Rellik

  I walked along the narrow sidewalk to the main entrance and pulled open the door, the air conditioning reminding me that I had left in such a hurry, I forgot to put on a shirt.

  The woman behind the desk blushed as my eyes met hers, and she immediately looked down to her computer, a smirk on her face.

  “Can I help you with something, sir?”

  “I locked myself out of my room. I need a key card.”

  “Certainly. What is your room number?”

  “One nineteen.”

  “You’re checking out today? Would you like a copy of your bill?”

  “Nah. I didn’t order any room service. Should be pretty straightforward.” I was leaving early today to get a room closer to my mom’s house. I didn’t want to assume they’d want me to stay with open arms, and I wasn’t sure I could handle the memories. It had been years since I’d seen her.

  “You’re right. Only made one phone call.” She held out a plastic key card, and I took it as I thought over what she’d said.

  “Actually, I think I’ll take the bill. Tax purposes.”

  “Sure. No problem.” With a smile she clicked Print, and the papers began to shoot out of the printer next to her. I tried to hide my excitement as I took them from her hand. Maybe Ella wasn’t as good at covering her trail as she’d thought.

  I left the office, the sun blinding and already unbearably hot, to make my way back to my room. The guys wouldn’t be up for a few hours, sleeping away their hangovers. I wasn’t as lucky. I’d had two hours of sleep if I was lucky, and I didn’t see any more in my future for a long time.

  I had to find the connection between Ella and my past. The fact that she bore such a striking resemblance to Katie only fucked up my head more. That couldn’t be explained away and must have had a direct correlation to how she fit in to the story.

  I slipped inside my room, scanning Ella’s possessions, which still lay where she’d left them, like she had stepped out for some fresh air and hadn’t run off in fear of me discovering the truth. My eyes fell to the paper in my hand, and I studied the local number. Who would she have called? She claimed to have nowhere else to go, no other place to stay. Was that just to get closer to me? Couldn’t have been. The look in her eyes when she discovered my name was genuine. She hadn’t known who I really was. You couldn’t fake that kind of betrayal. But why the fear? If she’d been tracking me, she should have known exactly what I’d been accused of in the past. Ella had shown little self-preservation in the short time I’d known her. She had too much pride, so it all could be explained away, but it didn’t sit right with me. At least now I had a few leads.

  I grabbed my cell phone and dialed the number, careful to block my own number. After three rings a man answered, a voice I didn’t recognize.

  “Hello?” There was some commotion as if adjusting his own phone, and he lowered his voice. “Mikaella? Is that you?”

  I disconnected the call and tossed my phone on the bed. Mikaella. At least I’d found another piece to the puzzle. She wasn’t very clever with her alias. Who was the man? I turned to the floor and grabbed her book bag, sitting on the bed as I unzipped it, the anticipation causing my heart to race. I pulled out a few outfits, tossing them to the side as I felt around in the bottom of the bag.

  “Fuck,” I growled as my search came up empty. I shoved the clothing back inside and grabbed her purse, dumping the contents onto the covers. I grabbed a card to the Lockhart library issued only a few months ago. My heart seized when I saw a newspaper article with Katie’s face, and I tossed the card onto the covers on top of a picture of Ella as a child. I picked up the article, my eyes struggling to focus on the faded print.

  Foul Play Suspected in the Death of Katie May Alexander

  I dropped the paper, letting it flutter to the bed before picking up the next. This was a different case entirely.

  Manhunt Expands for the Dream Killer

  What did one have to do with the other? Did she think this Dream Killer was responsible for Katie’s death? Did she think it was me? Was she some sort of law enforcement that I’d threatened? “Fuck,” I yelled at the top of my lungs until I had no breath left in my lungs.

  * *

  “Call the police!” I watched the large silhouette holding her lifeless body walk away, blocking out the light momentarily. What I thought was heaven was the headlight of a rusted blue pickup truck, God nothing more than a stranger. My angel had forsaken me. I closed my eyes as I quit struggling against the weight on my shoulders. There was no reason for me to fight anymore.

