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Her gaze lifts to meet mine, and her mouth twists. “Jim Engels, but he’s already dead,” she says, as if knowing my intentions.
His name sounds familiar as it rolls around in my head. I’m not sure whether I feel relieved or disappointed that he’s already gone. When it finally dawns on me where I’ve heard that name before, my stomach knots. “Wait, Jim Engels? As in the guy who was brutally murdered in his home by Ashland Martin?”
She smacks her lips as she sucks in a breath and nods. “That would be the one.”
Ashland has been all over the news for the past week, and I’ve been wondering what drove the young and innocent looking woman to commit such a crime. Now, I know. He’d likely done the same thing to Ashland, and possibly countless other women over the span of his thirty-four years.
The man was clearly a monster—a monster who preyed on my sister. And I hate myself for not being able to recognize the signs of Julianna’s suffering. They should’ve been obvious to me, but I was too wrapped up in my own shit to realize my sister was hurting too.
I failed her.
Spencer
When Cat’s phone begins to ring, she jumps up to go answer it, and I get ready to head home. We spent another night in, watching movies and eating dinner on the couch. I offered to take her out to dinner, self-conscious after Lori’s comment last week, but Cat insisted she wanted to stay at home.
It’s nearly midnight, and I need to get home to let my dog out. These late nights are starting to take a toll on me. It’d be so much easier if we could stay the night together. But she doesn’t like staying with me because of Elvis, and I can’t stay here for the same reason.
“Shit,” Cat curses from the other room as I slip on my boots.
“What’s wrong?” I call out.
She steps into the living room as I stand, shoulders slumped and lips curved into a frown. “Lori just called me.”
The hairs on the back of my neck stand at attention. “Is something wrong?”
“I’m not entirely sure. She’s drunk and asked if I would come pick her up.”
My forehead furrows, my body tense with worry. “That’s no good. Where is she? I can go get her. You really shouldn’t be driving either.”
She smiles lovingly as she moves toward me, wrapping her arms around my waist. “You’re seriously the most incredible guy. Are you sure you don’t mind?”
If I’m being honest with myself, I’m feeling a little excited at the prospect of seeing Lori. I like the idea of being the one to come to her rescue. That probably means I shouldn’t be the one to go, but I don’t allow myself to dwell on that thought.
I return Cat’s smile and kiss her forehead. “Not at all. I was about to head out anyway. And didn’t you tell Lizzy you would watch the kids tomorrow? There’s no sense in you being out this late. You should get some sleep.”
She squeezes me into a tight hug as she thanks me again, and shame-filled guilt settles into my chest.
* * *
Walking into the bar, I spot Lori almost instantly. She’s wearing a t-shirt with a pair of jeans, not a stitch of makeup on her face, a sign that something is off with her. Lori doesn’t do the casual look very often. Dressing down for her consists of slacks and flats in place of her skirt and heels.
When I notice a guy sitting intimately close to her, my feet begin to move at a quicker pace. It’s been a long time since I’ve been in a bar at this hour. I forgot how crowded it can be. Every step I take is met with resistance. I almost wish I was wearing my uniform. At least then people tend to either fear or respect me enough to move the hell out of the way.
By the time I reach Lori at the bar, she has her head thrown back in laughter, her hand suggestively placed on Mr. No Personal Space’s shoulder. I clear my throat behind them, but they can’t hear me over the loud pop music. I reach out to lightly tap her on the shoulder. She startles, her head whipping around in my direction.
Her eyes focus on me, her face lighting up. I know it probably has more to do with the booze in her system than anything, yet I still feel a few feet taller from it. “Spencerrrr,” she coos. Oh yeah, she’s had too much to drink. I’ve never heard her talk like that to anyone, certainly not me. “What are you doing here?”
My mouth opens to respond, but I’m interrupted before I have a chance.
“I was just wondering the same thing.”
My hackles go up as I turn to glare at the guy beside Lori, my fists balling in case it’s necessary to take him out. Then I realize who it is and let out a howl, my entire body relaxing.
“Levi?” If Julianna and Cat find out these two were hanging out, it’ll only add fuel to the fire. I certainly won’t be telling them. “Hey, man. What’s up?”
He stands to shake my hand. “I was keeping an eye on Lori here while she waits on her friend.”
“Hey,” Lori interjects, playfully smacking Levi’s arm, “I don’t need a babysitter, baby Winston.” They both giggle, and there’s a familiarity between them that causes my stomach to knot with envy. “Well, if you remember, that wasn’t the gig I applied for. I wanted to take you home.”
