“You think I care? Who do you think set me up with you?” His face twists into an ugly, evil smile. “Do you honestly think someone of my stature wouldwant someone like you? Foul-mouthed, broken little girl.” He laughs as he hauls me up and throws me onto the bed. I hit the mattress, and my body bounces. My foot flies up on instinct and cracks against his mouth. “You fucking bitch.” His fist comes fast and hard; everything goes black.
Flying out of bed, I jerk upright, lungs burning. My heart slams against my ribs, my senses on overdrive—a leftover mix of nightmare and that crawling certainty that someone’s still watching me. It takes a few wild seconds for my brain to catch up.I’m in my room. Same walls. Same windows. Nothing out of place. The normalcy feels almost insulting. I force myself to breathe, to call it what it probably is: paranoia wearing last night’s face.
I throw on a hoodie and sweats and head out, choosing to walk to the pharmacy. Needing the cold air in my lungs and the ground under my feet. On my way, I call my doctor. “Hi, yes. I need to make an appointment for today… Kiera Hawthorne… February 14th, 2000… Okay, I’ll see you in thirty minutes. Thank you.” Conveniently, my doctor’s office sits right next to the pharmacy. The convenience doesn’t stop the feeling from slithering back up my spine. The sensation settles between my shoulder blades, sharp enough to stop and scan the street. Nothing screams danger. Still, I turn and rush the rest of the way, ducking into the pharmacy, heading straight for the counter. “Can I get a Plan B, please?”
“You know it’s not meant to replace protection, right?” The older woman behind the counter gives me a look as if I’ve personally offended her god.
“Plan B works best when Plan A isn’t raw dogging it,” I say, giving her my sweetest smile dripping in sarcasm. “Now, can I have my fucking pills? I’m late for my STD screening.”
The lady's mouth opens and closes, her hand flying to clutch at her imaginary pearls. Eventually, she just turns to the register and rings me up. “That’ll be fifty-six dollars, cash or card?”
“EBT,” I deadpanned. “Jesus fucking Christ. Card.” The lady was clearly not amused with me. Swiping my card, I snatch the bag and receipt and walk out without another glance.
After a few minutes, I walk up to the doctor’s receptionist’s desk. “Hi, I’m here to check in,” I say, giving the receptionist my ID. “Kiera Hawthorne.”
The lady smiles at me. “Got you checked in. Go ahead and take a seat. We’ll call your name when the doctor is ready.” I drop into the closest empty chair and scroll through my phone while I wait. “Miss Hawthorne, the doctor is ready for you.” I grab my stuff and stand. “Just follow the nurse,” the receptionist adds, and I trail after the woman in scrubs down the hallway.
The nurse leads me to the scale. I step on. She notes my weight, then guides me into an empty exam room, the door clicking shut behind us. She moves to the counter, tapping at the computer. “And what brings you in today?” she asks.
“Ummm, well…I had unprotected sex, and I’d like to be tested, if that's okay.” After the encounter with the pharmacist, I’m over being judged.
The nurse smiles. “Sure, no problem at all. How long ago was it?” she asks, fingers already moving across the keyboard, entering my answers.
“Less than twenty-four hours ago,” I say, staring down at my hands.
“Hey, there is nothing to be ashamed of. Things happen,” she says gently. “You did the right thing by coming in. I only ask because some STDs take a while to show up. We’ll test you today for ones that can show this soon, and then have you come back in a couple of weeks, okay?”
“Okay,” I say, nodding.
“Okay, here’s a urine sample cup,” she says. “There’s a bathroom attached right through that door. I’ll be back in a few minutes.” She passes me the cup and leaves the room. I stand and take the little plastic cup, heading to the attached bathroom to pee in it.I fucking hate my life right now.When I’m done, I set the cup on the counter for collection and sink back on the exam table. A few minutes later, the nurse comes back in. “Okay, so we’ll test this and send you a message on the app,” she says. “The next tests will be mouth swabs and blood draws. The receptionists will schedule that appointment with you as you leave. Do you have any questions?”
“No, thank you.” I gather my things, ready to get this over with.
“Okay, the exit is to your left. Schedule those appointments. I’ll see you in a few days.” She smiles and walks out of the room. I follow her directions to the reception desk and set up the follow-up appointment, answering when and where like it’s just another errand.
Finally, free from this horrendous morning, I step outside and start the walk back to my apartment. I pull out my phone and call Lila. She picks up on the first ring, “Took you long enough. Are you feeling any better?”
Smiling for the first time today, I say, “Yes and no. I just left the doctor's. I was feeling under the weather, but I’ll live. I’m heading home. Want to meet me there? We can have a snuggle day with movies and snacks…” I basically plead.
“Um, yeah! Heading over there now.” She hangs up.Maybe we can make a good day out of today after all.
Chapter Eight
“Asher…no…you don’t want to do this…”Kiera’s screams echo through my head.What the fuck did these two do to her?Limits by Bad Omens pours through the surround sound, the lyrics threading into the cracks in my chest. The song fits too well to be a coincidence. Her scars feel like reflections of mine, our darknesses lining up, edge to edge. There’s no way the universe decided I deserved another half. My own mother couldn’t even fucking love me.
The events from last night replay on a loop. She gave up control. I took a wild shot in the dark on what her damage was, but maybe I was right. It tracks—why she’s hesitant to know the daytime me, but willing to hand herself over to the ghost version of me. He’s someone she thinks she’ll never see again.
Sitting up on my bed, I grab my phone and pull up the cameras. Kiera is getting dressed, mumbling something about going to the pharmacy for a Plan B pill. I grin.At least she’s a fast thinker. Deciding I want to see what she’s up to today, I reschedule my jobs and head out, making my way toward the pharmacy.
I park a few blocks away from the pharmacy and spot Kiera almost immediately. I fall in step a few paces behind her, keeping my distance. She ends a call and lowers her phone. A second later, she stops dead and scansher surroundings.Guess she can sense me.She darts into the pharmacy, shoulders tight. I catch the door before it closes and slip inside, sticking to the left side of the aisles while she heads for the counter. Kiera asks for something I can’t quite make out. I edge a little closer. “Plan B works best when Plan A isn’t raw dogging it. Now, can I have my fucking pills? I’m late for my STD screening.” I choke back a laugh.Peeking around the endcap, I catch the old lady’s flabbergasted expression.Don’t know what she said, but the bitch probably deserved it.I duck out and head back to my truck before Kiera spots me. I’ll give her space for the next part, even though I know I’m already clean.
Reaching my truck, I hear my phone ping with another email from Wade. It’s another picture from that night, the same creepy audio attached. A few seconds later, Wade’s name flashes on my screen. “I WANT THEM FOUND NOW!” he screams into my ear. “I’ll triple your pay. Just find the fucking person.” The call cuts off before I can get a single word in.Fucking Christ. He’s unraveling at the seams.
Heading toward home, I pull up Cam’s number and hit dial. “We’ve got another problem,” I say as soon as he answers. “Wade got another email. He’s losing his shit and just tripled the pay. We’ve got to do something.”
Cam sighs, “I can try another trace. If it doesn’t work, I’ll try sending a message back.”
“Alright, I’ll see you in a few.” I hang up and turn my focus back to the road. Ten minutes later, I’m stepping into Cam’s room. “Any update?”
