“Okay,” I breathe. “I’m ready.”
I’m not, but I need to know.
The detective takes a long, deep breath. He’s known me since I was a little girl, just as almost everyone else did in my small town.
“He left Oregon, Sunny.” I hear the disappointment almost as much as I can hear my heart break. “So, what this means is, we don’t know where he is, and we think he could be on the move to find you. We have nothing to confirm that, though. He could be moving to just prevent being caught. Staying in one place too long can leave too much for us to track him. It’s hard to findsomeone that doesn’t want to be found and hasn’t committed any other crimes.”
Closing my eyes slowly, my arms hang down by my sides. I tilt my head back to the cold night sky before me. This means staying in one place too long can leave too much for him to trackme.
“Sunny?” The detective calls. “Sunny, you are safe. We have already alerted the local authorities there to keep an eye for a man of his description. You have a restraining order. I think he’s aware of the repercussions if he tries to find you and violate that order. Warrants are out for his arrest.”
“Right,” I manage to say.
“It may not seem like it right now, but we will find him. He’s going to mess up, and when he does, we’ll be prepared.”
I nod to no one in particular. “Thank you, detective. I appreciate all the hard work you guys are doing for me.”
“We just want you safe and to be able to come home. Call if you need anything.”
The words tear me apart.Home. I can’t go home because of him. He can be anywhere now. At least with him being in Oregon, they knew that he wasn’t anywhere else. That he wasn’there.
What if he is here?
For the first time in awhile, I feel unsafe walking home. Looking over my shoulder at every sound, I hustle my way back to my apartment through the cold night.
I lock the door as soon as I walk in and place my forehead against the door that no longer feels like a decent enough barrier between me and Ryan.
And I cry.
CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
SUNNY
After a Christmas morningcall with my parents, I stand on the curb as Sam pulls up to pick me up for an ugly sweater themed Christmas at Tyler's.
“Oh, my, god,” I say, seeing what she’s wearing. It’s the absolute farthest thing from ugly and the farthest thing fromsweater.
“You like?” Sam shimmies her shoulders as bells from somewhere ring on her.She is literally a slutty reindeer.
“How are you not freezing?” I laugh.
“It’s called will power, baby.”
Sam’s outfit is barely an outfit to say the least, with brown shorts, big fluffy brown boots that go to her knees, and a cropped brown top with white accents on it. Reindeer antlers sit on top of her head and her makeup mimics that of a reindeer.And she has a red nose painted on. I won’t be shocked if she even has a little tail on her ass.
“You are something else.” I shake my head.
“Let's be merry.” She puts her purple jeep into drive.
Wow.
That’s all I can think when I walk into Tyler’s home. Christmas music is playing, lights are flickering, bells are jingling. I stifle a laugh, because it’s like I walked into a hallmark movie set.
“I guess I should’ve warned you, Tyler takes Christmas very seriously. That’s why he hosts it every year. Oh, and because he’s a fucking good cook.” Sam walks inside, making no notion if she’s cold, not even one shiver.
Seeing the rest of the family, I feel severely underdressed. Macey is my saving grace, and ironically, we both wear the same Christmas sweater.
When Anthony approaches is when I lose it. If Buddy the elf had a brother, it’d be him. Yellow tights, a green tunic and hat with a bell on the end.
