Total pages in book: 76
Estimated words: 76396 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 382(@200wpm)___ 306(@250wpm)___ 255(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 76396 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 382(@200wpm)___ 306(@250wpm)___ 255(@300wpm)
He’s talking to me.
I know he is.
I can feel his eyes burning into the top of my head as I stare aimlessly at the table surface.
“You and I were best friends, lovers, soulmates.”
“If that’s the case,” Erin says, saving me before he sees my trembling. “What the hell happened?”
“I fucked up,” Slater says, his voice dropping lower, if that’s even possible. “I got into some trouble, and we...ended. She got taken because of my fuckin’ mess, and that was the last I ever saw of her. Worked for the man who had information for over ten fuckin’ years to try and find her, but...I didn’t. Then one of the girls from the club had the idea of putting out a missing person’s report and sign. Didn’t think it would work...”
“How do we know you’re not lying?”
There are some shuffling sounds, and then Erin reaches out. She has something in her hands. She stares at it, more shuffling sounds, and then she releases my hand and says softly, “Honey, you’re going to want to see these.”
I look up at her, my hair falling over my face, too scared to stare at the men who are all watching me. Erin has some photos in her hands, and she gently pushes them towards me. For a moment, I’m too scared to even move, but slowly I put my hand out and take them, glancing down at the first picture.
It’s of me and the man who appeared at my doorstep.
Only we’re younger.
He’s not as muscled, and he doesn’t have so many tattoos, and he has a smile as bright as the sun.
I’m younger, but it’s most certainly me. And I’m smiling.
He has his arm around me, and mine is around him.
We’re at the beach.
Vomit rises in my throat as I move to the second picture. It’s us again, only we’re with three other men, all who look similar to Slater.
We’re all laughing.
Slater’s arm is thrown over my shoulders.
The third is of us kissing, under the moonlight, on the sand, tangled together.
I shove a hand over my mouth and move backwards so quickly the chair skitters across the room. Erin moves, so does everyone else. The photos go flying, and I shake my head, side to side.
This is too much.
Too much.
I can’t deal with it.
“Ellie....”
“No,” I scream, pressing a hand over my ears and shaking my head. “No, I can’t do this. I don’t know who you are. I don’t know you.”
I finally look up at him again, and his eyes lock on mine, and in their depths I can see how brutally broken he is.
“You do know who I am. You fuckin’ do.”
“No,” I yell, clutching my face. “Get out. Please. Get out.”
“Please,” Erin says, grabbing my shoulders. “Please leave.”
“I lost her once, I’m not goin’ to fuckin’ lose her again,” Slater barks.
“C’mon brother,” Someone says. “She needs time, give her time.”
“Not fuckin’ leaving until she looks me in the eye and lets me talk.”
“You’re leaving!” Erin yells, her voice firm. “Or I’ll make you leave. You don’t scare me, Slater. Not even a little bit.”
“I can’t fuckin’ lose her again.”
His voice.
Oh God.
I press my hands over my face to fight the tears.
“Give her time. Give me your number, we’ll make contact if and when she’s ready, but that time is not right now.”
Erin.
My lifesaver.
My rock.
“Give the number, and let the girl be,” One of the men orders. “Goin’ to take time. Pushin’ ain’t goin’ to help.”
A long moment of silence.
Then Slater hands Erin a slip of paper.
I keep my hands over my face.
“Not here to hurt you, Ellie. You might not know who I am, but I’ve spent nothin’ short of a decade tryin’ to find you. I’ll wait another decade to have you, if that’s what it takes. But know this, I won’t give up. When you’re ready, we’ll talk. But we will talk.”
With that, I hear shuffling and then the front door closes.
I slowly drop my hands, tears streaming down my face, and look to Erin.
“That was me, Erin,” I whisper. “In those photos...and yet, I remember none of it.”
She grabs my shoulders, pulling me close. “I know. And I can only imagine how confused you are. We’ll get to the bottom of your story, Raven. I promise you that. We’ll get your answers. Just know, I’m here. I’m always here. And I won’t leave.”
Thank God.
Because I really don’t know who else I can count on.
I’m completely and utterly lost.
~*~*~*~
THEN – SLATER
“See the Robertson’s got a new foster kid?”
I toss my jersey onto my bed and turn around, staring at Damon who has just welcomed himself into my room, without fuckin’ knocking. Again.
He’s dressed for school, no doubt waiting for me to drive him. Apparently, he’s too good for the bus. Too cool now he’s a senior. Not to mention he has a big brother with a pretty cool rig. God fuckin’ knows Lincoln wouldn’t take him, it’s all on me. And Finn is equally as useless and painful, because he too doesn’t want anything to do with the bus, and instead also opts for me to drive him fuckin’ everywhere.