Turns out, he was using me to get his rocks off and take his mind off his grief. Sure, he might have desired me. And I desperately wanted him. But he didn’t need to go after my heart when he only wanted my body.
All the promises he made to me that night never materialized. The first thing he did after getting what he wanted from me was to destroy me, making me feel like a cheap piece of trash. A convenient body and nothing else.
Reed took a mallet to my heart, leaving the shards scattered on the floor.
Kenzie was there to help me pick them up.
How could we ever have a fresh start after that? I can’t find it in me to offer him mercy. Not when I’m still trying to glue the jagged pieces of my heart back together.
SEVENTEEN
Parkour!
REED
So far,my second attempt to get a date with Lila is unfolding even worse than the first. At least the other night, I was able to ask her out to her face. This time, however, she won’t even come to the door.
Her car is in her usual spot, so she’s probably home.When my third knock-doorbell-ring combo goes unanswered, I dig the key out of my pocket and let myself inside.
“Lila? Kenzie?” I step cautiously into their apartment. “It’s Reed.”
No response.
After making use of the hallway table to free up my hands, I close the door behind me. Easing deeper inside, I study my surroundings like it’s a crime scene. Not sure if it’s muscle memory that causes the response or if it’s because of a blooming sense of foreboding.
My focus homes in on the sights, sounds, smells, and chisels everything into my memory.
No signs of a struggle in the foyer or living room, so I proceed toward the kitchen. The first thing I notice is a partially opened purse on the counter.
“Anybody home?” I yell, louder this time.
Again, silence is the only response.
That and the sound of running water.
The hairs on the back of my neck stand, and an icy claw of dread grips my intestines.
Three inches to the left of the sink, a reusable sports bottle sits open with the cap beside it on the counter. One of those pitchers with the overpriced filters stands in the sink, positioned under the running faucet with the lid flipped back. Water overflows it, cascading down the sides of the container like a waterfall.
Shit.
My right hand retrieves my sidearm on instinct, while I turn off the water with my left hand. I’m careful not to touch the front part of the faucet handle in case I need to dust it for prints.
Fucking hell. I’ve gone full Colombo. Need to get a grip.
Moving faster, I charge through the apartment. “Lila!” I throw open her bedroom door, finding the room empty. “Lila. Are you here?” The bathroom’s empty too.
“Kenzie!” I repeat my actions on the other side of the hallway, searching my sister’s room and coming up with a whole lot of nothing.
I need to look around the property for clues. Maybe someone has seen her. Perhaps she’s outside.
As I race through the apartment toward the door, I pull out my phone and dial Lila. After taking a step onto the front porch, I hear her cell phone ringing behind me.
It’s coming from inside.
Jerking to an abrupt stop, I quirk my head toward the source of the sound. My legs propel me toward it.
The purse on the counter. Lila’s phone is in there. Yet she’s nowhere to be seen.
