Page 38 of Retribution

“She said that…” her voice trails off and the next part barely comes out as a whisper.

“Yesterday morning, her sister, Allie, died.”

I freeze. My entire body tenses and my mind quietens. I blink a few times, trying to process what she’s just said.

Opening my mouth to speak, I try but nothing comes out. I blink again.

“Is… Is she okay?” I barely manage to stutter.

My mind rushes back to last night, me and Reed. The bar. The state he was in when I found him.

Oh my god.

“Not really,” Nina mumbles, casting her eyes to the window.

I don’t even know what to think. What to say. How could this have happened? I thought she was getting better. I’ve just slept with a man who had lost his wife less than 24 hours before, if I had known… A haunting, sickening feeling overtakes my senses.

What the hell was I thinking?

“I should go see her.” My is hangover being pushed to the back of my mind as I rush back to my room to grab the remainder of my stuff.

Quickly gathering all of my belongings, I throw them into my gym bag.

This makes my problems with Scott seem minuscule; Britney needs me right now, and I need to go home.

* * *

Pulling up outside of Britney’s apartment building, I shut off the engine, taking a minute. I rest my hands on the steering wheel and close my eyes, letting out a breath I didn’t realize I’d been holding in. My head pulses at the pressure of what is coming, hangover or not.

I knock for the fourth time.

“Brit, it’s me Indie,” I shout again.

After a moment I finally hear signs of life.

The door unlocks and what I see standing before me is not the girl I know.

This girl is an image of grief and despair, a ghost.

Her usual tan skin is almost a sickly green, her well-kempt hair is in a messy ponytail, no makeup in sight. This is the disgusting truth of losing someone, the bitter horrible truth. Her eyes appear hollow, dark, and miserable.

I reach forward, pulling her into the tightest embrace as she falls apart in my arms, her sobs muffled by my chest.

I hold her, my eyes also welling with tears for the pain of their family, but also the immense guilt that’s circulating through my body, knowing what I was doing and with whom, whilst their entire world has been tipped upside down. The anger stirring in me once again, at the complete ignorance of Reed.

I feel disgusted knowing that during the entire time together last night he didn’t feel the need to share something as important as this. I sure as hell wouldn’t have agreed to a grief fuck.

I walk us into her apartment, and I glance around the small kitchenette, the selection of flowers littered across the counter tops causes me to wince at the sight.

Sitting down onto her green leather couch, I hold Britney as she leans into me again, allowing myself to absorb the pained sobs that manage to escape her as I stare at the picture of Britney and Allie on the wall above.

Chapter 11

Reed

Buttoning up my suit, I pop on my cuff links and straighten my tie. I rearrange my hair in the mirror just before I walk out of the elevator into the bustling office. I keep a stone hard face as I make my way to my personal office, the noise in the room ceasing as I walk around the numerous desks, feeling every single pair of eyes on me.

Just keep walking, Reed. Let them stare.

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