Page 65 of Watch Her Bleed
“I don’t know,” I say. “She just lied twice in the same breath over things that she and I both know aren’t true.” I smash the button for the elevator but grow impatient and go to the stairwell.
“Like what?” Milo asks as I race down the stairs.
“She said the pancakes didn’t sit right this morning, but that’s not what we had. We had eggs benedict. Then I mentioned having a meeting and she went along with it knowing what I was doing today.”
“What do you need from us?” Luca says as I dial Detective Fairfield.
“Come to the house if I don’t text in the next hour or so,” I say as Josh answers.
“Hello,” he sighs.
“Did he get out today?” I ask as I step out of the building and jog to my car.
“Yeah. Did Aurora not call you? I talked to her over an hour ago and told her the judge dropped the charges,” he says.
“No. I just got off the phone with her and she flat-out lied to me over little shit. That’s not like her,” I say as the call switches to Bluetooth.
“Fuck,” he sighs. “Enzo has been connected to eighteen rape kits twenty minutes ago.”
“What? Eighteen?”
“Yeah. They were all in that six-month window that Aurora was able to evade him. Where are you?” he asks.
“Heading to the house,” I say.
“Okay. I will get there as soon as I can. Some fucking lunatic was shooting off a gun near an elementary school so basically everyone is here.”
“Is everyone okay?” I ask as I drive.
“Yeah. he wasn’t aiming at anyone. He’s just crazy,” Josh says. “If he is with her, Matt, you need to stall as long as you can so we can help. He is far worse than any of us thought.”
“If he is with her, I’m going to fucking kill him,” I say sharply.
“Well, it would be defending her. No way he wouldn’t be doing something,” he says bluntly.
“I know. Just get there. My brothers know to show up if they don’t hear from me,” I say.
“Don’t get yourself killed, Matt. I know you don’t want to see her get hurt, but you need to let her handle it. She knows how to give him what he wants so he doesn’t hurt her.”
“Really, Josh?” I snap.
“You know I’m not wrong. Just don’t do anything stupid unless you know it won’t get either of you killed,” he says. Unfortunately, he’s right. She knows how to handle him. “I’ve got to go. I’ll get someone there as quickly as I can.”
I end the call and get through the city to the house. When I pull into the driveway, I shut the engine off and get out as quietly as I can. As I step onto the porch I can hear a man's voice in the house followed by Aurora screaming.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Aurora
I wake to my phone screaming at me. “Hello?” I answer.
“Aurora. Hey,” Josh says softly.
“Fuck,” I sigh. I get up from the bed and step into underwear before grabbing a sports bra. “He’s getting out?”
“He’s already out,” Josh says. “The judge dismissed the charges for lack of evidence and he was released immediately.”
“I shouldn’t have gone to the hospital that night,” I say, kicking myself.
