AllFreeNovel
Share Us
A tug of sympathy pulled at my heart, despite everything. No one should have to live through something like that.
“I’m sorry, Xander.”
He blinked, and shook his head as if to clear it. “I fell heavily into drug use in high school, which got worse in college. No one really knew. At first, I wanted people to know, but the more my dad covered for me, the more people started to actually respect me. They started to expect things from me and eventually, I didn’t want to let those people down. But I couldn’t just stop the drugs, and I didn’t want to. The more I used, the more I needed, and I ran out of money. My dad cut me off and I was stuck. So, I started dealing to help offset the cost.”
“Oh, Xander,” I said softly.
His stare hardened. “You see why I couldn’t let anyone know. By the time I got with Thea, she made me want to change. I was already starting to pull myself out of that life when she started asking those damn questions. I couldn’t let her tell anyone. I had plans at that point. I wanted to make something of myself. The truth needed to stay in the darkness, and she was going to tell everyone about me.”
I shook my head in disbelief. He was absolutely paranoid, lost to any rational thought. “But why did you hurt Delainey?” I doubted Delainey had any inkling about Xander Cohen’s double life.
Pain flashed across his face. “I didn’t want to, but she came out of her room and saw me. She was going to scream and ruin everything. I had to get rid of her.” He shoved his hand in his pocket, taking out something small and silver.
My heart thudded.
“And now, I have to get rid of you too.”
He flicked open the lighter, and the whole world slowed.
“Xander, please,” I begged.
Xander’s eyes cut to mine. “I’m sorry,” he said.
And then, the whole room went black.
37
Reid
I stared at the phone on the ground. The screen had shattered, exactly like my heart.
With each breath, I forced myself to remain calm as my mind spun. The music emanating from Callie’s Tavern put my teeth on edge, making it harder to focus.
“Oh, my God,” Emersyn’s voice cracked at my side. “Is that her phone?”
My hands fisted at my sides. It was dark on this side of the building. There were no lights, no cameras, and nothing but a few empty parking spaces.
“Yes.” My voice was steadier than I expected. I recognized it as her phone the moment I noticed it on the pavement, abandoned and broken. The case was purple with monarch butterflies on it.
My sweet butterfly.
That shattered heart of mine throbbed, but I forced myself to stay present in the moment. I needed to be alert.
Emersyn gasped. “What should we do?”
I turned to her, every movement tight and controlled. Emersyn’s eyes brimmed with tears. I couldn’t have that. “I need you to focus,” I told her, leveling my stare with hers.
Emersyn pressed her lips together, inhaling a deep breath through her nose before she nodded. “Okay.”
“After Lark left the bar, did you see anyone leave after her?”
Emersyn frowned, her eyes shifting off into the distance as she thought. “No,” she eventually answered. “I don’t think so.”
I clenched my jaw. Damn it.
“But someone came in from outside. I looked up as he walked in because I was hoping it was Lark.”
“Who was it?”
