No…
Please, stop.
He gets closer still, but her body refuses to move. Her mind thrashes, but her lips can’t form the words to put an end to this. He holds her down, and her fear multiplies. He leans in all the way, and finally, her mouth parts, and a scream rips its way out of her.
Stop! No, please…
Stop it…
Please, please, ple–
I gasp and jolt upright in bed, then look around frantically, only to realize I’m in Dorran’s bedroom. He’s sleeping next to me, and the early-morning sunlight peeking in through the floating curtains, outlines the ridges of his softened features.
I sigh in relief and close my eyes, then rub my hands over my face and tie my hair above my head.
I remember Dorran asking Mave to drive me to his loft while him and the others took care of Toby and my mom’s bodies. And I remember all but falling onto the bed the moment I’d gotten here hours ago. What I don’t remember is having a throbbing headache, which I’m assuming is the aftermath of my brief nightmare.
I hold my head in my hands and press my fingers into my scalp. As if I needed a goddamn migraine today.
“Cignette?” Dorran’s voice is groggy, and when I turn towards him, he sits up and looks at me with sleepy eyes. “What’s wrong?”
I fix his hair – still damp from the shower he must’ve taken – then shift close to him. “Nightmare,” I say.
He frowns a little, then pulls me to him.
I wrap my arms around his waist and bury my face into the crook of his neck, relaxing into his warmth.
“Feel every bit of the fear and pain these nightmares bring,” he whispers against my hair, then sets a soft kiss on my forehead. “Because the more you learn to embrace them, the less they’ll haunt you – both in your sleep, and while you’re awake. The tragedies you endure reflect themselves in your dreams. They test your internal strength; look for signs of weaknesses. If you let those demons take over you, you lose. If you learn to let them in, they’ll surrender to you. And at the end of the day, that’s all you need, isn’t it? To win over the darkness inside you so that you don’t lose your aim in life.”
“But it’s so hard to fight all these memories,” I admit.
“It always is, Cigs, and I’d be stupid to say otherwise.”
I pull back, then smile a little when he leans in to kiss me on the lips. I cup his jaw and kiss him back, then touch my nose to his, letting the calm of this moment steady me.
“Did you get everything sorted?” I ask after a while, then move back and look at him.
He nods. “We had her Lexus placed near a suburban neighborhood in Olivewood Ave. I made sure the car had loose wiring, but Eddie and his team did the rest. It’s quite a full area, so I’m sure news has spread already. A few of his team members were supposed to be among the crowd of onlookers, so we can be assured that things won’t stray off course.”
I sigh, then bring my fingers to his bare chest. “You think my uncle will run an investigation?”
He lifts a shoulder. “I don’t know. But for all our sakes, I hope he doesn’t. We’ve been thorough with everything, but no crime is perfect. There is a chance we missed something, and if we have, then an investigation could reveal it.”
I swallow, then nod. “If he does decide to go through with it, I’ll try persuading him to take the other direction.”
“That could make him suspicious of you,” Dorran cautions.
“I’ll be subtle,” I say. “Besides, he is more likely to hea–” I stop when Dorran’s phone rings.
He grabs it off the nightstand. “It’s Solo,” he tells me, then receives the call and puts it on speaker. “Yeah?”
“Chase isdevastated,” Solo starts. “He’s called me for advice because he thinks Miranda’s death might be a subterfuge and not an accident. He wants to run an inquiry, but his team of advisors think it’s bad press, given how close the elections are. They want him to mourn for the media and the people, and gather as many sympathy votes as possible. Opening up an inquiry would give the opposition a chance to challenge his state of mind, or question his ability to handle matters of the county. Also, Chase doesn’t trust the new sheriff and his son, and wants me in on the case. Well,ifhe decides on turning this incident into one, that is.”
“But you’re a citizen, Solo, not the law. Not anymore,” Dorran remarks.
“I know, kid, and I plan on keeping things that way. I’m going to push his advisors to join me in influencing him to stick to their plan, because the last thing we need is an official investigation.”
Dorran and I glance at each other, and I see how much he, too, wants Solo to succeed.
