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I pushed out of the car, Lottie following me, and together, we kept two paces behind Ford as he walked up the path separated by grass. In the darkness, I could see some flowers, but I couldn’t tell what kind they were.
There were three steps that led onto a small porch. Ford bent down and lifted one of the pots full of flowers to reveal a keypad. He input a code, and a second later, a click rang out, and he opened the door.
He ushered me inside with his hand on the small of my back, but even his touch wasn’t working. I wanted to be alone. I needed to work through everything and try to figure it all out.
Ford pulled his gun from his holster. “Stay here.” I glued my feet to the floor and waited as he checked the whole house and returned a couple of minutes later. “All clear.” He halted a couple of feet in front of me, and I stared up into his eyes, but there was nothing there. Gone was the Ford I’d gotten to know, and in its place was the Ford he portrayed to everyone else around him. “I need to make some calls,” he said, his voice monotone, and all I could do was nod. “The bedrooms are upstairs. Why don’t you go and lie down?”
My mouth wouldn’t work to answer him, so instead, I walked past him. Lottie followed me. I didn’t take any details of the house in as I made my way up the stairs and into the first bedroom I spotted.
Tir
edness took over, and I lay down on top of the sheets and stared at the wall. I curled my legs up to my chest and held them there, trying to go over every minute since we’d left the lake house. The last week had been so good, and all I’d been able to think about was getting home so that Ford and I could touch each other.
I’d been selfish.
I hadn’t thought about Stella. I couldn’t even remember the last time I’d spoken to her. At that thought, I sprung up into a sitting position and pulled my cell out of my pocket. I immediately went to my messages, searching them, and finally finding Stella’s name.
Stella: Tell Lottie I miss her. :(
Belle: Just told her, she barked in response lol. We’ll be home Friday night. Netflix and chill on Saturday?
Stella: You betcha!
Belle: My dad is a nightmare. I swear he’s such a caveman.
Stella: Why? What happened?
Belle: Just my dad being my dad. You know how he is. We’re finally on our way home. See you tonight!
Stella: Later, gator!
A tear streamed down my cheek as I read the messages, and I realized she’d been alive today. Her heart had been beating, and air had filled her lungs. And then…
My cell buzzed in my hand with a new message.
Curtis: Hey! Stella said you’re back today. We should all go out tomorrow night. Free drinks from the barman. ;)
I hiccupped a sob and slapped my hand over my mouth so I didn’t draw attention to myself. I could hear Ford talking downstairs, and even though I wanted to listen to what he was saying, I was scared to find out what had really happened.
My shaking hands clicked the top of the message from Curtis as I tried to get myself under control, and I pressed the call button. I hadn’t spoken to Curtis often on the phone. Normally we texted, but I couldn’t tell him what had happened over a message.
The ringing tone echoed over the line as I pressed my cell to my ear, and my other hand reached for Lottie, where she had her head on the bed. She stared up at me, her dark-brown eyes full of sadness.
“Well, hello there, stranger,” Curtis’ deep voice said. He seemed happy. Obliviously happy.
“Hey, Curtis,” I managed to croak out.
“Belle?” he asked, and gone was the easygoing attitude he’d had seconds ago. “You okay?”
“I…” I stared down at the comforter on the bed. “No, I…I…”
“Hold on, I’m on break, let me go outside.” He was at work. He was on a shift, and I was about to tell him that his best friend was dead. I was about to reveal to him that things wouldn’t ever be the same again. Not at college. Not in his apartment. “I’m back.” I heard his breath over the line. “What’s going on?”
“I…I don’t know how to say it.” I pulled in a breath and held it for five seconds, then let it go again. Silent tears streamed down my cheeks, but I didn’t move to wipe them away. “Stella and Justin…they…I…we…”
“What about them?” Curtis asked. “Belle, what’s going on? You’re scaring me.”
“They’re…they’re dead.” The whispered words felt like they’d been shouted, and the silence that followed told me he was in shock, just like I was. “I…I came home, and they were…there was blood and…”
