Make You Beg

“Why would I believe you?” I sniff. Not like it matters. I wanted it. The memory of the need is real. It was like breathing—I was going to die without him.

He takes a piece of my tangled hair and twirls it around his finger. “Because I don’t have to drug you to play with you.” Leaning in, he gently kisses my forehead, and the tenderness almost makes my knees buckle.

They think I’m insane. Losing my mind. Pulling away, he turns to walk out, and I stop him. “Is Lacey okay?” I sniff.

He looks at me over his shoulder. “Yeah, she called your cell earlier, but you were still sleeping. She told me to have you call her when you woke up.” With that, he exits.

GRAYSON LAW

I join the guys back in the living room. “She has lost it,” Scout is saying.

“She was drugged.” I roll my eyes. “Drugs make you see things and imagine shit.” I’m just not sure what in the hell they could have given her. It was a liquid. I saw the empty cup, and she was wet. Unless they had dissolved pills in it before she drank it.

He shakes his head. “Maybe she needs to see a psychiatrist. On top of seeing and experiencing things that didn’t happen, she could become dependent on these drugs she has been given.”

“They’ll just put her on pills. Not to mention, possibly lock her ass in a padded room if she says anything like she just said.” Rellik disagrees with Scout’s suggestion.

“And she almost had Dax locked up for life.” He fists his hands.

“Just let it go.” Monroe stands. “I’m over all of this. She’s nuts, and I think she’s finally starting to realize it.”

“I …” My cell rings, and I pull it out of my pocket. I sigh when I see it’s my father. I almost press ignore but decide to get it over with. “Hello?”

“Turn on channel eight,” he says in greeting.

“Rellik?” I motion to the remote that sits next to him on an end table, and he tosses it to me. “And what am I looking for exactly?” I ask my dad.

“You won’t be able to miss it.” He hangs up.

Okay.

I turn on the TV, and it’s already on the correct channel. I turn it up as I see the news crew standing off Millcreek Bridge. “I’m Shannon Tate with Channel 8 News, standing at Westbrook’s city limits by Millcreek Bridge. A body found earlier this morning has been identified as Brenda Nash.”

What. The. Fuck.

I sit up straighter, my grip tightening on the remote.

“A fisherman was out here when his line got caught on something. With further investigation, he found it was some type of clothing and called the police …”

“What?”

I look over my shoulder to Henley standing in the living room once again. She still wears my T-shirt, but she has shorts on this time.

“The police were called, and the family was brought in to identify the body. As you may know, there was a court case involving Brenda Nash back in April. Officer Hannes, can you please tell us what all you know about the accident?” The officer walks into view to stand next to her.

“Accident?” Henley breathes.

Officer Hannes clears his throat. “Yes, what we know so far is that the body has been in the river for quite some time.”

“Say, maybe six months or so?” the reporter adds.

“Yes, yes.” He nods, fixing his belt. “She was found by the bridge, and the dive team recovered her car just upstream. We suspect Miss Nash was on her way out of town and ran off the road into the water.”

I look over at Henley, and tears are slowly running down her still dirty face as she stares at the TV wide-eyed.

“Was there any evidence to make you believe that foul play was involved?” the reporter asks him.

“No, ma’am. She may have been underwater for quite some time, but there were very distinct marks that lead us to believe it was an automobile-related accident. The car’s front window was shattered, so as of right now, we are guessing that when the car hit the water, she was not wearing a seat belt and was ejected through the windshield into the river. Of course, the evidence will be analyzed and a full investigation performed before we release a formal statement.”

“That’s just terrible.” The woman shakes her head, bringing the mic back to herself and facing the camera. “But at least now the question that everyone was always asking where did Brenda Nash go, is answered.”

I shut it off, and the room is filled with silence.

We never thought he did it. Was it strange that she disappeared when Henley accused Dax of raping and murdering her? Of course, but that didn’t mean he was guilty. We all knew he was out of town. We just figured that somehow, he had pissed her off, and she wanted revenge on him.