After the Ending by Lindsey Fairleigh, Lindsey Pogue Read Free Book Online Page B

clothes, cell phone, journal, small photo
album. I tossed the priceless items on the exposed mattress, and when I added
Zoe’s recent birthday present—a beautifully sketched depiction of a man in a
chef’s coat kissing the hand of a seated, curly-haired woman—I nearly collapsed
into tears. She had perfectly captured the first time Cam and I had met. The
only thing preventing a torrential emotional flood was the violent anger
simmering in my blood. Where the hell is Cam?
    Obviously Jason had moved Cam’s body, and he’d done it
without telling me…without letting me say goodbye. Fury boiled within me as I
snatched a duffel bag out of the closet. Dammit, Jason! I shoved
everything into the bag, clothes and mementos alike, and hastily zipped it
shut. You had no right!
    With a grunt, I dragged the deformed bag into the
hallway, slamming the bedroom door behind me. Seething, I stalked around the
rest of the two-bedroom apartment in search of Jason. There weren’t many places
to look. I’d barely seen him since the day he’d arrived, so I wasn’t surprised
to find him absent.
    Jack whined and scratched at the front door, capturing my
attention. Where’s Jason? Next door?
    In a flash, I passed through the doorway, sprinted down
the hall, and burst into the nearest neighboring apartment. Four men, each
decked in tan and gray-green camouflage fatigues, rose from their seats at an
oblong table and pointed guns in my direction.
    I barely noticed and hardly cared. “Jason,” I hissed,
“where’s Jason?” Jack augmented the question with a menacing growl.
    All but one gun was lowered; the remaining aimed at Jack
by a youthful, brown-haired man. “Should’ve killed the mangy fuck when he went
after Cece,” he proclaimed, clicking the safety back in place.
    The only one of the men I’d previously met, Ky, nodded
toward the bedrooms down the hallway, and one of the others bellowed, “JASON!”
    Seconds later, the farthest bedroom door banged open,
expelling an irritated, shirtless Jason. He pulled a gray t-shirt over his
head, and sounding completely annoyed, said, “I thought I told you dumbshits to
leave us…ah…alone.” His voice softened when he noticed me. “Dani? What’s
wrong?”
    Behind him, a small, voluptuous woman emerged from the
same doorway. A smirk danced across her exotic face as she sauntered toward me,
her dark, disheveled hair swaying with each step.
    “You must be Dani. I’m Cecilia, but everyone calls me
Cece.” Her warm tone competed with the icy chill in her eyes. “Jason and I were
just—”
    “A pleasure,” I interrupted and brushed past her. Had I
been a cat, my tail would’ve been lashing.
    As I neared Jason, he stiffly stood in place, his
expression blank.
    Stopping within arm’s reach, I asked—my words thick with
venom—“Where’s Cam?”
    Jason answered without hesitation. “We moved his body
out. While you were getting cleaned up.” He watched me cautiously, like I was
an injured animal. But I wasn’t hurt; I was pissed.
    My mind snapped back to our conversation three days
earlier, to my confusion at his abrupt change of subject. This is what he
was going to tell me—that he’d disposed of Cam’s body without my permission…
    “You should’ve asked. You should’ve told me,” I said
through gritted teeth and swung my arm without thinking.
    Jason’s eyes closed as my hand smacked against his
clenched jaw. When they reopened, his eyes glowed with fierce determination.
“You shouldn’t have to remember him like that. If we’d left him in there for
three more days…”
    He’s right, dammit! I thought, recalling the
horrifying images I’d imagined. But I was still furious. He should’ve asked! I tried to ignore the small, bitter part of me that knew my rage should’ve
been directed inward. I should have been with Cam when he died. He asked me
to stay with him.
    The world around us seemed to fade out of existence as
Jason and I stared at each other. His