Page 26 of Filthy Liar

There’sa certain stillness just before sleep that could be addictive. I don’t sleep as much as other people, but there’s a moment right before I drift off where I think,I should do this more often.Which is ridiculous because I do it every night, but only when I’m exhausted. When I fall into bed, my body aching with fatigue.

I’m drifting in that sweet spot, thinking of all the witty comebacks I could shove at Jason the next time we see each other, when my phone rings.

Rolling over, I grab it and peer at the screen. Caroline’s name jumps off it.

“Hey,” I say after hitting answer. “It’s late.”

“Help,” she whispers.

I’m already on my feet. “Where are you?”

“Home. No cops.”

Fuck. My heart slams against my chest. “I’m coming. I’m close, okay?”

“Okay.” She groans.

One of the reasons I rented this apartment is that it’s a block away from Caroline’s place. I race down the stairwell, bursting onto the street level at top speed. I keep her on the line, knowing that I don’t have another option. If a federal prosecutor says no cops, she means it for a terrible, no-good reason.

I have a key to her building, so I let myself in the side residents-only entrance and race up the stairs, listening the whole way for footsteps or any other sign that I’m not alone. I don’t encounter anyone, and the fifth floor hallway is quiet, too.

But her door is ajar, which makes me want to throw up. Nudging it open, I carefully creep inside. I clear each room quickly, then find her in the bathroom, lying on the tiled floor, her blonde hair matted with blood and her clothes torn.

She moans when I say her name. “I’m sorry.”

“What the fuck? You don’t have anything to be sorry for.” I crouch next to her and touch her wrist, quickly checking her pulse. “Can you stand?”

“My head hurts.”

“Who did this to you?”

“I didn’t see him.”

“Why did you say no cops?”

“Maybe an…inside job…” Her eyelids drift shut.

“Oh no, Caro. We’re not sleeping right now.” I tap her cheek. “Wake up. Or I’m going to take you to the hospital.”

“It hurts.”

“That’s what hospitals are for.” I smile at her when she looks up at me. “Can I call your father?”

She flinches and shakes her head no.

“All right. You’re going to be okay.”

“I’m scared.”

My best friend isn’t scared of anything. Neither am I. That’s what we bonded over. We’re Valkyrie, we used to joke. But right now? I’m scared, too. “I have an idea. It’s not a great idea, but…”

She gives me a faint smile. “I trust you.”

Fuck, I hope this is the right thing to do.

The silencein the taxi is sharp and uncomfortable, because it’s entirely possible this course of action is just as risky as the alternative.

I gaze out the wet, rain-dropped window, watching downtown Washington wake up oblivious to my best friend’s pain.

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