Page 11 of The Editor’s Choice

A week after Emily’s body was discovered, I shoot Dawson a quick text. Although we haven’t talked much since I found out they had an affair behind my back, I don’t know who else to turn to for a bit of support. Plus, I want to know if he’s heard anything from the police.

J: Any news about Em?

D: Nothing. What about you?

J: Radio silence over here.

D: We should get together later this evening. Maybe have a talk?

With that, I shove my phone into my back pocket and slip on my shoes. There’s no way in fuck I’m going to meet Dawson. We don’t have anything else to discuss at this point, assuming he doesn’t hear anything about Emily.

It’s been a week without any sort of communication from the police now. We haven’t heard a single thing about a potential suspect, nothing about new evidence. Nada. I’m not really sure if that means they’re actually doing nothing or not, but that’s how it feels and I’m fed up.

If they’re not going to solve Em’s murder, I will.

With that thought, I step out the door, closing and locking it behind me. Heading down the stairs, I put in one earbud and start the walk to the overlook.

I haven’t been there since they found her body. I’ve been putting it off because I truly don’t know what to expect. At this point, I’m not sure if it would bother me more to see the area all taped off as a crime scene, or completely undisturbed like nothing ever happened.

As I make my way there, my mind starts to unravel a bit. It’s bouncing around like that squirrel from Ice Age, chasing a nut with all its might but never quite grasping it. By the time I’m stepping onto the path, my mind is completely blank and feeling rather numb.

When I see absolutely nothing, that’s when everything hits me. I feel as though I’ve plunged into sub-zero waters, all the air rushing from my lungs. My head is spinning as the reality of my life crushes my soul and every shred of desire I have to keep moving forward.

As I hit my knees in the dirt where her body was discovered, I completely lose myself to the emptiness. Heart wrenching sobs rack my body until I’m shaking from head to toe, barely able to pull in enough air to keep me conscious.

The worst part of it all is that they aren’t doing anything to find her killer. Whoever the bastard is, he’s out there walking free, getting away with murdering one of the most integral parts of my soul.

After a few agonizing minutes, the sobs begin to subside and I pull my phone from my pocket, wiping the back of my hand under my eyes to clear the tears enough to see.

J: They aren’t even trying. There’s no tape. Nobody’s here. Nothing.

I pull my knees to my chest, staring at the ground. I know I should probably leave, but I’m positive my legs won’t hold my weight. So I sit. And I weep. Not only for Emily, but for the life I knew and the person I was before. I’m mourning two deaths, and it just might be more than I can handle.

***

I’m startled back to consciousness when I realize I’m being lifted off the ground. After a quick freak out, I catch his eyes and stop struggling so he doesn’t drop me. Peering into those icy ocean eyes will never stop taking my breath. For the first time, I stare into them without hesitation, not daring break the contact. At this moment, it feels like they’re the only things grounding me to the earth.

“What are you doing?” I ask, although that seems rather obvious. I just don’t know what else to say to start a conversation right now.

“Rescuing you obviously,” he answers, putting on his very best Prince Charming smile. It does the trick. The laugh that escapes me seems to light a fire in him, bringing warmth into his eyes.

“I’m not a damsel in distress, Roman,” I say, though I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t enjoying being treated like I needed saving right now. Hell, maybe I do, now that I think about it.

“Either way. You didn’t answer your phone when I texted a while ago, so I came to find you. Somehow I kind of figured you would be here,” he answers the questions forming in my head before I even realize they needed to be asked.

“Oh. Sorry,” I nearly whisper. “It wasn’t intentional.” I feel the tears burning the back of my throat again. Pulling my phone from my pocket, I open the screen to see several messages and a couple missed calls. “You can put me down now, you know? I can walk from here,” I say. He gently places me on my feet after a moment of hesitation.

I immediately miss the warmth of his body pressed against mine, regretting my comment already. I shiver as my arms are quickly coated in a layer of goosebumps from the sudden chill. It doesn’t escape him, and he looks quite satisfied with the way my body reacts once his is no longer wrapped around me.

Rolling my eyes at him, I look back down at my phone.

D: You’ve got to give them time, Jade. They can’t fix everything in just a couple days. They’ll find him.

The text does little to soothe my fury at how little progress there has been. It doesn’t appear that anything is really being done, like she was swept under the rug when it wasn’t super obvious who her killer was. You’d think it would kill them to put in a little effort from the way they’re acting.

I don’t bother to text him back. Obviously, we don’t feel the same way about the situation, so that leaves very little to talk about anymore. With an exasperated sigh, I slip my phone back in my pocket once more and find curious eyes focused on my face, reading my expressions.

“It was nothing. Dawson just telling me to be patient and the police will eventually do their job,” I answer, though I don’t know why I’m even telling him anything about what’s going on. He didn’t even know Em.