Page 26

26

LENNY

I sobbed the moment Stone pulled out of the driveway. I promised to lock up the house and did as I transported my two cats into my convertible.

Tears continued to cloud my eyes as I sat, unmoving, in the driver’s seat.

My heart felt like it had crumbled. Why did something so wonderful have to hurt so excruciatingly bad?

Every moment with Stone was pure bliss.

The drive home was even worse. Each spot in town I passed reminded me of him. The coffee shop I took him to, the beach, and even the sheriff’s office, all of which I had the misfortune of passing.

I parked my car in the small lot nearby and grabbed Alonzo and Birdie from the back seat. They made an obnoxious amount of noise on the walk to the apartment, enough to draw attention.

The pin pad at the side door clicked as it unlocked and let me inside. My feet felt heavy walking up each step. I dreaded being alone again.

There was always Mallory.

I passed her door, at least comforted in the fact my friend was close by. Wine night was no longer a want—it was becoming a need at this point.I’d text her and set up a night during the week. First, though, I needed to get organized for work. I had minimal time, and I knew for a fact I had no food and had been letting my laundry grow for a while.

All those things meant leaving Stone, and that was something I’d been unwilling to do the last few days.

Inside my own apartment, I found my laptop and pulled up a grocery delivery service. Depression caused by the one man I thought might be it for me leaving was reason enough to order food dropped at my door, right?

My laptop was opened to a file from the Coastal Killer case, and my finger hesitated before closing out of it. I picked out my food and ordered quickly, shoving the laptop across the kitchen island before I could be tempted to make myself even more sad looking through the case documents.

My cats sprinted through the apartment, chasing each other before stopping at the food bowl I filled for them. I continued working through my chores, returning to my life. It was surreal, coming home to complete such simple tasks.

For weeks, my life had been research and threats. I hadn’t known silence like this in forever. The dreadful realization I would have to sleep alone washed over me.

It didn’t take long before it grew dark outside my windows, and the noise from town died down. I could finally hear the waves in the distance. It wasn’t as loud as it was at Stone’s rental, which sent a new wave of disappointment through me.

Maybe when I saved up enough, I could buy a property closer to the water.

At least I still had the lulling sound to crawl into bed and fall asleep too.

I slipped into a pair of silk pajamas, and my cats followed me into the bed. They nestled up by my pillow, and I hopped in next to them, settling down.

The book Stone annotated for me sat on my bedside table. I opened it up and started flipping through it. There were other little notes I added, this being my second time reading through the story. He had been right—I absolutely loved it.

I started reading through all the little notes he left, and my chest felt heavy as I did. There wasn’t a day that would go by when I wouldn’t miss his presence. Every little smart comment he made and thoughtful thing he did for me—I’d remember each and every one.

The urge to hop on the first flight to Virginia hit me for the thousandth time, but I knew I risked reopening all the wounds of him leaving. I was lying to myself if I thought I could just let him go completely.

I checked my phone to see if he had texted me at all, but there was nothing. I wasn’t surprised, knowing he was meeting the rest of his team and traveling early the next morning.

He would drive the rest of the team to the jet, return his rental car, and catch his own flight back. I’d offered to return it so he could travel with the rest of his team, but he insisted on it. Truthfully, I think he needed the time alone.

My eyes started to feel heavy the more I read through the book. I started to memorize every word Stone wrote. He may have memorized the book, but every last note he wrote me would be imprinted on my mind forever.

The one at the front caught my attention the most.

For my aftermath.

I wanted the word tattooed on my skin, to remind myself that, like Stone said, everything we’d gone through only made us stronger after.

The book slowly started to slip from my hands as my body gave in to exhaustion. I could finally rest, knowing I was safe, even if I still found it hard to accept the truth. This nightmare was over.

I tried to push that from my mind, telling myself eventually, it would go away. Instead, I put the book down and turned toward my cats, curling up beside them. It was the last thing I saw before the real nightmare began.

* * *

I couldn’t breathe. Something covered my mouth, and I startled awake. I tried to thrash against it, but whoever stood over me held me down. Dizziness built in my head, and I felt my eyes start to flutter back to sleep.

My mouth opened to scream, but nothing came out. The rag over it was too much, and I knew instantly I was being drugged again.

If I didn’t fight with everything in me, I knew this was it, but it was too late. Already, my body was going limp, and I couldn’t stop my eyes from shutting any longer.

“Rest,” a soft voice said from above me.

It was oddly chilling and calming all at once. I swore, I recognized it from somewhere.

Against my own will, my eyes betrayed me and closed one last time. My hearing went next, and before I knew it, my entire body became dead weight.

Stone had already left, but the killer wasn’t done with me. The FBI arrested the wrong person. I knew in my gut it didn’t end with Ethan. And now, I was paying the price.