Page 13 of Perfect Chaos

I knew this question was coming. Atlas doesn’t like wasting time, so of course, he would come right out and ask. I take another shot for shits and giggles before responding.

“It was as if I was reliving the accident. One moment I was in the car with both of you, the next I was in a different car entirely, bracing for whatever came next.”

“The accident Trevor caused?”

My attention snaps to Gavin. “What are you talking about?”

“Damn it, Gavin! I haven’t told her about any of it yet!”

“I thought she knew!” The panic in his voice conveys he honestly didn’t mean to upset me.

I stand from the table and start pacing back and forth. “Someone better explain to me right now what the hell y'all are talking about!”

“Okay. Okay. Just sit back down; we will tell you what we found out.”

I sit back down with more force than is needed. “Start talking!” The demand comes out in a tone I don’t recognize as being my own voice. Turns out the dickwad’s name is somewhat triggering. Who would have thought?

Gavin stays silent, waiting for Atlas to steer the conversation. Smart man.

“I’m not sure where to start.” He mumbles.

“Oh, I don’t know? The beginning would probably be nice.” My hands fly into the air in exasperation.

He sighs as if I backed him into a corner before continuing. “You know what Gavin and I do for work, right?”

“Yeah, you own a security firm. What about it?”

“It’s a bit more than that. Gavin is one of the best hackers I know.”

“How is that related to the conversation?” My brain is struggling to connect the dots, yet it's as if the dots keep moving.

“Because when I found you again, well, when I found Emily, we started digging into both Emily's and Maizyn’s backgrounds. I started looking for any connection between the two of you to prove that I wasn’t going crazy. I traced Emily’s hospital stay to be around the same time as the accident and had Gavin hack into the hospital records.”

“How did you know about the accident, at the time I mean?” The words hold no trace of the emotions I am feeling. They are clipped and monotone as I try to protect myself

He picks the skin on his thumb, avoiding eye contact with me. I brace myself for what he is about to say because it isn’t like him to not look me in the eye when he answers. His voice breaks a tiny bit as he responds, but he covers it quickly. “Y- you left me a voicemail… It cut off when the taxi was hit. I heard the impact and your reaction. It’s the only reason I knew. The police report about the accident doesn’t even mention a passenger in the wreck.”

Tears prickle in my eyes. I remember it now. It was foggy until he mentioned it. I asked the taxi driver if I could borrow his phone. It was my last-ditch effort to convince myself not to turn around and go back. I wipe my eyes before telling him to continue.

“We hacked into the cameras outside of the hospital and saw a man leaving you outside of the emergency room med bay and driving off. The damage on the vehicle matched what could have caused the wreck. I- we- didn’t put the clues together until after he kidnapped you. I don’t know how we missed it, but I am so sorry.”

Several moments with Trevor flash through my mind. Every little snide comment could prove it was him, replayed over and over again. All the dots connect into a perfect, fucked up picture. Of course, it was Trevor. I don't know why I didn't put the clues together myself.

“Thanks for finally telling me.” My voice comes out flat. While I’m not exactly surprised, the betrayal still hurts.

Gavin finally speaks up. “Do you want to talk about it? The kidnapping, I mean.”

“I'm not drunk enough for that conversation yet. I need a snack and we definitely need another bottle of tequila for this.”

I stand up and head to the kitchen, needing a bit of space from the conversation. Opening the fridge, I grab a handful of grapes and shove them into my mouth. I don't actually feel hungry, but I needed an excuse to leave the room.

A warm body presses against my back, freezing me in place. Tattooed arms snake around me. One hand grabs a bottle of water. The other is on my hip, guiding me out of the way so he can close the fridge. The touch ignites heat in my entire body. Gavin comes into view as I take a few steps away. He reaches into the cabinet above the fridge, retrieving an unopened bottle of alcohol and placing it on the counter next to me.

My eyes trail his body, drinking in the way his grey sweatpants and black shirt look on him. He is mouth-watering. I think this is the first time I can get a good look at his tattoos. He has a sleeve similar to Atlas’, but where Atlas only has one sleeve on his right arm and two single tattoos on his left, intricate black designs cover both of Gavin's arms. Roses and vines intertwine, creating most of his sleeve. One tattoo stands out above the rest. On his right forearm sits a paper airplane. I wondered what it means.

Trailing my gaze back up his body, I don’t realize I am basically undressing him, until I see the cocky smirk he is wearing. Shit. I shouldn’t be looking at Atlas’ best friend like this. I should have stopped drinking at least four shots ago, but I am not one to back down from a drinking game. You would think I would know by now that alcohol and I don’t get along, even if it makes shit easier to deal with.

“Like what you see, Little Demon?”