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“What!” Cooper calls. He rests his hand on my thigh, and I flinch. Not enough for him to notice, thank God. “You only have like six months left! Wait a minute.” He tilts his head, his eyes softening with sympathy. “Is this because it’s your birthday soon?”
“Nope.” I love the beach this early in the morning. It just feels like more. More water, more heart, more—everything. “I mean, yes, I had the idea this morning, but since everything has changed, I just—I don’t know. I don’t think I want to be a part of that system anymore.”
Silence spills between us, and when I turn to face Cooper, his eyes soften around the edges. “Well okay! But it’s your birthday tomorrow, so I want you all to myself.”
I splash Cooper with the water. “You get me every day!”
Cooper chokes on his laugh, nudging toward the beach. “Look, one of your boyfriends is there.”
I cup the sun from my eyes, seeing Sparrow on the beach, hands shoved in pockets and shoulders tight. “Not my boyfriends.”
“God.” Cooper lies on his stomach, and I follow him as we both paddle to the shoreline. “Is he always so serious and grumpy? I mean, don’t get me wrong, the whole bossy suit vibe is totally a genre in my books—and girl, he is everything in those books—but he’s…scarier.”
“He’s not scary,” I lie, sliding off my board when we reach knee level.
Cooper scoffs. “How can you say that?”
I widen my eyes at Cooper as he walks off farther to the side, leaving me alone with Sparrow.
“Hey.” I shove my board into the sand, reaching for my body suit and zipping it down enough that I’m just in my bikini.
“I need to give you something, but I’m not really sure if I should.” His voice is low, but his eyes are on mine. Sparrow is the kind of man that stops the whole room from talking. He sucks in the energy like a succubus and makes people uncomfortable. I can see where Cooper gets his presumptions from, and yes, Sparrow does have something weirdly calculated about him, but I don’t know. I do think he’s morally right.
“What is it?”
He reaches forward, and when his finger catches the stray lock hanging in front of my face, I take a deep breath.
“If only this could end differently.”
When I open my eyes, he’s taking a small booklet out of his pocket. The worn brown leather reminds me of my mom’s ancient address book that she refused to dump.
He places it in my hand, bringing his other to the back of my neck and laying a kiss on my forehead. My stomach burns from excitement. “Don’t show anyone that, and only read it when you’re alone.” He turns back around and makes his way through the clearing.
“Is this my birthday present?” I call out.
He pauses slightly before carrying on through the footpath. The sun burns into the mid-afternoon now, a shadow of vibrant orange and pink.
“What was it?” Cooper asks, searching my hands, but I had already slid it into the inside of my body suit pant.
“A necklace,” I lie. Damn. I’m getting too good at lying to my best friend.
I rolled to my side, coughing. My chest burned, and my eyes stung. What was happening? Why was I here?
A heavy door clinked open, and light cracked through the dark. A heavy shadow looked down on me as I shivered in the corner. My bones ached. My head pounded. I wasn’t sure that I wanted help anymore.
I wasn’t sure I wanted anything.
The bigger one lowered himself to me, his fingers coming to my chin to force my eyes onto his. “Hmm.”
I fell backward, my body turning limp. Did they think I was drugged? What will they do to me?
“Can she still run?” one asked over my shoulder. “Because I want to see her run.”
Shiloh
This damn booklet burns my skin the longer I leave it. I need to just take a quick peek inside…
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