“He said he didn’t know what I was talking about. Then Trace texted me and confirmed that he was out of the country, despite it being his party.”
Relief washed over me, grateful that I hadn’t been crossing paths with my attacker all these years.
“Is that why you didn’t come straight home after leaving Ol’ School’s?”
Ocean nodded, then cleared his throat. “Look, I don’t have all the details, but there’s something off about what Enzo said. He made it sound like Kory’s into some sick shit, and if he’s hanging around Enzo, that means it probably has something to do with teenage girls.”
My eyes widened. “Ocean! Why wouldn’t you tell me that?”
“I didn’t want to freak you out before I had all the facts.”
I stepped back a little. “I…I need to call Leera. I need to see what’s going on.”
I dialed my sister, but it went straight to voicemail.
Over and over, no answer.
“Do you want to leave?” Ocean asked. “I can knock two hours down to one. Just say the word.”
I nodded. “I do.”
“Say less. I’ll get our stuff packed.”
“Okay,” I said, voice trembling.
Ocean stepped close, wrapping an arm around my waist. “Don’t worry. We got her.”
I leaned into him, letting the fear and uncertainty melt into the strength he possessed.
I swallowed hard. The warmth of the cabin, the laughter, the painting, the hot chocolate…all of it vanished in that instant.
41
SKYE
The drive back from the cabin was quiet. Too quiet. Ocean kept glancing over at me, like he wanted to say something, but every time his eyes met mine, he’d look away.
Although I wasn’t speaking on it, I knew he could tell that I still felt some type of way about him confronting Enzo and not telling me about it.
That quiet tension sat between us, threatening to burst the moment we got to my sister’s house.
When we pulled up, I sat for a moment, staring into the distance. “You ready?” I asked.
He reached over, resting a hand on my thigh. “Skye…look, I?—”
I held up a finger, cutting him off. “No, we’ll talk about it later.” I opened the car door before he could argue. I needed to be strong for my sister right now.
Ocean stayed quiet as we approached the front door. My mother opened it almost immediately, relief flooding her face when she saw me. “Thank God you’re here,” she whispered, stepping aside to let us in.
Inside, the house smelled faintly of baby powder and cinnamon. But the sight in the living room made my stomach twist into knots. My sister was curled up on the couch, fetal position, tears streaking down her face.
“Where’s the baby?” I asked.
Mom gestured toward his room. “He’s sleeping. I put him down a little while ago.”
“Did she tell you what happened?”
She just nodded, her eyes glossy with unshed tears. “It’s…bad. Worse than I expected.”
