Lucy: I miss you, baby. I’m sorry for what I did.
My eyes shoot to the house again to check on him. Still no sign.What did she do?Is that why he’s mad? At her?
My hand tightens on the phone. Is that why he agreed to this date? Because she stood him up this time? I’m just a backup plan? That’s why it took him so long to say yes to me.
“That motherfucker.”
It vibrates in my hand again, but this time, it’s a video. I hit play.
THIRTY-TWO
GRAVE
“WHERE THE FUCK is it?” I growl, while on my hands and knees, checking under my bed for my extra phone charger. The one I have at the hotel isn’t working properly, and my phone keeps dying. I haven’t felt like going to buy a new one, and my house was on the way to dinner, so I figured I’d stop by and get it.
Standing up, I open my nightstand again. Shoving shit around, I dig for it, but no luck.
“Grave,” April screams.
I sprint out of my bedroom to the banister just in time to see her charging up the stairs. “What the fuck, April?” I snap, trying to calm my racing heart. I thought she was dying, for fuck’s sake.
“Grave.” She rushes up to me, crying.
“What the fuck happened?” I demand, looking her over. We’re in a gated community. No one can get in and out except for us Kings. She was alone for about five minutes.
“We have to help her,” she says, tears streaming down her face.
“Who?” I ask, looking around the second story of my house. “We’re the only ones here.”
“She messaged you.” She shoves my cell into my chest. “A text and a video.” She sniffs.
I take my cell from her hand and stare down at it. Whatever she was watching is paused. I press play.
My jaw tightens at the sight of Lucy standing in her bathroom, naked from the waist up. Someone is filming her. She’s crying. Her makeup from days ago runs down her face. Her hair is a bleached, tangled mess.
“I’m sorry, Grave. Please forgive me. I love you. I miss you.” She hiccups. “I want you. Come and save me.” She reaches out, grabs a bottle of pills, and pops the lid. Then she opens her mouth and tips it back, swallowing a countless number of pills.
“Fuck,” I hiss.
“We have to go.” April tugs on my arm. “Grave, we have to.”
My gaze meets hers. “April, this is a trick,” I tell her. This is what Lucy does. She needs attention, needs to be seen and heard. Lucy knows I’m pissed off at her and that I want nothing to do with her right now. Possibly ever. This is her crying wolf.
Her brows scrunch as if I’m a heartless bastard. “What? No. The video…”
“Do you know how many times she’s sent me videos like this?” I demand, shaking my phone. “This is what she does.”
“Grave.” She steps into me and sniffs. Her red-rimmed eyes pleading with me. “We have to help her. She’s obviously crying out for help. Please,” she begs.
“No,” I say, sliding my phone in my pocket and starting down the staircase.
“I thought you were dead,” she says, stopping my feet. “I thought you died, Grave. And you know what?” I turn to face her. “I wouldn’t have been able to live with myself if I hadn’t done everything in my power to save you. Would you be able to live with yourself if she dies when you had a chance to help her?”
“Fine,” I growl. “We’ll stop by and check on her if that will make you happy.” Then I turn and finish walking down the stairs.
Now April’s backto not speaking to me again, but this time, I know why.Lucy!Because April thinks I’m a fucking jackass who doesn’t care about others. And normally, that is me. I just refuse to tell her that.
Lucy is trying to fuck shit up between me and April. Hell, she already has. But I can’t reveal that, so I’ll keep my mouth shut and let her see for herself. Lucy did this to me two years ago. Instead of going to see her, I took a trip to LA with Cross. She called me and said she took a bottle of pills and was lying in her kitchen naked with a knife. She wanted to end her life.
