“Thinking of you keeps me awake. Dreaming of you keeps me asleep. Being with you keeps me alive.”
– Unknown
Prologue
Persephone
Kyle Landers is supposed to be the love of my life. Ha, that’s funny. He’s also the one who has put me in a situation I’m not sure I see myself getting out of. I knew better than to trust the handsome man in a suit, a prestigious attorney—or so I thought, he’s more of a slime ball covered in expensive fabric. The way he swept me off my feet with one glance a year ago during the hardest and most devastating season of my life, I thought it was a dream come true.
Him being an attorney should have been a warning sign. My father, a known judge in the circuit, taught me to be wary of them. He should know. He was one at a point in his life. My father wanted better for me. I didn’t know any better because my father was just that, a devoted husband and father. Clearly, I didn’t listen.
I was so lost in my grief, any sort of reprieve seemed like a good enough thing for me. He came into the law office where I was working as a paralegal. See what I mean? I even went into the same industry as my father. Kyle asked me out, and the idiot I’ve clearly become went with open arms.
One minute, you’re living a normal happy life, parents so in love with each other that you know for a fact it’s what you’ll strive for when you meet that special someone. The next, they’re being taken away from you so violently that it feels like your heart is being ripped out of your body. My parents died because some idiot thought their car was worth more than their lives, along with the few possessions they had on them. The worst feeling in the world is waking up and answering the door to see a police officer who gives you the news that both of your parents have been taken from this world.
I disappeared into my own head and issues, missing my parents with everything that I am. That’s when Kyle entered my life, literally swooped in, picked me up when I was down. But that wasn’t all he was doing. Little did I know.
“You’re so stupid, Persephone,” I grumble out loud. It’s not like anyone can hear me, let alone see me. You see, when you start questioning that supposed love of your life about the comings and goings of certain things, things that I’m still trying to wrap my head around, when you start to see the truth, the lies, the whispers, the mask slowly loses its shield, and when I put two and two together, that’s when my life changed.
I take that back. I’ve known for months now that shit wasn’t right. Kyle slowly stopped coming to our shared apartment at night. I’d fall asleep alone, wake up alone, go to work, and he’d still be gone the next day. I wasn’t in love with him, I knew it because when he was gone, it’s not like I missed him with excruciating pain. I didn’t, but what I needed to know was what I heard him whispering about on the phone on the rare occurrences he was home.
All it took was some snooping in the office, coming across a file, Kyle walking in while I was doing so, I asked a few questions, and my world imploded once again. My eyes scanned the documents then went back to his. Mean, hateful words spewed from his lips while I stood there stunned. Even when he marched towards me with hatred in his eyes, I didn’t move. Not until Kyle pulled a gun and shot me, all over money. That’s when my light or flight response kicked in. Unfortunately, I had no idea he’d knock me out cold, place me in what I’m assuming was his car, and left me in the middle of nowhere.
My only saving grace now is the cloud of dust being brought up by a man on a motorcycle. I just hope he’s not here to finish what Kyle started.
One
Shovel
There is no fuckin’ way I’m seeing this. All I wanted was to get back to the clubhouse and enjoy an ice-cold fuckin’ beer after bein’ in the God-awful heat. Not that fate gives a damn. Nope, she’s pissing all over that idea. A girl has me down-shifting on my bike, slowing down, taking this shit in. Blood is pouring down her body, she’s hunched over, and yet she ain’t stopping. She keeps putting one foot in front of the other, as if she’s used to walking this deserted highway alone, which I know for a fact isn’t the case. This narrow road leads to one place and one place only. Unless you’re wearing a cut or you’re an Ol’ Lady, there’s no reason for you to be in this area.