And it would be all my fault.
"What?" Luc says frowning. "You told her?" His words break me out of the memory.
"The cops showed up at school, man. We had to—they tried to take her back." Mason explains, his eyes flicking between me and Ro.
Tears are slowly filling her eyes.
"Ro," I murmur. “God, Rory, you’re really here?” I step forward and it breaks her out of her trace.
"Don't talk to me,” her voice breaks. The pain and the anguish in her eyes, her voice, in her hands shaking…it’s worse than I could haveeverimagined.
She leaves the living room, limping slightly. It's not until she's out of my eyesight and that I snap out of it.
Fuck. No. I amnotlosing her again.
"Rory!" I sprint after her. No, no, no, no,no!
In the time it's taken me to go after her, she's got the roller door open and she's backing out a black Hilux from the garage. The guys run past me.
"Rory!" Maverick yells.
She doesn't slow, driving out onto the road. I follow her with my eyes until I'm forced to look away.
"What the fuck was that, Jace?" Luc yells at me. His hands slam against my shoulders, pushing me back a step.
"How the hell do you know Rory?" Dominic demands.
The twins silently stare after her as she disappears into a cloud of dusk.
Their voices blur. The pain in her eyes follows me.
I ignore everything Luc and Dom are shouting at me and head straight for the safety of my room where I slam the door, going straight back to that day.
. . .
Rory ~
I drive and drive, my eyes constantly flicking up to the rearview mirror to check he didn't follow me. I wouldn’t put it past him. He’s ridiculously stubborn.
When I get to a beach near the outskirts of town, I pull over. It's secluded and empty. Like a ghost town. It's perfect.
I stumble out of my car and limp towards the sand. I haven't been to the beach in years. Not since Jace.
"Come on, Ro," he encourages me.
"I can't swim, J," I tell him, anxiously from the water's edge.
He kicks back to the swallow water and picks me up. I squeak, scrambling up him to get away from the water. He laughs, carrying me into the water bodyguard style.
He drops my legs, keeping me up by the strong arm around my waist. He wades in until the water flows over us.
I feel the water—it's cool but embracing. I grin at Jace, his excitement contagious.
I was fourteen then. Jace was sixteen. Fifteen months older. My brother's best friend but mine at the same time. My brother drifted to other groups in high school but Jace was a constant in my life. Until he wasn't.
"Jace, I need you to come get me. He knows. He-he knows that I told the cops about Declan. Please, J." I hang up and ring again.
It goes to voicemail. Again. "Jace, he's here. Please, I don't know what to do." I muffle my sobs so I don't give myself away. "Please, please hurry."
