter 13

Sunday

The terrible headache from my hangover was making me act insane. I knew it, but I couldn't seem to stop it from happening. It was like I had a taste for blood in my mouth. But now I wasn't sure if it was Don's or my own that I was about to see. I peered around the lamppost at the Corner Diner.

I knew perfectly well that the lamppost wasn't hiding me. But for some reason it made me feel safer. My eyes were glued on the window. The diner was as busy as any regular Sunday. The only difference was that Joan wasn't posted at the hostess stand. Or talking to customers. Or anywhere in sight. Where was she?

I wanted a fight. I wanted to scream and punch and throw things. There was an electricity coursing through me and I needed to unleash it. I bounced on the balls of my feet and clenched my hands into fists. I could take Joan. She was an old lady. I could get her to tell me what Don was planning.

My phone buzzed in the pocket of my jean shorts. I pulled it out and opened up a text from V.

"Roof. Now."

Fuck you. I wasn't even sure why I was so angry at Eli. I stuffed the phone back in my pocket. But why did he have to be so vague? It was like the mask messed with the circulation to his brain. Couldn't he see that I was busy doing surveillance?

I continued to stare inside the Corner Diner. Seriously, where was she?

My phone buzzed again. I yanked it back out and looked at the new text. "She's gone too. Roof. Now." I looked up at the top of the buildings. He was standing on the ledge of one nearby the diner. Why couldn't he just take off his mask and come talk to me like a normal person? I walked down the street until I came to a rickety emergency escape ladder. The bottom of it was already pulled down, like he had been expecting me to show up here. As if he could read my thoughts. For some reason that just made me even madder, because I couldn't read his thoughts at all.

I climbed up the steps, being careful not to look down. All I could seem to focus on was the pounding in my head anyway. I stepped up onto the roof and stared at him.

"Do you have a death sentence?" His voice rumbled.

"What does it matter if I do?" Tears bit at the inside corners of my eyes. "No one would miss me. I'm already dead."

"Sadie..."

That's not my name! He knew that. Why was he still calling me Sadie? I put my hands over my ears. It was like my name was echoing around me, teasing me. Stop.

He took a step toward me and grabbed my wrists, removing my hands from my ears. "I'd miss you."

"Well, you're the only one."

"You said you were ready to train. You don't seem ready."

Was he seriously insulting me for being hung-over? My current state of mind was his fault. "It's your fault that I'm not ready." I put my hand on my forehead. It felt like I was freefalling off the building. My emotions were all over the place. God, I didn't want to burst into tears in front of him.

He put his arms around me, silencing me, and I melted into him. How could he so easily absorb my pain? "All I want to do is turn back time," I mumbled into his chest. "But I can't undo what's already been done. And I can't keep going like this. It hurts too much. Everything hurts. I can't do this. I thought that falling for you would make everything easier, but I can't move on. I can't just keep living like my past means nothing."

His hands tensed on my back. "You're falling for me?"

I wasn't going to repeat myself. We had already talked about this. Besides, the truth was that I was mad at him. Furious, really. "And you know what? You can't just show up whenever it's opportune for you. How do you think that makes me feel?" I unwound his arms from me and took a step back. "And I'm...I'm really mad at you. You completely ditched me last night."

"What? Where were you yesterday?"

He wasn't allowed to be upset about what I did after the party. I would have been perfectly happy spending the night with him but he didn't exactly leave that as an option. My head was pounding. "I'm not even sure you really care."

"Of course I care. I told you to stay with Liza or to go home." He sounded pissed.

"I was with Liza. Until she kicked me out. You didn't exactly ask her if it was okay if I stayed with her. So I went back to my dorm and you were there. Sitting on my bed. With all your apologies and then you just ditched me again."

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