This is War (Checkmate Duet 1)

I close my eyes and allow the hot water to beat down my muscles. The last week has been a bit more active than I’m used to and sleeping on Courtney’s hard floor did nothing to help that. I take a little longer than necessary. Her bath wash smells amazing, and I take advantage of her expensive shampoo.

Once the water starts turning cold, I rinse and shut it off. I feel better than I expected to but I know I’d feel even better after Travis and I talk about last night.

As I’m toweling off, I hear Courtney knocking at the door. “Lola, you decent?” Her tone sounds rushed.

“Yeah, come in.” I tighten the towel around me and shake my hair out. I start digging around her drawers for a hairbrush. When I find one, I set it on the counter and notice Courtney’s reflection in the mirror behind me.

Her eyes are wide and her face has gone pale. Something’s wrong.

I turn around and see my phone in her hand. “What’s wrong?”

“I-I…” she stutters.

“What is it?”

“Your phone kept vibrating on the table, so I checked to see who was calling.” She swallows, finally taking a breath. “It was Drew.”

I search her face, worried. “Is he okay?”

“It’s Travis.” Her words go straight to my gut. “He was in a car accident late last night. Or rather, early this morning, I guess.” My heart sinks

“Oh my god!” I shriek, reaching for my phone. “Is he okay?”

“I…don’t know details, but…”

“I need to call Drew back right away.” I begin calling him, then end the call before he picks up. “No, I need to get dressed. I should start heading over to the hospital.”

I unzip my bag that’s sitting on the vanity and begin digging for my clothes, tossing out all the other crap.

“Viola…”

Once I have what I need, I drop my towel and start getting dressed. My mind is spinning and I’m thinking the worst. I should’ve called him after he didn’t message me back or even came gone to the house to make sure he was okay. I don’t know what happened at work, but I’d never seen him that worked up before.

“Viola, wait,” Courtney grabs my attention as I’m about to zip my bag back up and head out.

“I’m stealing a hairband. Hope you don’t mind.” I dig through her drawer and find one so I can throw my wet hair up in a ponytail. “Shit, my keys. I have to find where I left them.”

I walk past her and down the hallway to the living room where I left my purse. As I begin digging for them, I hear Courtney walking up behind me.

“He wasn’t alone.”

I pull my keys out of my purse and then head to the door for my shoes. “Do you know which hospital they took him to? Otherwise, I’ll call Drew on my way out.”

“Viola!” she yells, pulling my attention up to her. “Are you hearing what I’m saying?”

“What? Yeah, you said he wasn’t alone.” I swing my purse over my shoulder and once the realization of her words hit me, I pause. “What do you mean? Was he with a friend?”

“Not exactly.” By the look on her face, I know what she’s about to tell me is bad.

“Tell me.”

“He was with a girl.” She pauses, my heart hammering even louder, needing to hear the rest of what she’s about to say. “She was in his backseat without any clothes on.”

A huge lump forms in my throat. No. There’s no way. I shake my head.

“Who was it?” I ask, part of me not wanting to know. “Do you know her name?”

She pinches her lips tight, pity and regret written all over her face.

I close my eyes, because I’m pretty sure I know who’s name she’s about to say. Tall, busty blonde. Sends nude pictures of herself to him.

I can feel my heart breaking inside my chest.

“Courtney, tell me. What was her name?” My voice is pleading, begging her to say it. I need to hear her say it.

She moves her eyes up and looks at me, inhaling a deep breath. I close my eyes for the impact, but I wasn’t prepared.

“Mia.”