Page 75 of Wrecked

Shane moves to walk past Jamie, but Jamie catches his arm. “Have you seen the photos?”

“Yes,” Shane says, his voice tightly controlled.

“Obviously, I can’tseethem, myself,” Jamie says, “but Beth described them to me. They sound pretty damning.”

“They are,” Shane admits. His control seems to be slipping a bit. “They’re also fakes. I just need to find a way to prove it to Beth.”

Beth and Shane are holed up in Jamie’s office for alongtime. Finally, they emerge, hand-in-hand. That’s a good sign.

“Jamie,” Shane says, “Beth wants to stay here tonight. Is that okay?”

“Of course, it is,” Jamie says. “She’s always welcome here, you both know that.”

Shane lays his hand on his brother’s shoulder. “Thanks. Make sure she eats, will you?”

“What can I do?” I ask.

“Just keep doing your job,” Shane says. “When Beth’s away from home, you stick to her like glue until I get this situation resolved. Luciana’s lost her grip on reality.”

“You got it,” I say.

I’m not going anywhere.

It looks like we’re having a sleepover here tonight with Jamie. I text Cooper to let him know I won’t be coming home tonight.

Chapter 25 – Cooper

I slept like shit last night. Shane forwarded to me the photos Luciana sent to Beth. It was sickening to look at them. But I also knew they were somehow, ingeniously, faked. Beth spent the night at Jamie’s, without Shane. And of course that meant Sam didn’t come home last night either. He stayed with Beth.

Even Shane spent the night away, working in a lab at the office with a forensics team who were analyzing the images to determine how they were made.

I spent the night in Sam’s apartment, hoping he’d come back in the night, but knowing he wouldn’t. Not unless Beth returned to the penthouse.

When I woke up this morning, alone in Sam’s bed, I packed an overnight bag for Sam, including a change of clothes and toiletries. Then I went up to the penthouse and packed a bag for Beth. I have no idea what their plans are for today, whether or not Beth’s going to try to go to work or stay at Jamie’s, but I want them to have everything they need.

I arrive at Jamie’s apartment around six-thirty, with both overnight bags. I text Sam to see if he’s awake yet.

Me: You awake?

Sam: Yeah. Didn’t sleep much.

Me: Me either. I’m outside. Can you buzz me in?

Sam: Sure. Just a sec.

Sam lets me into the building, and I climb the steps to the second floor. When I reach Jamie’s apartment, the door is open, and Sam’s standing there leaning against the door jamb. He looks rough, like he just rolled out of bed. His hair is wild, strands of it falling out of his manbun and hanging down thesides of his face. Still, he looks so damn good my chest tightens. I hope he’ll be back in his own bed tonight because I don’t want to sleep another night without him.

I nudge him into the dark and quiet apartment and close the door behind me. “Are they awake?” I ask quietly.

“Jamie’s out walking the dog,” Sam says, keeping his voice low. “I haven’t heard a peep out of Beth this morning. She had a rough night—nightmares. I’m pretty sure she’s still asleep.”

I hand Sam his overnight bag. “I packed some stuff for you. I also brought a bag for Beth.”

“Thanks.” Sam sets Beth’s bag on the kitchen table. He disappears down the hall with his own. A few minutes later, he returns wearing a fresh change of clothes. His hair is tidied.

“Is there any coffee?” I ask. “I left so quickly this morning, I didn’t bother making any.”

Sam sets his overnight bag on the floor by the door and heads for the kitchen. “I just started a pot. It should be ready soon.”