Page 36 of Reckless
Get over it, Phoebe. He’s gone.No amount of mental gymnastics will bring him back.
But I can’t stop thinking about it.
Griffin wouldn’t do anything to hurt anyone.
My mind begins to race. Griffin said there were faulty brake lines. What if they weren’t faulty but tampered with? I press a hand to my head and wonder if Allison had received threats, too? What if the brake lines had been tampered with, not to harm Griffin, but to kill Allison like they were trying to kill me?
What if the same person is now targeting me?
I push to my feet and rush to the door. I have to talk to him if only to convince him he’s wrong. No matter how much he pushes me away, he has to know I’ll be there for him through everything. He has to know I don’t think he did anything wrong with Allison.
The only way we’ll get through this is together. We’ll figure out what really happened to Allison, and if I’m right, we’ll tie it to what is happening to me. There has to be a common denominator.
I fling open the door, determined to find him and figure this out, but I stop in my tracks.
Chapter Eighteen
Griffin
Telling her I was ending things is the hardest thing I’ve ever done.
But as I leave, I refuse to let my steps falter. If I pause, even for a second, I’ll lose my nerve, turn around, and beg for her to take me back. I don’t deserve her, that much is true, but no matter how much I want her, I will keep my distance if it means she’ll be safe.
That’s all that matters.
For the longest time, I tried to bury the thoughts of Allison and the memories of the aftermath of her death. It was impossible with every network and tabloid dredging up our pseudo-relationship and blaming me for her death. So I turned to alcohol to drown the thoughts away.
The thought that I could be responsible has haunted me since she died. I can’t go through that again. I don’t want to make the same mistake twice. By the time I reach my car, I’m wracked with indecision. I’ve always been so sure of myself, so certain of my next move. When it comes to Phoebe, I’m not certain of anything except that I want her with me.
I’m not in my car a minute before I’m out again, sprinting to her apartment. I don’t bother knocking and try the handle first. It’s unlocked.Dammit, Phoebe, lock your damn door.When I pull it open, I find Phoebe behind her couch, shaking and holding her stomach. Her eyes meet mine, and they’re wide with fear.
Standing on the opposite side of the couch is Seth.
“Step back,” I say, pulling my gun from its holster and leveling it at him. Adrenaline surges through me, but my hands are steady, my aim straight. Seeing him shocks me to my core, but I can’t process that now. All I can focus on is Phoebe.
Seth laughs,laughs, and holds up his hands. “What the hell, man? Put that thing away before you hurt someone.”
“You didn’t kill Allison,” Phoebe shouts. “You didn’t. It wasn’t your fault.”
This distracts me enough to look away from Seth. “What?”
“I think she’s got something wrong with her,” Seth says like it’s all a big joke. His eyes are wild despite the forced, carefree tone in his voice. “I just came to talk to her about your decision to leave the movie and how she needs to spin it for the press. She went crazy, man. Maybe she should see a doctor.”
“Since when do you do that without talking to me about it first?” I ask as I inch my way toward Phoebe. If I can get between them, everything will be okay. All I can think about is getting her out of here. Getting her safe. Protecting her.
Seth raises his hands defensively. “Sorry, man. I thought I was doing you a favor.”
“If that’s true, then you’ll give Phoebe and me some space. We can talk later. I’ll get her some help.” I don’t want what Phoebe says to be true. I’ve known Seth for a hell of a long time, and in all those years, I’ve never known him to hurt anyone. Never done anything other than annoy the shit out of me about the stupid stunts I pull.
The expression that comes over Seth’s face isn’t one I’ve ever seen on him before, and it chills me to the bone. It’s as though he’s turned into someone I don’t recognize. A stranger. A stranger with the face of a psychopath. “Give you some space? I’ve been there for you since the beginning. It’s been you and me this whole time.You and me. Now this bitch shows up, and because she says ‘jump,’ you say ‘how high’? Fucking nice, man.”
The practiced calm that comes over me in high-pressure situations begins to fail me. This isn’t like it was with Allison at all. I cared about Allison, absolutely, but my feelings for her were nothing,nothing, compared to what I feel for Phoebe. When I manage to speak, my words are choppy, betraying my growing panic. “I’m asking you, as a friend, Seth, please. She hasn’t done anything. Why don’t you and I just talk?”
He’s already shaking his head, his laugh high-pitched and out of control. It’s as though he doesn’t even hear me anymore. “Didn’t I warn you about her in the beginning? Didn’t I say for you to keep your distance? This was supposed to be your big break. I don’t know how you landed the role, but working with Arthur Oswald would have been our ticket to fame. But no, everything we’ve worked so hard for, you just threw it away. And for what? This bitch?” The look he sends Phoebe is so full of venomous loathing it can’t be described as anything other than evil.
“Fine, then let her go. She’ll resign from CJJ, and she won’t be in the way anymore.” A sick feeling is rocketing through my stomach like a tidal wave.
Seth’s eyes are wild. How have I never noticed his obsession before? Have I been so self-centered I’d let this psychopath close because I couldn’t be bothered to pay attention? “I tried scaring her away. Her apartment. On-set. If she had left, I wouldn’t have had to hurt her.”