Page 43

CHAPTER 16
Sutton
My fingers shook as I tried to dial Mark’s number. I couldn’t focus, couldn’t even fathom the news that Knox just gave us.
“Sutton, are you there?”
It was Mark on the other end of the phone. I needed to tell him something. I looked up to see Candice staring back at me with worried eyes. Knox hadn’t stayed long after stopping by; he just wanted me to know.
“Sutton?”
“Mark?” My voice was barely a whisper.
“You are scaring me, baby. What’s wrong?”
“It’s Max.” I barely got his name out before choking on a sob.
“Mad Max? Fuck, what happened? Is he okay? Did something happen to Alice and Reena?”
“No, they are fine.” I swallowed hard, but the tears came anyway. “Mark, Max is dead.”
“What? What happened?”
I tried to piece together what Knox had said when he came over. Candice and I were talking about the baby and if I needed to find a doctor here in Otterville Falls when the doorbell rang.
Brian was the one to answer it, and he had a certain wariness about his tone when he called us down. I knew the moment I saw Knox’s face that something was wrong. He had asked me to sit down.
I tried to wrangle my thoughts as I spoke to Mark, “Alice called the station because Max hadn’t been back to their house in almost forty-eight hours. She was worried because he had never been gone that long before. Knox said that that they immediately started a search...”
I broke off, not able to finish the rest. Candice kindly took the phone from my shaking hand.
“Mark? This is Candice. They found his body out near Sutton’s old trailer. Yeah, sure, yeah, I will put her back on.”
She handed the phone back to me and Mark’s voice came through. “I love you, Sutton. You are safe. Brian is with you. Don’t leave the house and don’t let anyone in. The plane is about to leave L.A. and I will be there as soon as possible.”
I nodded. “Okay, I love you,” I said through a choked sob.
“Oh, baby,” he sighed. “I hate that you are so upset. Please don’t cry.”
“He’s dead because of me.” I voiced the thoughts that had been swirling around my head.
And heard Brian and Candice’s shock, as well as Mark’s on the phone.
“No, this is not because of you. Sutton, I have to get off the phone, we’re taking off. You are safe, this isn’t your fault. I love you!”