Page 123 of Beneath the Surface

Only forward.

Sitting down in front of my computer, I stare at the Google map that’s been haunting my every thought since I pulled it up the other day. Sugarlake is a little over one hundred miles from where I am. And it’s taking every ounce of me to not jump on my bike and make the trip to see if Lily is there.

Now that the distraction of revenge is gone, it feels as though there’s something intrinsic missing, like a vital organ my body is trying to compensate without. My heart, already smashed to pieces, fractures more whenever I think of Lily’s son, knowing I made him promises I had no right to make. Gave him visions of a future that, deep down, I knew probably wouldn’t come to pass.

I haven’t left my apartment since I’ve been back. Free but lacking purpose. Where I used to long for solitude, now I find the loneliness stifling, missing the giggles of a screaming toddler, and the song of a little bird.

My phone vibrates from across the room, and I jump up to grab it, my brows furrowing when I see the name on the caller ID.

Chase Adams.

My heart stutters.

“Hello?”

“Mason.” His voice is low and gravelly, and my stomach squeezes at his tone.

“What’s wrong? What happened?”

My mind races, zooming through a thousand different scenarios, immediately wondering if somehow my father still got to her.That’s impossible.

“Can you... I don’t—” He pauses, blowing out a shaky breath. “It’s Lily, she...”

My heart ceases to fucking beat. My insides burn up, needing him to spit it the fuck out, whatever it is. “What about her?”

“Just get here, man,” he rasps. “She’s gonna need you.”

57

Lily

Iwake up in an ER hospital bed, and there isn’t a single part of me that isn’t aching.

“Lily, Jesus fucking Christ.” Chase’s voice pulls me out of the inventory I’m taking of my body, and rushes to my side.

I open my mouth to speak but sharp pain radiates through my jaw. I close it slowly and wince, my right hand coming up to soothe the ache. Burning scorches through my arm, my mouth popping back open. “Ow,fuck.”

Chase smirks. “Yeah, I bet that hurt.”

“What happened?” I force out, tamping down the agony searing through the right side of my body.

Chase sighs, picking up my left hand. His eyes dark and murderous. “Your asshole ex is what the fuck happened.”

My body jerks and I stutter out a whimper from the pain of suddenly moving.

Chase stiffens. “Do you need me to call someone in here? They said they’d be back in a minute, but if you need something for the pain relief...”

“No.” My voice is sharp. “No drugs.”

Chase’s eyes fog over as he nods. “Right. Right,fuck, of course not.”

“I had just gotten home and saw your car.” Another voice cuts in and my eyes flicker to Derek, his hair mussed in different directions, his blue eyes sharp and penetrating. “And another one parked haphazardly in my front yard. The front door was slightly ajar, and something just felt off. I was already on the phone with 911 when I heard the gunshot.”

My insides clench tight, my left hand squeezing Chase’s tighter.Gunshot. I was shot. By Darryl.

That motherfucker.

“I’m so glad you’re okay,” I mutter, trying not to move my jaw too much.

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