  “What did you do to that girl, boy?”

  “I loved her.” In that moment I realized that it was me who had done this to her. I should have left her alone. I wasn’t what she needed, and everyone knew it but the two of us. I thought her heart was big enough for both of us, but what we had is what stopped it from beating.

  It didn’t take long for police cars to swarm the street, and in such a small town, everyone came out to see what horrific event had transpired. The blue and red lights from the cars bounced off the trees, disorienting me. Handcuffs were placed on my wrists, and I was lifted from the ground. As I turned to face everyone I’d ever known, they gasped and screamed as my own eyes drifted down over my blood-soaked clothing.

  Hands were all over my body now, searching and grabbing at me.

  “We have a weapon.” I turned my head to see the blood-smeared handle of my father’s pocketknife. It was all I had left after losing him, and now it had ended the life of the girl I loved. My eyes turned back to the crowd in time to see my mother fall to her knees, screaming in agony.

  “You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say or do may be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to consult an attorney before speaking to the police and to have an attorney present during questioning now or in the future. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed for you before any questioning, if you wish. If you decide to answer any questions now, without an attorney present, you will still have the right to stop answering at any time until you talk to an attorney. Do you understand each of these rights I have explained to you?”

  “Yes,” I mumbled.

  “Having these rights in mind, do you wish to talk to us now?”

  I glanced up at the sound of a woman screaming, my eyes landing on Katie’s mother as Coach held her around the waist. On her right was Bryce, no emotion on his face. I lurched forward as the officer grabbed my arms, struggling to get me on the ground. Another officer helped him. Soon my chest slammed against asphalt, the air momentarily knocked from my lungs.

  “It’s all my fault,” I rasped as I rested my cheek against the warm road.

  * *

  Katie’s death was ultimately ruled a suicide due to the vertical cuts on her wrists, but I knew something else had happened to her, even if the evidence of such a crime had been washed away. Although I was proclaimed innocent, I was guilty in the eyes of everyone around me. I couldn’t function, couldn’t think clearly, and was soon sent away to a mental health facility. My mother had suffered enough after the death of my father, and I couldn’t blame her for not wanting to be the mother of someone everyone thought was a killer. Even if it meant the last person I had in my corner had given up on me.

  I crumbled the paper in my hand, cracking my neck as the memories swarmed me, making it impossible to keep myself under control.

  A knock at the door got my attention. I shoved the belongings back in the purse and picked up the gun from the bed, tucking it in the back of my shorts. I pressed myself against the door, looking through the peephole, paranoia taking over.

  “Housekeeping,” an older woman called from the other side.

  “No thanks. I’m checking out today,” I called back and watched as she shook her head and moved on to the next room.

  I grabbed my phone from the bed and did a reverse search on the phone number that Ella had called.

  It was a home phone, but the owner’s name
and address wasn’t available. I forwarded the number to Trigger.

  I need to know who owns this number and where to find them. Keep it on the DL.

  A few minutes later he texted me back.

  So fucking hungover. I’m on it.

  I made my way to my bag, pulling out a clean pair of jeans and my dark-blue Lynyrd Skynyrd shirt. Dressing quickly, I thought over what had transpired. I couldn’t figure out Ella’s angle. She looked too young to be with the law. I looked over the gun. It wasn’t police issued. I emptied the clip, removing the bullet in the chamber as I thought about it being pointed at my heart. I stuck her gun in her purse and gathered my bag along with the other miscellaneous items around the room before leaving the hotel.

  I needed to get across town to my mom’s, but walking away from my past had never been easy for me and knowing what I did now about Ella, she was somehow a part of it. In the daylight the alley where she accessed her apartment looked rundown and desolate.

