He stumbles backward, equally furious. “I was thinking I could catch the asshole and end this. I was thinking about keeping you safe!”
He thrusts the paper into my chest. “Here. He left this.”
I rip it from his hands, smoothing out the creases to read the familiar handwriting.
Now you don’t have to leave me behind for school. You can stay here, where you belong. One day, I’ll bring you his heart, wrapped in a bow. Then we canrest. No more noise. No more fear. Just the two of us, together. Forever.
My hands tremble as I ball up the note and hurl it into the river. I walk away, anger and fear warring inside me.
“What the hell, Hudson? We needed that. The cops could’ve used it.”
I spin around, throwing my arms out. “For what?” I snarl. “They’ve done nothing. That case file is sitting in a drawer, collecting dust. That piece of paper wouldn’t change anything.”
He stares at me, nostrils flaring with anger at my indifference.
“And even if they do catch him, what’ll happen? He’ll do a year in county, maybe two. That’s it. The only way this ends is if he dies. Or I do.”
“Don’t say that,” Cullen grits out.
“That letter? It’s nothing. You’ve been dying to know what the others said, right?” I laugh bitterly, no humor behind it.
“One described drinking my blood so he could take part of my soul inside him.” Cull just stares at me, shocked. “Another said that he loves me so much that even if he wore my skin it wouldn’t be close enough. But my favorite? The one where he promised to find a way to give meyoursevered head. He said that he has a plan to get you out of the way.”
Cullen’s face crumples with horror. His mouth opens, but no words come out.
I take his silence and run with it. Literally. I turn on my heel and sprint, my legs carrying me blindly over the bridge and down the winding dirt road. I run away like I always do, so I don’t have to feel the pain of the truth.
When I reach the end of the road, I collapse onto the busted curb, gasping for air. My chest is tight, and my lungs burn, but it’s nothing compared to what’s happening inside myhead. My thoughts splinter into jagged shards, each one slicing at the last scraps of self-preservation I’ve got left.
I don’t know how much longer I can keep going like this.
It isn’t going to get better.
I’m not going to get better.
And Cullen…
He deserves someone better. Someone whole.
***
Cullen
Hud turns and sprints away like I’m the villain in some horror movie. I just stand there, throat tight, watching him disappear around the bend.
A branch cracks behind me and snaps me from my stupor. I suddenly remember I chased after a psycho, unarmed and without thought. I jog back across the bridge and scramble down the small hill. I grab our trash from the truck bed, then go after Hud.
I find him sitting on the broken curb at the end of the dusty road, head bent over his phone. He hears the roar of my truck and stands, waiting for me to reach him.
He climbs in, silent, eyes void of any light. I reach for his hand and bring it to my lips, kissing it softly.
“I’m sorry,” he whispers, letting his head fall back against the headrest. “I’m not coping well, Cull.”
“I know.” It’s all I can say right now. He doesn’t need any more sugarcoated promises, just honest truth.
He doesn’t let go of my hand for the entire drive back to his house. The silence hangs heavy, and I can practically feel Hudson thinking hard. I pull into his driveway and let the engine idle.
“Cull… will you make me a promise?”
