Page 18 of Darkened Promises
“He’s right, Nate. We should update him so he understands,” Noah interjects.
I keep my focus on Nate, watching as he stomps farther into the kitchen, spins around, and leans against the fridge. He glares silently with his arms folded across his chest.
Noah and Bry both fill me in on their breaking into her flat, how they don’t think she’s decided to leave without a word, and how Logan and Felix are assisting.
A trickle of hope tries to worm its way in that she hasn’t left us, but I squash it quickly. Now we know she’s definitely not in her flat, it means she’s either left us or something’s happened to her. Both of those options fuck with my head so much that it’s a struggle to take my next breath.
No matter what I tried to tell myself when drowning everything in whiskey, I can’t seem to exist in a world that doesn’t have her in it. My body starts trembling, and I don’t know whether it’s from all the alcohol last night, from the pain of my guilt, or the agony of not having her here.
Or maybe karma is turning on me and letting me feel all three at once. It would serve me right.
“What do you need to know?” I ask, pushing away my half-eaten plate now that my hunger has morphed into a twisting pit of uncertainty.
“What exactly happened when you turned up at her office?” Bry says softly.
My shoulders slump as I try to recall everything that happened.
“I parked and tried the front entrance, but it was all locked up. So I went around the back, where there’s another door. Peter answered and told me she had come by to get her stuff the day before.”
“This is important. Can you tell us word-for-word what he said?” Noah pushes.
It pisses me off. Not them asking me but having to go back and relive it. That sinking feeling when my body caught up with my mind and heard she’d left.
Still, I tell them everything I can remember.
“You sure he said that? That she was moving?” Bry asks, his brows furrowed low over his eyes.
How can he so blindly think she stayed? I would’ve thought he would at least understand what it’s like to have people leave you.
“Yes, like I just said…she wanted a fresh start.” My teeth almost grind over the words, wanting to be done with this conversation.
“We did find out about the eviction notice, so that makes sense she was thinking about moving. But all her stuff is still there, and Moshi is too. So she will be somewhere. I’ll update Logan and Felix.” Noah sighs, stepping away to make the call.
“What? Moshi’s still there? Is Steph there with him?” I question, feeling like I missed a shitload of stuff in just one night…Well, and a lot of today while I was passed out.
“Steph’s been staying at her girlfriend’s for the past week. Noah managed to speak to her earlier. We found Moshi on his own when we got access to their place.”
“He’s in my room,” Nate adds.
“This is so messed up,” I groan and drop my head into my palms, rubbing hard to try to alleviate some of the thumping inside my skull.
“I know. I keep waiting for her to knock on the door or message,” Bry says. He pushes my plate back in front of me. “Eat. There’s nothing much we can do until Logan and Felix investigate.”
Nate doesn’t bother saying anything; he just walks off and shuts himself in his room.
With Moshi, because apparently Rosy’s not here to look after him.
ELEVEN
ROSY
My mind is sluggish, my body sore as I come to. I’m not sure how long I’ve been here, if it’s been hours or days. I’m stuck in a never-ending nightmare, though a part of me still doubts it’s real, that this could be happening to me.
I’ll wake up soon, unsettled about the vivid dream, then go over to the guys’ place, apologise for lashing out at them, and ask if we can talk things through. Everything will feel good again. There’ll be hugs, kisses to say we’re all sorry, then have dinner together.
Except what if it isn’t a dream? What if this is really happening to me? I’m at the mercy of a monster that wants to hurt and keep me.
Tears slip down my cheeks; each one drips slowly, pooling in my hair as I lie staring up at the all-too-familiar ceiling.
