Page 16 of Find Me
Ethan snorted and Creed and Colt glanced at each other.
“What?” I asked, looking at the three of them. “Should I not go there? It had a lot of good reviews online and it’s really nice inside.”
The three of them just stared at me. Colt gave me that pensive look again, while Creed narrowed his eyes at me, which honestly was the same look as his brother, just a little harsher and could be mistaken for a glare. Ethan looked like he was about to combust with laughter.
“You don’t know, do you?” Creed asked.
“If it’s a shady place, please tell me and I’ll go somewhere else,” I snapped. What the heck was going on? I kind of loved Desert Stone. It was perfect with its air-conditioned track and I was thinking about signing up for a self-defense class. I wondered how I’d fare from what Logan had taught me.
Colt looked to Creed again before his pretty aqua eyes returned to me. “No. It’s a very good gym. We work there. We just haven’t seen you around.”
Ethan glanced at the twins with what looked like surprise elevating his brows.
“Oh, I signed up last week and I’ve only been there twice. Then again, I wasn’t looking at anyone. I just beelined for the track upstairs.”
“Of course you did,” Creed muttered, then shoved his brother toward the boys’ locker room. “Let’s go get changed.”
7
“I’m home,”I said as I walked through the front door. Going to the movies tonight with my friend Liz had really uplifted my spirits and I was glad my mom had talked me into going.
Right after shutting the door behind me, I felt something was wrong. It could have been because all the hair on the back of my neck rose or because every light was off in the house. It was also quiet. Too quiet.
“Mom! Dad!” I yelled.
There wasn’t an answer.
I looked in the living room and spotted my dad lying on the couch. He seemed to be sleeping, but the large dark stain on his white shirt drew me closer. I flicked on the lamp and a scream ripped its way up my throat. I had to clamp my hand over my mouth to keep from screaming out. Tears filled my eyes as I took in my dad’s butchered, prone body. His eyes were open, vacant depths. His arm was hanging off the side of the couch, fingers lying limp on the carpet. His entire stomach had been ripped open and his insides were pulled out.
I backed away, praying what I was seeing wasn’t real.
This wasn’t happening.
This wasn’t happening.
Someone grabbed my shoulder and my scream escaped, releasing my terror at a piercing volume.
* * *
My eyes shot open as I was mid-scream and I sat up quickly. Breathing heavily, I looked around, realizing that I had been dreaming again.
Tears dripped off my chin. I let out a pitiful sob as my hands fisted my blankets.
I wished Logan was here.
The sound of my doorbell ringing almost caused my soul to leave my body. I grabbed my phone from my nightstand to look at the time. It was almost six in the morning. Holding on to my phone, I climbed out of bed and got the gun I had hidden in my nightstand drawer.
The sun was already rising, so I didn’t need to flick on any lights as I made my way through the house toward the front door. I peeked through the peephole and saw that a very tired Creed was standing on my porch. I quickly hid my gun behind one of the couch pillows and unlocked the door.
“You’re killing me, Shiloh,” he grumbled as I opened the door. The scowl he held showed he was ready to erupt on me, but he paused when his eyes met mine.
It was then that a breeze hit my face, reminding me that it was wet. I wiped at my cheeks, sniffling. “I’m sorry I woke you, Creed.”
“Are you okay?” he asked, his voice sounding a little tight. I couldn’t tell if it was due to him being angry or tired. He looked like he had literally rolled out of bed and stormed over here. His hair was mussed, and he was wearing a white undershirt that showed off the toned muscles in his arms and black athletic shorts.
I shook my head. “I will be.” I crossed my arms over my chest. “I have really bad nightmares. I thought they had stopped but since I moved here, they’ve started up again.”
He frowned. “I can hang out for a while if you want.”
