Page 47 of Traces of Her

Twenty-Nine

GRIFFIN

LOOKING AT ROWENA, HER EYES resemble mine as my phone continues to vibrate in my hand.

“You should probably answer that,” she whispers, looking down.

Reluctantly, I nod, sliding my finger across the screen and press it against my ear.

“Griffin,” Jared says in a rush. “I need you to get here now. It’s Lydia.”

My stomach drops as my heart speeds up, the panic setting in and coursing through my body.

“What happened?” I ask, trying to mask the worry in my voice.

He’s silent for a moment. “She’s dead,” he whispers.

“What the fuck are you talking about?” I yell into the phone, my gaze meeting Rowena’s wide clear blue eyes.

“I tried to keep her alive, man,” he says in resignation.

No.

“What happened?” I demand, grabbing Rowena’s coat and throwing it at her. She quickly nods, shoving her arms into the thick sleeves before zipping it closed.

Jared starts laughing into the phone, as I pause with my hand on the doorknob. “Holy fuck, are you gullible or what?” he says, throughout his laughs. “I’m just fucking with you, Griffy. Last I checked our little sister was alive and breathing down there.”

Resisting the urge to smash my phone into the ground, I scream into the phone, watching as Rowena flinches at the volume and my tone. At this point, I could care less about anyone's feelings right now.

“Don’t you dare fucking play with me, Jared,” I bark at him, feeling the rage bubbling deep inside.

Jared laughs freely, without a bother or a care in the world. Suddenly he falls abnormally silent.

“Get here now or she will be dead,” he says in a low, harsh tone, promptly ending the call. Clutching my phone, I throw it hard against the wall beside Rowena. She lets out a small yelp and jumps to the side as it falls to the ground, the screen shattering.

“Sorry,” I mumble, pulling open the door in a rush.

“Wait,” she calls out, hot on my heels, following me outside the house. “What’s going on?”

Coming to a halt in front of her, she runs into the back of me, tripping over her feet and stumbles away from me. Spinning on my heel, I reach out, grabbing her arms just as she’s about to fall to the ground.

“Get in the car,” I tell her quietly, rubbing my hands over her arms after she’s steady on her feet.

Cocking her head to the side, she raises an eyebrow, waiting for an explanation.

Slightly shaking my head, I release her and continue walking toward my car. “Jared has completely lost it and I have no idea what he’s going to do right now,” I say as we both open our doors. “I’m not leaving you behind, Ro.” Her eyes grow soft as she stares back at me. “I’m never leaving you behind.”

Giving me a small nod and a small smile, we both climb into the car and begin our journey back into the depths of hell.

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