Unraveling You 03 Awakening You by Jessica Sorensen Read Free Book Online

going through—aches deep inside me like searing hot metal against my bones.
     
    As I veer toward a panic attack, I spin on my heels and rush out of the house. By the time I burst back into the rain, I’m quivering from head to toe as fear pulsates through me. I run down the driveway toward my car, needing to get the hell out of here. Rain pours from the sky and soaks through my clothes as my boots splash through the puddles.
     
    “Excuse me. Do you live here?” A woman wearing a bright red raincoat with the hood pulled over her head is suddenly at the end of the driveway.
     
    I slam to a stop and hurry and wipe my eyes with my sleeve, trying to catch my breath. “No . . . I was just . . . I knocked on the door, but no one answered,” I lie, unsure of what else to say.
     
    She glances at the home then at me. “You know it’s vacant, right?”
     
    “I figured that out, yes.” As casually as I can, I move to the right to swing around her, knowing if I stand near that house for too long, I’ll lose my shit.
     
    “Didn’t the boarded up windows and spray paint kind of give that away?” she asks, sidestepping and blocking my path.
     
    Red flags pop up everywhere.
     
    My eyelashes flutter against the rainstorm as I skim her over. She’s medium height, a little on the thin side, and is wearing black rain boots. Her hood is pulled so low I can hardly see her face, but her voice sounds gruff, like a heavy smoker.
     
    Do I know that voice? Or am I just being paranoid?
     
    Her hair isn’t red like blood, red like the woman who always wanted to touch me. That’s the only sense of comfort I have at the moment, but hair dye can easily fix that.
     
    I duck my head to get a better look at her, but she steps back, stuffing her hands into her pockets.
     
    “You better be careful. This place isn’t safe.” She spins on her heels and runs down the sidewalk away from me.
     
    “Hey!” I call out, hurrying after her.
     
    I don’t know why, but I have this crazy feeling that she might know something.
     
    She picks up her speed as she nears the end of the block. I bring my pace from a jog to a sprint as she makes a left and disappears behind a fence. By the time I reach the corner, she’s gone.
     
    “Shit!” I curse, kicking a street sign.
     
    “Ayden.”
     
    I freeze then turn around, shielding my eyes as I squint through the rain at Lila standing a few feet away from me, wearing her coat and carrying an umbrella.
     
    “I . . . Why are you . . . ?” I look around the street and spot a maroon SUV parked at the entrance of the neighborhood, the same car I thought was following me. “What’s going on?”
     
    “Shouldn’t I be asking you the same question?” She shakes her head with dismay. “Get in the car. We need to talk.”
     
    I look back in the direction the woman vanished. “There was someone here, talking to me. She seemed like she was warning me about something.”
     
    Lila leans forward and peers down the street while positioning the umbrella over both of our heads.
     
    “They’re not there anymore,” I explain. “But it was a woman, and—I don’t know—I have a bad feeling about her.”
     
    She frowns as she looks back at me. “This entire place is one bad feeling. Now get in the car so you can explain to me what the hell you were thinking coming here.”
     
    The walk back to the car is painfully slow and quiet. By the time we climb inside, the SUV is pulling away, and the rain has slowed down.
     
    “Who is that?” I ask, pointing at the vehicle.
     
    “That was an undercover detective,” she says, slamming the car door.
     
    “What?” Suddenly, their little not-being-alone speech makes much more sense. “Why is he following me?”
     
    “Well, for starters, we want to make sure you’re safe. And secondly, because Dr. Gardingdale informed us that you’ve been late to the last eight sessions.”
     
    “You could have just asked me what I was doing.”
     
    She