  I parked by the front door and climbed the stairs to her place. The eviction notice was still in place, and the lock hadn’t been removed. She still might return once she felt the coast was clear. I resisted the urge to find out. Instead I hurried down the three flights of stairs and got in my car, pulling off and heading down to the Lockhart Library, about five minutes away. Ella would be able to walk here, and it was the only other place I knew she might go. Just the thought of going back home made my stomach turn. I’d been avoiding the prying eyes, the looks of disappointment, and knowing if I ever saw Bryce, I’d finally finish what I’d started.

  I’d be lying if I said I didn’t think about killing him in just about every way imaginable. He tainted Katie, soiled her innocence, and destroyed her life.

  The fact that he was still left breathing was only a matter of luck.

  Honest

  Chapter 19—Ella

  Honest: free of deceit

  I should have seen the signs, been aware of when someone was taking advantage of me. I shook my head at the thought. He didn’t take advantage of me. He was curious as to why I was searching for him, and I practically threw myself at him.

  I still didn’t have my answers, and if I was honest with myself, I wasn’t seeking the truth. I was seeking revenge.

  I rubbed the back of my hand over my nose as I thought of my doll my mother had made me. It was my only connection to her, and it was gone, possibly forever.

  I couldn’t go to my apartment or to work, knowing now that Maric was close to Ryder. As a person who prided herself on being a loner, I’d never felt this alone in my entire life. It was a dull aching in my chest, as if the world were closing in on me. I was going to break down. Focusing on righting the wrongs of my past had always kept me going, but I’d hit a wall.

  Maybe it was time to accept that those who’d hurt me were going to get away with it, moving on to new victims. But Ryder was a different kind of animal. I pretended I was strong as a means of self-preservation, but Ryder was the real deal. He was a beast and willing to do what beasts do. It terrified me. I’d wanted to meet him on my own terms, to know he could be trusted.

  I slipped into the back corner of the library where computers lined the wall. I sat down at the one in the corner, to allow myself some privacy if anyone else showed. Most people had access to the Internet at home, so I was usually left to myself.

  I pulled up the search page and typed in Silver Lake Hospital. There were endless pages for the facility. Even though Ryder was a minor when Katie died and his name left from the news, the online articles all had lengthy comment sections where others were not as quiet about his identity. I was hoping for another lucky lead.

  “You’re not going to find patient information on the Internet.” Ryder’s voice in my ear caused me to jump. I spun around, my eyes scanning the empty room.

  “You forgot your shoes.” He glanced down at my bare feet as he held up a pair of my sandals.

  “I left in a hurry.”

  “So you did.” He tossed the shoes on the ground, the sound echoing in the quiet space.

  “You want me to thank you?” I snapped as I grabbed the shoes and strapped them on my feet. He laughed, shaking his head in frustration.

  “Last night was all the thanks I need.”

  I narrowed my eyes as he smirked.

  “Fuck you.”

  “We did that already. I just want to talk.” He tilted his head, eyebrow raised as he waited for me to decide what I wanted. “Come on, Ella. I’m trying to be nice here.”

  “It takes a lot for effort for you, doesn’t it?”

  “At the moment, yes.” He rubbed his hand along his jaw, clearly losing his patience. “You know I’m not going to hurt you. If you thought so, you would have screamed by now.”

  I knew if he didn’t care, had no feelings, he would have hurt me last night. Instead he forced himself to be easy with me, even when I didn’t want him to be. Ryder was raw and unfiltered. He acted on impulse, but that didn’t mean he was a bad person. He wasn’t going to do anything to me, and that included causing a scene in public, just like in the parking lot.

  “I’m sorry I threatened you.”

  “You’re not forgiven.”

  “Don’t you have something to say to me?”

  “No.”

  “You don’t want to apologize for pulling a gun on me?”

  “I’m leaving.” I walked around him, keeping my eyes ahead as I made my way to the door. I could hear his footsteps behind me, but I didn’t quicken my pace. I knew I needed him, but trusting him or anyone was too hard for me to do. I was stubborn and didn’t like that he always had the upper hand.

