Page 59 of Breaking Point

It’s just… hanging between us now- with nowhere to go.

“I- um. I’ll see you tomorrow,” I say, staring off into the distance. “Goodnight.”

“Goodnight, Ms. Hughes,” he says quickly and before I can move to do it myself, he walks away. Somehow I feel even more tired than I did before.

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Crew

Sometimes, I still feel blood on my hands.

I shoot out of bed, my breath heavy as I focus on my surroundings in the dark.Desk. Chair. Computer. Bed. Home, I tell myself.Desk, chair, computer, bed, home.

Despite leaving the military years ago, I still remember what it felt like to wake up in those barracks and not be anywhere near home. My deployment was easier than most. I worked intelligence. I held tech in my hands more often than a gun, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t see some bad shit.

The war was a slaughter. A slaughter that Westos- and many realms around it- committed against Prevyains. My hands aren’t unclean. And I have more than my fair share of regrets about joining such a cause. But you’re taught to not question who you’re fighting. At the academy, you're part of a team. People rely on you. If there's one thing I learned in my time there... it's that the consequences of mistakes costs lives.

I remember the fight that Jimmy and I had before I deployed. He never wanted me to have that life. Not when I had an entire world to explore at home.

I still remember the words I said to him- the awful things that still linger between us.

The worst part is thatmy father was right.Maybe that’s why I can barely get a word out to him.

I sigh, forcing my breathing to even. My hair is longer than it has been in awhile, and while I’d normally shave it down, for once, I’m glad for the feeling of it between my fingers. I tug, the sting a reminder that I’m awake. I’m alive.

There’s no blood on my hands.

Forcing myself out of bed, I throw on a shirt and sit at my desk, pulling the information I’ve been working on up on my laptop. I’ve been watching Harvey more closely than I should. I keep telling myself that there’s no need to look deeper into him. Or Chase or any of the other names I’ve added to my list.

But I feel like I’ve stumbled onto something.

I’ve got cameras running at Aspen House, and while I only check them occasionally, there have been two alerts since I’ve started. Once when Harvey left at midnight and once when a car pulled up at two AM.

Black SUV- plates barely visible from the camera angle above the garage. The car sat for about five minutes. No movement. No sign of the person inside. Then it drove off. I debated running the plates last night. I sat here looking at the three letters, four numbers for about ten minutes before I forced myself to go to bed.

My fingers hover over my keyboard, still unsure. Ultimately, I tell myself it’s worth the risk. I copy the plate over to a database. It takes a few seconds before a name and number appear on my screen.

Keith Sutherland. No address.

Chase’s father. Which means that Chase and Harvey are more than just associates. It doesn’t explain why the car was at Aspen house so late. Or why no one got out of the car.

I should talk to Harvey.

But that only gives him another chance to lie, and I’m not prepared for what I might have to do if he isn’t honest. My mind shifts to Olivia.

Her blue eyes were so clear last night. We were close enough to touch. Close enough I could smell her sun and citrus shampoo.

She has two freckles. Just two. One beneath her mouth. One just below her eye. I shouldn’t be close enough to notice them in the first place. I don’t know how it would have ended if I didn’t step back.

If there’s one thing I know for certain, it’s that I can’t get that close again.

I need a shower, I think as I grab a change of clothes and head for the bathroom before breakfast.

I have a few hours before I meet Taylor and Olivia at a wedding tonight. I need to look into a few more things before then.

It all starts with Harvey.

Chapter Twenty-Eight

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