Page 62 of Hurt for Me

“If I told you the address of the Santa Monica house where he kept me, would you be able to look into something for me?” she said.

“Possibly.” He paused. “But you told the New Mexico police you didn’t know the exact location of the house.”

“I lied.” She knew everything about that house, every dirty corner of it, except for one important thing. “It was owned by Felton Holdings LLC. I’ve never been able to find any solid information about the company, though.”

Dayton had his phone out to enter the information into his Notes app. “Why didn’t you tell the police this before?”

“I was too scared at the time,” she said, which was partially true.

“I’ll see what I can find out.” He closed out the footage file and removed the flash drive from her computer. His face was troubled. “I fucked this whole thing up, and I still don’t have any real information on that white-haired guy. Since I didn’t legally obtain this footage, it can’t be submitted for evidence of wrongdoing at those parties. I can use it for leads to track down possible victims, but that’s about it. Besides, proving there wasn’t consent in something like this is going to be hard as hell.”

Rae figured as much. They had both gone to the party with their own agenda, and they’d both failed. “I know. But it’s something. And I’m sure it’s more than what your colleagues have.”

As much as she wanted to know what other leads his department had, she knew Dayton would never tell her.

He placed his hand on her knee, and she started from being so tired. “I promise we’ll find your friend.” He stood up, and she dragged her butt up too. “But we both need sleep now. I should go.”

Rae walked him to the front door, where they awkwardly hovered, not knowing how to say goodbye. She decided for them and hugged him. He hugged her back, and they stood like that for a good while. She pressed her face into his shirt and breathed in his scent—warm and earthy with a hint of spice. She didn’t want him to be the first to pull away, so she did.

“Good night,” she said, her chest aching to touch him again.

“Good night.”

And then he was gone.

CHAPTER 39

RAE

2009

It wasn’t much of a silver lining, but at least Viv’s car was still drivable. The acid Mark had tossed on her car ate through most of the paint on the hood but didn’t leak onto the engine underneath.

They reported it to the police the next morning, but they said without proof that Mark did it, they couldn’t do anything. Rae was tired of the police doing nothing and said as much to Viv as she drove them home.

“I swear, you could have a knife in your chest, and they would still say there’s nothing they can do.”

Viv stayed quiet. Rae could tell she was frustrated, too, but she was also weirdly calm.

“We have to do something,” Rae said, wanting to see Viv fired up again.

“I will.” Then she smiled at Rae.

It was the strained kind Viv flashed when she didn’t want Rae to know she was troubled. She was trying to protect Rae when Rae wantedViv to protect herself. Mark’s deadline was fast approaching, and Viv didn’t seem as worried as Rae wanted her to be.

“Let’s get some breakfast tacos,” Rae said to brighten Viv’s mood. Viv loved tacos of any variety, especially if a place had good green sauce. One of the first things Viv had taught her when she came to Albuquerque was the importance of picking your chili sauce: red or green.

“Sounds good, hon.”

Rae wanted to stick around at the house the next day, but she had her appointment for the prenatal cardiologist. The doctor was a nice woman who was quick and to the point. Lily’s heart rate was back to a normal level, and Rae felt a huge wave of relief. Her evening walks had worked. She’d also been drinking more water and avoiding caffeine, which was way harder than she’d expected.

She’d reluctantly told Viv about Lily’s tachycardia the night before, and Viv had insisted Rae take a break from doing so many live streams.

“I still have plenty of money from the house sale,” Viv had said as she rubbed Rae’s head while they watched TV. Rae remembered how her mother used to rub her head, and her chest constricted into a painful knot. “Let me help you.”

Rae didn’t say yes or no. She’d been too relaxed with her head on Viv’s lap, feeling loved and wishing she could stay in the moment forever.

Now, she looked forward to getting home so she could tell Viv the good news about Lily.

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