  Stepping outside, I was thankful for the cloud coverage that cloaked the world in an eerie gray. As much as I was trying to avoid spilling the truth to Ryder, I couldn’t deny that I felt safer knowing he was behind me.

  I walked slowly as his SUV crept beside me with his windows down. I refused to look at him. For once the heat wasn’t oppressive. I enjoyed being able to gather my thoughts and figure out where I was going to go from here with what I needed to do. A few sporadic drops landed on me, and I pretended not to notice.

  “You’re acting like a child,” Ryder called out, not bothering to hide the irritation in his voice.

  “Better than what you’re acting like.” I bit my lip to hide my smirk.

  “And what’s that, Ella?” His voice rose as if he was being playful, something I wasn’t entirely sure he was capable of.

  I couldn’t help but glance over at him, my irritation evaporating. He had a way of making me forget. “You’re a dick.”

  “You want my dick?” His voice carried, and I ducked my head in embarrassment, not certain if anyone else was around.

  I began to walk faster, and he had to pass another car to stay beside me.

  “Come on, Ella. You can do better than that.”

  “I could always do this.” I slipped between two buildings. I heard him shout a curse, and the engine accelerated behind me as he hurried to come around the block. I waited for the engine sound to fade into the distance before slipping back out the way I’d come and walking back in the direction of the library, the raindrops falling heavy now.

  I knew I was poking a bear, and part of me enjoyed knowing that as angry as I made Ryder, he held back. It was a twisted feeling, but not one I’d experienced before. The men who’d come before him in my life didn’t think twice about hurting me. There was a safety in this feeling, and I needed to know he wouldn’t give up on me like others had.

  I continued by the library and hurried down Chester Avenue. My eyes darted behind me whenever I’d hear a vehicle approach, unable to breathe until it passed me by.

  I’d almost made it to Langley Park when a pair of headlights blinded me and the vehicle rolled to a stop just a few feet away. I hesitated before slowly approaching it. The driver door opened, and Ryder stepped out into the street, rain beating down on him. He looked like he was ready for a foot chase if neces
sary.

  “You don’t take a hint,” I called out, but his expression didn’t soften, and I knew I might have gone too far.

  “Get in the fucking car, Ella.”

  “Since you asked so nicely.” I started to walk by the vehicle, and he moved behind it to cut me off at the rear end. Grabbing my shoulders, he pressed me against the back of the SUV. I couldn’t help but fixate on the drop of water that ran over his lower lip. I wanted to lick it off him, making it very hard to maintain my anger. But Ryder had a way of bringing it out in people, and he didn’t waste a moment.

  “Get in the fucking car. You’re going to give me answers.”

  “And if I say no?”

  He smirked, dimples settling into his tanned cheeks as he leaned closer, his eyes falling to my lips before raising them again. “You didn’t say no last night.”

  Just like that I melted, and I knew he saw it because the air around us seemed to change, charged with electricity and begging for that connection.

  He lowered his voice, and I knew he was struggling not to let the sexual attraction between us cloud his judgment.

  “Come with me, Ella.” The way he spoke, his words sounded explicit even when I knew it wasn’t what he meant. I sucked in a ragged breath, feeling like I couldn’t get enough air in my lungs. The oxygen supply to my brain felt cut short. Flashes of my legs wrapped around his hips and our bodies moving together filled my thoughts. He leaned closer, inhaling the scent of my hair before whispering into my ear.

  “I could always make you.”

  My lips parted, but I couldn’t form a response as he pulled back, his mouth hovering over mine, our breathing shallow and lost in the moment. His hand left my shoulder, and he slammed his palm against the damp window next to my head, snapping himself out of the moment. I startled, but I knew his anger was directed inward.

  “Get in the fucking car.” His tone was harsh and unlike anything I’d heard when he was in bed with me last night.

  “Make me.” My childish tone made me cringe, but he was so incredibly frustrating, I couldn’t help myself.

  His mouth twisted in a half smile as he grabbed my waist, bending over so he could lift me onto his shoulder.