Page 161 of Beautifully Damaged Boxset

Jace frowned. “As in after the fire when you moved in with Chance?”

I nodded. Although I realized that Jace had my best interests at heart, I wasn’t in the mood for a lecture. I should have told him before, but it wasn’t something I liked to talk about.

“Do you remember how we got into the hypnosis?” I leaned my head against the back of the sofa and looked at him.

He nodded. “We were young and stupid.” He paused. “I’m not sure that’s changed.” He raised a judgmental eyebrow at me.

I rubbed my chin, recalling the times we’d experimented with the hypnosis. “We were in tenth grade. We were definitely young and stupid.”

“I still don’t know what possessed us to dig through my mom’s confidential information.” Jace tapped the pen against the arm of his chair.

“We were bored as hell with too much time on our hands. Wasn’t it actually Brynn’s idea to snoop?” I couldn’t help but grin. “Your mom was at a psychiatry conference, and no one was at your place, so we decided to hang there.”

“Brynn was always the adventurous one.” Jace’s face fell. “Except that time. She wanted to be the one to guide the hypnosis session instead of going under.”

My fingertips tapped against the ginger ale can as Jace and I revisited the first time I’d used the experimental method.

“Mom’s notes mentioned that some people were more susceptible than others, and that the hypnosis was dangerous. We thought she was being overly cautious.” He shook his head. “Man, she wasn’t kidding.” He laced his fingers behind his neck. “We almost weren’t able to bring you back from going under back then either.” He shook his head. “Why do you keep tempting fate? The percentage of people being stuck in that reality is too high to risk it. Like, you do understand that you’d be mentally fucked up for the rest of your days, right?”

I ran my hand over my hair, water droplets flicking onto my shirt and face. “I’m desperate to find River, Jace.” I bowed my head, willing myself not to come unglued. Between the session, River, and Brynn, I was barely holding on.

“Holden?” Jace scooted to the edge of his seat. “Do you remember what you saw the first time we did this?”

Dryness seized my throat, and I attempted to swallow. “Fuck.” We stared at each other speechless. “That I was in a weird house with kids, and someone was screaming my name.”

“I have the notes at my place. Let’s go.” Jace stood and patted his pockets, ensuring that he had his phone and wallet.

“Tad will need to take me,” I reminded him. “If you’re coming back, then just leave your car here.”

Jace walked to the door and paused. “Better yet… We need a change of scenery. We’re staying at my place, so grab whatever you need. We’re going to figure this shit out once and for all.” Conviction weaved through his words.

“I’m in. No matter what happens, I’m all in.” I darted into the bedroom and quickly tossed some clothes and toiletries into a grocery bag. It was funny how I’d taken even the little things like a duffel bag for granted. I met him at the front door and looked at him. “Thanks, man. You have no idea what this means to me.”

“I’ve always got your back.” He squeezed my shoulder before we left.

Each time I’d fucked with fate, I’d walked away unscathed. But this time? Fate would have the last laugh, and fuck with me.

Chapter Thirty-One

Tad never questioned us as we let him know that we were headed to Jace’s. It was nearly one-thirty in the morning, and at this point, neither Jace nor I had any plans to sleep.

We waited on the porch of his bungalow-style house, since Tad had insisted that he search the property.

Jace had recently updated the siding to a light sage with white trim. The lower half of the home offered a great stone contrast.

“Clear,” Tad said, his voice deep and hushed. He held the front door open for us, then slipped out.

Jace closed and locked the door behind us. “Make yourself comfortable. You know where the guest bedroom and bath are.”

“I guess it’s been a while since I’ve been over.” I toed off my tennis shoes and placed them near the entrance. Following Jace into the living room, I made myself comfortable on his brown leather sofa. Apparently, Jace had been busier than I’d realized. Not only had the outside of the place had a facelift, but he’d also remodeled the inside. The overhead light gleamed on sections of the shiny, light-colored wood floors. A black and brown silk rug covered the majority of the area. The stone around the gas fireplace matched the exterior, pulling the elements together. A curved flat screen television was mounted to the opposite wall. His brown leather furniture was complemented by an iron coffee table and two end tables.

“You’ve done a lot of work to the house. It looks good.”

“Thanks. It’s kept me busy in a good way, if that makes sense.”

It did. Since Chance and I had the club, Jace had been forced to come up with other ways to occupy his time. Belonging to the wealthiest families in the Pacific Northwest had its perks. None of us had to work, but there was also way too much downtime. Even though we’d all attended college, Jace hadn’t finished. His world had been turned upside down a few years ago when he’d lost his mom, and he’d struggled to find his way afterward.

Jace opened the drawer of the end table. He rummaged around until he produced a notepad and pen, then he settled in and flipped through the pages. “Found it.”

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