Page 96 of Only Be Mine

My stomach lurched so hard I had to grab the counter with both hands.

The whiskey in my glass trembled, a dark ripple against the sides.

My mouth opened, but no sound came out.

Because there was only one thought in my head, loud enough to drown out everything else.

No.

Not now.

Not tonight.

Not the night before I finally said goodbye.

The glass slipped from my fingers and hit the sink with a crack that sounded like breaking bone.

I didn’t even flinch.

All I could hear was Seth’s voice, again and again, looping through my phone like a curse.

They found John.

They found John.

They found John.

And for the first time in ten years, I couldn’t tell which terrified me more…

That he was alive.

Or that he wasn’t.

Chapter 34

Cate

Present

Never in my life have I sobered up so quickly.

The alcohol drained out of me like someone had pulled a plug. I ran from the kitchen, half-tripping over my own feet, grabbing my purse and shoes and shoving them on as I went. My shoulder clipped the wall hard enough to leave a dent.

“Shit.”

I bolted out the front door, and stopped short.

Trevor had my car.

“Shit,” I said again, this time quieter, like the word might bruise if I said it too loud.

I sat hard on the front step and dug through my purse, fingers shaking, knocking everything loose until my phone finally landed in my palm. I fumbled it, dropped it, cursed when it powered off, then turned it on and stared at the screen like willing it to hurry might make it obey.

As soon as it lit up, I dialed.

The phone rang once. Twice.

“Hello?” Seth’s voice came through, rough and tired, like he hadn’t slept in days, or even years.