Page 34 of Everything After

“If you want me to hold you down and forcefully fuck you while you fight me, that’s called consensual non-consent,” I say.

“Is that bad?”

“Not at all. It’s common among survivors of sexual assault,” I tell her. “You need a safe word to differentiate between a playful no and a real no. Saying the safe word is a normal no. It allows you to get the most out of the scene. It’s something we need to work into because it can also be very triggering.”

“Okay, so bucket list,” she says with a smile. She starts to say something else, but the front door suddenly slams open. Sierra shrieks and nearly hits the floor before I manage to grab her into a hug.

“Bex!” Mason calls out, coming through the house fast enough that all I have time to do is pull her behind me as Mason barges into the room.

“Really?” I deadpan.

“Shit. I’m sorry. Get dressed and come out here,” he says, rushing off.

“What the fuck?” Sierra complains. She grabs a dress from the closet as I pull my jeans back on and grab another shirt.

When we walk out, Sierra frowns at her brother. “You scared the hell out of me, asshole,” she snaps at him.

“I’m sorry. But look,” he says, grabbing the remote for the television. As he turns the volume up, Anthony’s face appears.

"Breaking news tonight. Authorities are searching for thirty-four-year-old Samuel Sanders after a reported sighting in Pinecrest yesterday. Sanders escaped prison eight years ago while being transported to a state correctional facility. He was serving a life sentence after being convicted of the first-degree murder of his wife. Investigators say this is the first credible sighting since his escape and warn that Sanders should be considered armed and dangerous. Anyone with information on Sanders' whereabouts is urged to contact local law enforcement immediately."

The television changes from the anchor to a photo of a man during his booking photo. I know who it is, but I have to turn to Sierra for confirmation. “It’s him,” she says quietly. “That’s Anthony.”

Chapter Fifteen

Sierra

Murder…

Escaped convict…

Armed and dangerous…

“What do you want to do?” Beckett asks me.

“Why are you asking me?” I snap, but close my eyes and take a deep breath. “What would you do?”

“I would go to the cops,” he says.

“Mason?” I ask.

“I agree,” he says.

“Me too,” Bella says. “But… I think it should stay between us. No one should even know that you have made the connection.”

“Why?” Beckett asks.

“Because I don’t trust anyone with her life, and neither should you,” Bella says, and he nods quietly.

“Okay… Yeah… Fuck, okay,” I sigh. “This is a small-ass town. If we just roll up to the police department, everyone will know. Same if they come here.”

“So, we give them a reason to come to us,” Bella says with a smile. “How about a block party tonight, hmm?”

“We haven’t had one of those in forever,” Mason says. “I’ll text the sheriff and let him know he needs to respond to the call so we can talk to him in private.”

The music is so loud that I can feel it in my chest. We got both groups together, and everyone is having a great time, I think. Their excessive drinking is leading to a bunch of burly biker men dancing to pop music. I’ve never seen a bearded man twerk, but I have now.

I am sitting in Beckett’s lap. Mason and Bella are next to us, and we are just watching the chaos. Ace knows what’s going on, but he is keeping his distance so we have him as a spy, essentially.