Finally

Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Chloe

I was in shock as I walked out of the bar, the man who I'd met walking beside me. I slowed down as we reached my hotel. The man turned to me, a questioning look in his eyes.

"This is my hotel," I clarified.

He nodded, then handed me his phone.

"Put your number in," he said.

I took the phone from him and entered in my number, then handed him back both his phone and my phone.

"I want yours too," I said, answering the questioning look he gave me. A minute later he handed me my phone back.

"Call me first thing in the morning, okay?" he instructed and, after I had assured him that I would, he turned and walked away.

"Wait!" I called out to him. He turned back to me. "I never asked your name."

He smiled. "Ryder."

And then he was gone.

Smiling to myself for the first time that day, I walked into the hotel.

* * *

I was running through the packed Chicago streets, my hair flying behind me, my feet pounding on the cracked sidewalk, and the only thing running through my mind was Jace. He was in trouble. I had to reach him.

"Come on, faster," I urged myself on. I saw the hotel in the distance, but with every step I took, it seemed to get farther and farther away. There was a terrible scream and suddenly, I reached the hotel.

Ryder stood over a very dead Jace, sobbing.

"Chloe," he said in a shaking voice, "Chloe I'm so sorry. I got here to late. I'm so sorry."

A laugh echoed down from the roof. "Dead!" the person laughed. "Finally!"

I woke up sweating and shaking, tears running down my face, almost a carbon copy of myself from the previous morning.

Except this time it was worse.

This time I knew it wasn't just a dream. This time I knew that Jace really was gone, and nothing could bring him back.

For the hundredth time that day, I felt tears prick my eyes. I gave myself a few minutes to recover, and before I knew it, I was sobbing uncontrollably again.

I have no idea how long I laid in bed, trying to sleep, trying to stem the endless flow of tears coming from my eyes, before I remembered Jace's family. They had to be just as devastated (if not more than) me.

Without really knowing what I was doing, I got up and walked out of my room, heading to the room across the hall from me. Gently, I knocked on the door. It was thrown open almost immediately by a tall, good-looking man.

"Derek," I sobbed and threw myself into his arms.

Jace's brother stumbled back a few steps before regaining his balance.

"I'm so sorry," I cried. "I told him he had to go back to his room. I told him he couldn't stay with me. If I hadn't believed in that stupid superstition, if I had let him stay. He'd still be alive! Derek, he'd still be alive!"

Derek rubbed my back, letting me sob into his shoulder. "Hey, it's ok," he whispered. "No one blames you. It's not your fault."

"The idiot assigned to his case w-won't even help," I said, my voice muffled by his shirt. "He says that... he says that Jace k-killed himself. He didn't though. I know he d-didn't." I'm crying harder now.

"I know. I know."

I felt something warm fall onto my head and realized that Derek was crying too.

"Can... can I stay here with you tonight?" I asked, pulling back and drying my eyes. "I can't sleep, and I think being near someone else, someone who loved Jace too, might help."

Derek nodded and gave me a weak smile. "Of course. I'll even give you the bed."

* * *

I opened my eyes to sunlight streaming in through the window. I looked around the room and, realizing that it wasn't mine, wondered why I was here. Still half asleep, I sat up, pushing my hair out of my face, seeing Derek on the couch.

The memories of the day before hit me like a train.

Jace was dead.

As in never coming back.

As in I'd never see him again.

I doubled over, the sadness threatening to take over my body again, like it had when I had come to Derek's room last night, looking for anyone who felt my pain, who could share my anguish at losing him.

Dead.

I took deep breaths, trying to clear my mind. It would be okay. I would find his killer, even if the cops wouldn't. Ryder would help me. I was supposed to call him in the morning.

My phone rang as I reached for it.

"Hello?" I said, answering the call.

"Chloe," the voice of my best friend came through the line, "I just heard. I'm so sorry. Are you okay?"

"I dunno, Kaylee," I said. "I miss him so much. I... I just keep wishing I hadn't let him leave. If he hadn't left, he wouldn't have been on the roof, and he wouldn't be..." I trailed off, unable to finish.

"Chloe, don't be thinking like that. It's not your fault," Kaylee said firmly. "It's the bastard that killed him's fault. Not yours."

"Okay," I said slowly, not entirely sure if I believed her or not.

"I'm taking you out tonight," Kaylee said. "We'll have some fun. Try to get your mind off it for a while, deal?"

"Okay. See you later."

"Okay, hang in there girl. I'm here for you."

"Thanks," I said and hung up.

I went into my contacts and tapped Ryder's name. He picked up on the third ring.

"Hello?" He sounded half asleep.

"Hey, it's Chloe. Did I wake you up?"

"It's ok," he said. I took that to mean that I had indeed woken him up.

"You said to call you in the morning so we could start working."

"Yeah, can you be at the morgue in an hour?"

"Sure," I said.

"Do you know where it is?" Ryder asked.

"I can look it up. See you in an hour?"

"I'll be there." He hung up.

I rolled out of bed and looked at Derek's still sleeping form. He looked so much like his brother. They had the same jet black hair, same chiseled features, same emerald green eyes. They could be twins, even though Jace had been nearly three years older than his younger brother. If I concentrated, I could almost believe that Jace was sleeping in front of me. But I knew that wasn't possible. Not anymore.

As I walked towards the door, I noticed a phone lying on Derek's dresser. It wasn't until I was back in my room that I realized it had been Jace's phone. That was weird, I could have sworn I had seen it in Jace's room when I was looking for Jace the morning before.

I shrugged it off and continued getting ready. I couldn't wait to meet Ryder and start finding some answers.

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Hey

Super sorry about the wait for the update everyone. I had awful writers block and couldn't get my thoughts down correctly. I'll try to make the next update sooner.

Vote, comment, read on

awolf99