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I swallow the lump in my throat.

That hurt.

Of all the things he could say to me… the fact that he thinks I’m a slut is the worst.

I drop my head in shock. How do you even respond to that? I turn and walk away before he sees the tears that are welling behind my eyes.

I’m done.

* * *

Stace.

Standing still on the spot, I watch her walk down the hall away from me.

I should feel something other than what I do. I should be elated to get rid of the conniving bitch, not remorseful.

What I should be doing is hooking up with Chelsea for real, not standing here wishing I was going home with Rosh.

Fuck you for being a cop.

Fuck you for being the first chick I have dug in forever.

Regret swirls deep in my stomach that I’m not a better man, that she was right. Fuck her for showing me time and again why I am out of her league.

She deserved that, I remind myself. She deserved to feel betrayed by me because that’s what I feel from her. The act she showed to me in those first few days is what captured my attention. She had this strong willed vulnerability, and I found it so damn arousing.

What an actress.

Anyway, I don’t have time to worry about her now. I head to the control tower to ring Chris. I am anxious to see who Little Miss Innocent really is.

* * *

Two hours later I sit at my desk as I watch the clock. I have rung Chris every half hour and the results are still are not in. I blow out a frustrated breath. Come on, come on. I tap my pen as I think. If she is a cop, I have to kill her. I don’t have a choice. She has seen too much. I know she hasn’t had a radio to contact back so they know nothing yet. If she leaves, though, they will for sure. I rub my forehead in frustration. I don’t want to kill her. Fuck, what the hell does she think she’s doing out here, anyway? I hold my bottom lip between my fingers as I sit deep in thought, wondering if she is working with someone. Do we have a mole on this ship that has called the authorities? I narrow my eyes as I remember her coming out of that back door that night.

She was crying. She did put up a good fight. I should have known then that she was no normal chick.

The phone rings and I pick it up first ring. “Hello.”

“Hey, Stace.” It’s Chris.

“Are they in?” I ask.

“Yep.”

He hesitates and I frown. “What?”

“How long since you have heard from this girl?”

I bite my lip as I think of my answer before I reply. “A while.”

“I know why,” he replies.

“Why?”

“She’s reported missing. It’s all over the news.”

I screw up my face. Of course he was going to find that out. “What happened?”