Run

Chapter Ten

Little over halfway through! Hope you're enjoying the story :)

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"Were there any witnesses to the threat?" The uniformed officer had his head down, pen poised over the notebook.

"Several. I doubt anyone heard anything. I didn't actually hear anything. It was loud and crowded." I held out my wrist. "He held my wrist hard enough to leave bruises. Same as the last time."

"The last time?" He lifted his head, face impassive.

I shifted closer to Trevor, tucking my hands in my lap. "Adam threatened me a year ago as well. Said he wanted me to suffer the same way his sister did." He'd slice open my veins and wait for the life to drain from me. Drip by drip.

The officer scribbled in his notebook. "I'll check the report."

"There isn't one."

Two pairs of eyes bored holes in my skin. I trained my gaze on my hands, knuckles white, the skin stretched thin enough to split. "I didn't report it to the Bend police."

Trevor's hand gripped my chin, forcing me to meet his eyes. "Why?" The question was quiet and full of anger.

Because I wasn't sure he wasn't right. "No witnesses. It seemed like a waste of time."

The officer mumbled to himself and stood. "We'll swing by the club, see if anyone saw something. If you see him again, please call." He handed me a card.

Trevor followed him to the door and locked it behind him. "Piece of work," he muttered.

I scrubbed my hands over my face. "Yup, that's me. I'm a mess. Fucked up."

He tucked his hands in his pockets and leaned against the wall. Near the door, I noted. Close enough he could duck out, avoid the emotional bombs exploding in this small space. "She killed herself around this time, three years ago. May sixth. Just a couple weeks before graduation. I was the one who found her." So much blood, puddled at her feet. A shudder worked its way up my spine. "Deirdra was worse off than I thought she was. She'd had some issues when she was younger that made her family very protective of her. They shielded her from everything they could. Didn't let her do a damn thing for herself. She was one of the most socially awkward kids I'd ever met. Her brothers, especially Adam, blamed me." So did I. That first year was a horrible, never ending cycle of if only and helpless anger. Year two it lessened. Year three was learning to live with my guilt, because it would never go away.

I slouched down on the couch, tipping my head to rest on the back and shutting my eyes. "I didn't tell anyone I was leaving. No one knows I'm here. It's got to be a coincidence, Adam being in town." God, I was tired. I wanted to stay in one place for a while. "The city's big enough for the two of us. I'll have an extra lock installed or something, save money to find a safer apartment." Even if I had to sleep on the floor until I could afford a bed.

The heat was suffocating. There'd be a nauseating stench drifting up from the alley, all rancid meat and vomit. But opening those windows was safer than the ones in the front. I pushed to my feet.

Trevor hadn't moved.

My mouth twisted in a smile. "Not what you bargained for, huh? Massive guilt complex, avoidance issues, and an entire family who'd rather I was dead than alive." Exhaustion rolled over me like a tsunami, tossing me up and trying to drag me back out. I wouldn't blame Trevor for walking away. I should let him. "I should get some sleep. I'll...see you, I guess."

Nothing. No nod, no "see ya," just total silence and a rising anger shadowing his features. "You always make a lot of assumptions?"

I blinked. "Assumptions about what?"