Page 105 of The Devastation You Reap

“Perfect. Come here,” I say, holding my hand out, more than ready for her to join me.

“Okay.” She locks her cell, but before she places it down, it pings in her hand.

Pulling it back in front of her, she looks down at the screen and lets out a sigh.

“Everything okay?”

Walking over, she drops down beside me, allowing me to see the screen.

“What’s that?” I ask, not understanding the notification on the screen.

“It… It’s the security system at my uncle’s house. There’s something wrong with it.”

“Why doesn’t he deal with it?” I ask innocently.

“He’s… um… out of town.” She looks over at me, guilt written all over her face, but I didn’t need to see it to know she’s lying to me.

I know he’s not there. I’ve been there looking for him.

But the issue is, I also can’t find him.

Hence, why I’m here.

Dark excitement flutters in my belly at the thought of getting the information out of her.

“It’s been sending me alerts all weekend. They assured me the house is secure but it keeps going off.”

“Maybe you should go and check it out.”

“I know but it’s on the other side of the state and I’ve got classes.” Her excuses are valid but I can’t help feeling like they’re a cover up for deeper reasons for not wanting to go there. “It’s not important,” she says, placing her cell on the side and pressing herself into my body.

“Um…not right now, no.”

Rolling her over so she’s lying right on top of me, I capture her lips and kiss her until the buzzer rings telling us the pizza is here.

Her cell goes off with the same alert three more times before she finally turns it off.

“Maybe you should go. It could be serious.”

“I know,” she mutters sadly.

“Don’t the two of you get along or something?” I think back to our previous conversation when she changed the subject about him at the first possible opportunity and wonder what the story is there. I can’t imagine him being a doting uncle, but the thought of him treating her the way he did the boys sends a shiver of fear down my spine.

Could we have more in common than I ever thought?

No. No, that can’t be true.

My stomach turns, my pizza threatening to come back up from the thought alone.

“It’s… Complicated. I don’t think he ever wanted kids, then he found himself stuck with me.”

“But he was a coach, wasn’t he?” I ask, risking the subject.

“Yeah, but I’m pretty sure he hates kids.”

“What makes you say that?”

“You’re in the game, you must have heard what a hard ass he was with his boys. They breathed at the wrong time and he came down on them like a ton of bricks.”