Page 55 of Hurt for Me

Rae had the urge to sit next to him and take his hand, but she was still angry at him for lying to her.

“The last time she was seen was when a wealthy-looking, white-haired man with unusually blue eyes drove over to where she was working the streets. Witnesses said they saw him invite her to a party. A fancy party at a mansion with every drug she could want. She went with him after some of her sex worker friends warned her not to, and police found her body dumped in a ditch five days later. She’d been tortured. Caned and burned, but she also had a lot of drugs in her system.”

“I’m sorry,” Rae said. She saw his grief was still raw. “But you really think he’s the same man?”

“I know he is, just like I knew you would be the one to lead me to him after you told me what your friend witnessed at the party.”

That’s what he’d meant then about her being someone important in his life. It wasn’t because he was interested in her; it was what she could do for him.

“So, you used me?” she said. “And last night ...”

Dayton stood up and came over to her. He squeezed her upper arms, and she didn’t pull away from him this time. “I meant what I said last night, Rae. But I did use you, and I’m sorry for it. I didn’t see another way to get to the party and confirm what I knew in my gut. I had to see him. And this is the only lead I’ve had in over a decade. The police stopped investigating Tula’s death the moment they learned she was a sex worker and a drug addict. And there’s never justice for indigenous people, anyway.” His face contorted with repressed anger for a moment. “After that, I changed my major in college from secondary education to criminal justice because I thought it would help me find her killer.”

She processed his words, disappointment and confusion burrowing deep in her chest. He had wanted to be a teacher, and he upended his life to find his cousin’s murderer. Now, he was upending hers in the process. “Where do we go from here?”

“I don’t know yet.” He lifted his hand like he was going to touch her, before lowering it just as fast. “But I’ll do whatever I need to make sure you’re safe. I didn’t mean for things to go like this.”

She turned away from him, annoyed with the tears forming in her eyes. “Just get us out of here.”

“All right.”

With their minds finally clearing, they were able to find their way back to the large stairs leading into the rear of the mansion. Dayton told her to follow the perimeter of the building to where the side parking was located while he sneaked inside to find her things. Quietly, shemade her way to the parking lot area, her mind distracted by everything Dayton had told her.

More and more, her anger at him lessened, but it was simmering under the surface. In any other circumstance, if someone betrayed her, she was done with them. She’d learned that skill the hard way with her mother. But she also knew vengeance could make a person do things they’d never dream of doing, like burning down a house. She couldn’t fault Dayton for wanting to avenge his cousin, but it didn’t mean she needed to be a part of it.

Several minutes passed before Dayton finally met up with her at his car. Thankfully, he held her toy bag.

“I couldn’t find where they put your robe,” he said. “Sorry.”

At this point, she was glad to get out of there. Strangely, the large gate they had entered through last night was left open. Almost like they knew Rae and Dayton were still there.

As he drove her back to her place, she tried to prepare herself to walk into work like a normal person. She didn’t know how she was going to tell Angel any of this.

“When will you be able to get the bodycam footage?” she said to break the silence.

“I’ll try to go through it later today, but I’ve got a lot I need to do at work first.”

“I want to see it.”

He glanced over at her, surprise on his face. “I’ll let you know when I have it ready.”

“Good.”

The more she thought about what had happened to Tula, the more she hated the idea of the same happening to Devon or the other women. If she could help, she would, especially since the police weren’t interested in doing their jobs. And she couldn’t shake the feeling of having a target on her back now.

CHAPTER 35

RAE

2009

Viv wasn’t herself—not since the day Mark had come to the condo. And Rae hated him for it. She wanted the strong, vivacious Viv back, not the anxious person who seemed on the verge of crumbling. But she didn’t know what else she could do besides what she’d already done with the police statement.

It didn’t help that she had to focus on working, doing as many live streams as she could to save money for when Lily was born, and she’d be forced to take a few weeks off. Stomping on Barbie heads with high heels was the last thing she wanted to do, but she gave her viewers the show they’d come to expect. How Viv was able to do client sessions at all in her state of mind was a wonder to Rae.

“What can Mark actually do if you don’t give him the money from the house sale?” Rae said as they ate lunch in front of the TV. According to Mark, Viv had four more days to come up with the funds.

Viv glanced at her. “Legally? Nothing. Physically, emotionally?” She looked down at her sandwich. “He can do a lot of damage. Andhe’s desperate because he made a bad business deal and owes a ton of money to a loan shark.”

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