Page 105 of The Fractured

News reporters were eager to get the best spot as they described the scene that had played out the other night.

They talked about the explosion, and that police were still investigating who was behind it. They also talked about the one victim — the twenty-six-year-old daughter of a celebrity chef. There was the belief that she was senselessly targeted, or that maybe it had something to do with her father’s wealth. No one assumed it might’ve been her connection with a mob boss’s estranged son — no one except the few people who knew what she was doing with that son.

All four of us stood across the street, a fair distance away from the scene. Where police tape prevented us from getting closer.

Earlier, Dean mentioned he wanted to see it. Whether it was for closure or to figure out what happened, we didn’t ask, but all agreed to go with him once Kira’s SDV meeting was done.

The news of Roxy’s death came as a shock, and seeing the aftermath left us speechless.

Her car was removed not long after the explosion, but there was a large burn on the curb and asphalt where it happened. Nearby shop fronts were affected by the blast too. Their windows were blown in, and exterior walls were covered in ashy burns, including opposite the street. Where Dean had been standing.

He was lucky to have walked away from it with only scrapes and bruises.

I guess that was part of the reason I was speechless. Knowing my best friend was there that night, and then seeing exactly where he stood when the blast happened, put the whole situation into a surreal reality.

I wanted to suggest we all skip town for a while, but I doubted Lily’s dad would like that very much.

Dean had already warned me about coming forward for the investigation. I wanted to give up my name so he wasn’t facing this alone, but he reminded me of what I was giving up. And that he needed someone he could trust to be there for Lily and his mom when he couldn’t.

Kira, with her arm through mine, was first to break the silence as she kept her eyes ahead. “It could’ve been either of you.”

It was more of a statement than a conversation starter.

I pulled an arm around her shoulders and kissed her temple.

It was getting harder to keep that melancholy sense of our world imploding from getting the better of me. Why did it have to happen when I finally met the girl of my dreams? The potential love of my life?

Dean cleared his throat, keeping his hand in Lily’s as he stepped away from the police tape.

“Let’s go,” he murmured.

None of us were ready to go home yet, but we also weren’t ready to return to the shifts we had skipped for this. The girls mentioned they knew of a nearby cafe, several blocks away, and we followed their lead in solemn silence.

We took a seat at a table in the front window of the place, right as rain began to pour heavily on the busy street outside.

“Does anyone want to drink or eat anything?” Kira asked after a moment.

“Not really…” Dean said from across the table, where his back was to the wall and he had a decent view of the entire cafe and the street.

Lily shook her head.

“Me neither,” I agreed, trying for a smile.

“I thought I’d check anyway… My appetite is also non-existent right now,” Kira said, folding her arms on the table. She rubbed her upper arm as she looked out the window, brown eyes glazed by the overcast light outside. “Everything feels weird.”

Lily, playing with the sleeve of her knit sweater, seemed to be looking for something to say to fill the space. I was too. We needed something else to talk about.

“So…” she began, eyes on Kira and me. “Can we talk about what’s happening between you two?”

It was a better subject change than mine. I was ready to suggest playingI-Spy.

Kira smiled at me from over her shoulder and shrugged. “I don’t know. We’re just…us.”

“What, like friends with benefits?” Dean asked, smiling softly despite the tiredness in his eyes.

“I guess? But we’re open to more.”

“I know I am,” I added, smiling as I leaned back in my seat, planting my hands behind my head.