I don’t like it.
“Thank you for dinner,” he mumbles, his eyes glossing over my features as if he’s soaking me in. There’s a lingering melancholy to him—a sadness I can’t place.
I nod, floating above my body as this whole evening plays out like a poorly patched-together play. “You’re welcome.”
The good mood from earlier has died a quick death, and everything feels as if it’s too much. The overhead lights cut into my eyes, the sounds of Kaden pushing out his chair are like nails on a chalkboard, and the deep sensation of knowing he’s lying to me twists like a knife to the chest. I’m not present in my body as he guides me upstairs to his room.
My sight lazily drifts over everything that’s remained untouched since he moved out—the altar piled high with his bone collection, the posters lining the walls, and the dark duvet pulled over his bed. It’s trapped in time, forever remaining right where he left it.
He undresses down to his boxer briefs before gently taking the hem of my shirt and pulling it over my head. I let him, staring at my name inked over his heart as he strips me. He discards everything into a pile before lifting the covers for me. I slide under robotically, facing the wall as he curls around me.
His warmth soaks into me, and the bridge of my nose begins to sting. I don’t know why I want to cry, but this is too much. Every touch feels like the last, and I don’t know why.
“I love you, Sunny,” he whispers into my hair as he pulls me close.
Even his embrace doesn’t feel the same—like he’s someone else.
My bottom lip bobs as my tears fall silently. “I-I love you too.”
Chapter thirty-one
Melody
Idon’tsleep.Notevenwhen exhaustion begins to settle in my bones. I wait.
I can’t tell what time it is, but I know it’s almost twelve. As if on cue, Kaden rustles from behind me. I keep my breathing even, closing my eyes as I pretend to sleep. He’s quiet and calm as he slides out of bed. He lingers over me, watching to make sure I’m asleep before he pads softly to the closet. I listen as he gets dressed, my heart pounding louder and louder with every movement.
He grabs his motorcycle key off the dresser before nearing me. The bed dips, and his lips press into my temple, making my breath hitch. A hand soothes my hair as he mutters quietly. “I love you so fucking much it hurts. I’ll be back for you.”
He leaves, the echoing click of the door weaponized as it replays in my head. I wait for him to step down the stairs before tossing the covers aside and grabbing my clothes. I shove my legs into my tights before ripping my shirt back on and snatching one of his heavy jackets from the closet. His scent, leather, and smoke wrap around me, but it isn’t a comfort at this moment. It’s a reminder that some things aren’t as they seem, and I’m going to get to the bottom of it.
Even if it fucking kills me.
The address leads me to a dilapidated warehouse on the outskirts of the city. It’s worn down, and its structure sags poorly as if it can’t bother to hold itself up anymore. There’sold farming equipment that’s been left to rot, a tractor that’s rusted and burnt orange, and fresh gravel that covers the wide lot. There are a few vehicles here, and I hold my breath as I park in the furthest corner, my mom’s car hidden by a massive, lifted truck.
A dim light shines from within the warehouse, and I can see the shadows of feet moving from inside, but no one has bothered to open the metal sliding doors of the entrance. I’m hidden in plain sight as I cut the car, and everything dies around me.
My breath fogs the window as I pull Kaden’s jacket tighter over my chest. The cool air nips at my skin as I lose the heat that once surrounded me. My brain can’t focus on anything long enough for me to form a plan. I don’t even know what I’m doing here…
A truck peels into the parking lot moments later, and I sink low in my seat as I recognize that it belongs to Saint. As if a well-oiled machine is working, the sliding doors groan as they lift. Two big men from inside the warehouse shove it upwards, their backs becoming bathed in soft light. It cuts through the dark as Saint hops down from the driver’s seat and rounds the truck. The passenger door swings open, and I see the top of dark curls as the man hoists himself up into the back of the truck. The light hits him, illuminating features I recognize all too well.
Kaden.
My heart slams in a slow, precise rhythm, my hands tightening on the wheel as I watch him root around the bed of the truck before he flops something heavy and long across the tailgate. It falls with a sickening thud onto the gravel, and my blood runs cold.
A person.
He just shoved a person out of the truck.
My skin prickles, awareness zipping down my spine as Kaden hops down, his feet bracketing on either side of his victim’s head before he wrenches them up, and the man sags in place. He breathes deeply as if hurt, and I whimper as the light of the warehouse washes over a bloodied face that’s unrecognizable.
This isn’t happening.
It can’t be…
Kaden strong-arms the man, shoving him into the warehouse as voices boom and echo around the empty space. I’m left staring in shock, my hands beginning to throb with pain as I grip the wheel so tight it could puncture my veins. My mouth gapes as fear rounds my eyes.
This isn’t right.
