Page 60 of Forged in Flames (Made of Steel 2)

I loved reading growing up. It was like I was able to escape from my life through the pages of a book. But I had hated this one. It didn't feel like an escape at all. I could barely make my way through it. And it wasn't just because I didn't enjoy the story. I opened it up and saw the blood smeared across the title page.

I remembered blocking the bottle with my hand. Bleeding until I felt dizzy. Slowly pulling the shards out one by one. Wiping my palm against the pages of the book and hiding the evidence in my backpack. Thinking the bandages and the blood was enough to put him away. Being laughed at for having stories running in my head.

After Don found out I went to the police, I ended up with a broken arm, a welt on the side of my head, and a distrust of law enforcement. He beat me with the book I tried to get him arrested with. I hated that book. I hated him. But I learned to keep my mouth shut and I stopped believing in a better life. In a lot of ways, this book had been the end of my hope.

It wasn't just the memory that this book served either. My heart truly was filled with darkness, just like the title said. Don knew that. He had put the darkness there with his own two brutal hands.

I glanced at the bottom of the page where a note was scrawled. "This would have been more fun if you hadn't already stopped living, Sadie." My name was in quotes again, just like the notes I had gotten before Don had gone dark. He was back. This was his handwriting. And it wasn't Sadie Davis that I should be fearing. It was him.

***

"What other proof do you need?" I said and slammed my hand down onto the book.

Liza just stared at me. "Don could have written that awhile ago. We don't know how long he's been planning this. It doesn't prove anything."

"He's here. Why do none of you believe me?" I looked around the table. Eli and V didn't come to my defense. No one was on my side with this. But I was the one that actually knew Don. None of them did. He was back in the city. I could feel it in my bones.

"Look," Liza said. "If he was back in New York, I would know. I have facial recognition running non-stop on V's computers. He's not here."

"I don't need technology to know that he's close."

Liza leaned back in her chair. "Actually, you do. A hunch doesn't prove anything. He's not here, Summer."

"But..."

"Sadie," V said. "We'll look into it, but Liza is right. We have everything set up so that we'll know as soon as he's back. He couldn't have gotten past that much surveillance."

"And if you'd stop touching that book, we might be able to get some information from it." Liza pulled a pencil out from behind her ear that I hadn't been able to see underneath all of her hair. She pushed the book away from my hand with the eraser end of the pencil.

"It's just my blood. You can't get any new information from that."

"We can run it for fingerprints," Eli said. "Maybe that'll finally point us in the direction of some kind of connection here."

I wanted to slap everyone at this table. "There's no one else involved. Sadie Davis works for Don. She's his messenger. And he's back! And if we don't figure out what they're planning to do I'm going to be dead in three days!" I felt like I was hyperventilating. I couldn't seem to catch my breath.

"Hey," V said. He stood up and put his hand on my arm. "Why don't you go lie down for a bit while we run the book for prints?"

I pulled my arm away from him. "I need some fresh air. I'm going for a walk."

"Let me come with you," Eli said as his chair squeaked across the floor.

"I don't need an escort. There's no danger right? That's what you all think? That I'm crazy?"

"We didn't say that," V said.

You didn't need to. I could see it on all their faces. None of them had my back. None of them believed me. This time when I approached the window it opened without Athena saying anything. It was like she could sense my bad mood.

I wanted to hang out with someone who believed in me. Someone who had always had my back, even when I thought he hadn't. I pulled out my phone and clicked on Miles' name. "6th and Pine you said? I'm going to go check it out now." I pressed send before I could tell myself the millions of reasons why I shouldn't be talking to him. I started walking toward 6th and Pine. Even if he didn't respond, I could still use that ice cream. We had met early for our meeting because I had told everyone I had an important update. Which meant I hadn't grabbed anything to eat. And now I was starving and pissed. Ice cream was the perfect solution.

My phone buzzed before I had even taken a few steps.

"Ice cream for dinner? I'm in. Give me 20 minutes."

I smiled down at the text. For just one night I was going to be normal. I was going to do what I wanted. There was no guarantee that I'd get more time. I knew that I couldn't exactly be myself around Miles. But it wasn't really about that. It was more so that being with him reminded me of who I really was. And if I could have one more hour as Summer Brooks, I'd take it. It might be my last chance.

When I arrived at the ice cream shop, I was happy to see that it was actually ice cream and not some ritzy frozen yogurt joint. I wanted the real thing, not some barely healthier alternative. I peered through the window at the menu posted above the checkout counter. They had every flavor I could possibly think of. I stopped scanning the options when my eyes landed on mint chocolate chip. I smiled, remembering what it was like for Miles to know me.

"You cheated!" I said and grabbed the cards out of his hand.

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