Requiem by Jamie McGuire Read Free Book Online Page A

by Peppered Shrimp Alfredo. I was so full by the
time he served dessert that I didn’t have enough room to fully
appreciate the small slice of cheesecake he placed in front of
me.
    “ You’re spoiling me,” I
said, leaning back in my chair.
    “ I happened to know Jared
cooks for you all the time. I’m just trying to continue the
lifestyle in which you’ve become accustomed.”
    “ If you say so….” I
teased.
    “ And I like to cook,” he
smiled.
    “ It’s a wonder I haven’t
gained fifty pounds living with Jared,” I said, taking my plate to
the sink.
    “ I got these. Go rest,” Bex
said, pulling the plate from my hands.
    “ Quit it. It’s fifty-fifty
around here.”
    “ Yeah, but I can do them
faster,” he smirked.
    “ True,” I said,
yawning.
    I trudged up the stairs. Gluttony, in
addition to weeks without a proper night’s sleep, left me nearly
debilitated. My sluggish arms struggled with the pink striped
pajamas I’d managed to pull from the drawer, and once my body
collapsed to the mattress, I was unable to open my eyes.
    And then it was morning.
    No Jack, no Gabe, no Shax. I had slept an
entire night without a single dream, much less a nightmare. I
remembered nothing. A full night of sleep was less than a memory,
and it was strange to feel rested.
    The smell of bacon grease filled the air. I
bounced out of bed, and trotted to the railing.
    “ Did you sleep?” I asked
Bex, who was bouncing to a tune in his head.
    “ Yeah,” he called. “I was
all prepared to tend to your early morning psychotic episodes Jared
keeps talkin’ about. I’m disappointed.”
    “ Well, I’m not,” I said,
retreating to the shower.
    A night without the dream didn’t make sense.
We had been by the office; I had even spoken briefly to Kim about
the dreams, and…nothing. Whatever it was, I had to believe the
nightmares were over. Sleeping all night in Jared’s arms without
waking up screaming and soaking the sheets with my own sweat was
definitely something to look forward to. I was even more excited
for him to come home.
    “ Did he call?” I asked,
tightening my belt as I descended the stairs.
    “ No, but Cynthia
did.”
    “ Oh? Did she say
why?”
    “ I don’t know, Nina. Maybe
because you haven’t spoken to her in three weeks? She starts
noticing when she runs out of charity events to keep her
busy.”
    “ Okay, okay,” I said,
picking up my phone.
    “ Good morning, Darling,”
Cynthia said before the first ring finished.
    “ How are you?”
    “ Busy, busy. Why don’t you
come over for dinner tonight? I haven’t seen you in…you know I
don’t remember? How ridiculous. Come to dinner. Six
o’clock.”
    “ Yes, Mother.”
    “ See you then,
Dear.”
    “ That was quick,” Bex said,
sliding two eggs from the spatula onto my plate.
    “ Thank you. And it always
is. She’s not one for lengthy phone conversations.”
    Bex replied with a nod. He was becoming so
much like Jared—not one for many words, but it was obvious what he
was thinking just by the slightest change in his eyes. Not that a
child of Lillian’s would be any different, but I was so proud of
the man Bex was quickly turning into. He made me feel just as safe
as Jared or Claire, and he was one of the kindest people I
knew.
    Bex was a constant reminder
of the night Shax’s henchmen tried to capture me in Lillian's home,
and the subsequent months I spent without Jared. Every time Bex was
around, each time someone mentioned his name, the sound of Harry
Crenshaw's vertebrae snapping resonated in my mind. Bex killing
anyone seemed so impossible, but I knew better than anyone
that impossible didn’t exist.
    The ride to Brown was long. Each passing
minute of each class was an eternity. Even lunch seemed to drag on.
The clock demanded my attention within minutes of the last time I
had looked at it. Normally the irritation surrounding me would be
unbearable, but catching up on lost sleep seemed to help.
    “ Is that a no?” Beth