Reid.
My throat burned as tears pricked my eyes, thinking about the man who still owned my heart. The man who had staked claim to it without even knowing.
Remembering the letter that came with the necklace, I pried my eyes open and slowly unfolded the paper. The words leaped from the page, each letter punching me right in the chest.
Voy a por ti.
The pressure in my chest made it hard to breathe, and I blinked several times as my eyes clung to every letter.I’m coming for you. I’d taken Spanish in high school and college so I knew exactly what it meant.
Terror crept up my spine.
Was it from him? The man who murdered my brother?
No, it was impossible. How the hell did he know where I lived? How did he find me? I’d done everything I could to make sure he never found me when he got out. I thought I was safe here.
I began to panic, wondering what the hell I should do, but only one thought came to mind.
One person.
The only person in the world who could help me. I quickly wrote Max a note and stuffed what I could into a backpack before rushing out the door. My only stop was an ATM.
I wasn’t sure how the hell I was going to get there but I knew exactly where I was going.
My head pounded, the ache behind my eyes growing more painful by the second. I’d been at the scene since six p.m.
It was now three a.m.
We’d finally taken all the statements, narrowed down the suspects, and cleared the crime scene. I was fucking beat. More tired than usual. I wasn’t sure why. Maybe because I was going home tomorrow and that always brought on a truckload of anxiety, making it harder to sleep.
Or maybe the goddamn nightmares.
Making my way up the stairs of my house, I came to a halt when I reached the top. Bent at the waist, ass poking out of a pair of cutoff denim shorts was a tiny brunette, peeking inside my window.
What the hell?
I cleared my throat before I asked, “Can I help you?”
She yelped, spinning in place to rest a hand over her chest. “Shit, you scared the hell out of me.”
Air froze in my lungs, fighting to escape. I’d recognize those eyes anywhere. They were just like her brother’s, except hers were a warmer shade of brown. But it was what you could see beyond that really reached deep inside of me.
It had been five years since I stared into that stunning set of eyes. Five long, fucked up years.
“Cassidy?” She took a tentative step forward. I couldn’t tell if she wanted to cry or hug me. I couldn’t move, the weight of her gaze pinning me in place. “What are you doing here?”
Her bottom lip quivered, tears building in her eyes as she walked toward me. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know where else to go.”
The last time I saw her she was graduating high school. She was just a girl then. My best friend’s little sister. But she was far from a little girl now.
She was a woman.
Still short and cute with that little button nose I loved so much. Her skin had been generously kissed by the sun along with the long, brown hair that rested on her much fuller breasts, streaks of gold highlighting her heart-shaped face.
I refrained from adjusting myself, praying she wouldn’t look down. But Jesus Christ, it was hard.
So fucking hard.
My body tensed. The urge to pull her in my arms was strong but I held steady.
