drive, I almost sag in relief.
Until I see the house.
There are only two cars parked in front. And no lights on in the cabin. It looks abandoned. Hardly the makings of the house party he claimed he was throwing.
“Is this it?” Matty asks just as bright lights cut slices into the car and land on my rearview. The truck is stopped a few feet behind my car and the lights blaze into my car and make it so we can see each other properly for the first time.
I look at my friends and see that neither of them look worried.
“We must be the first people here,” I say and turn the car off.
“Come on, let’s go in. I promise this is going to be a night like you’ve never had.”
Over the next seventy-two hours, I’ll wish for a return to my normal everyday boring life, more times than I draw breath.
The two women who I called sister will suffer for my poor judgment and our relationships will be forever altered.
The man who I called a walk on the wild side, will become my mortal enemy.
And the man I will love above all others, though he wasn’t present when my world shifted off center, set it all in motion the night he thought he was saving my life.
Six Years Later
HOUSTON, TX
Sos
Regan
“Call me back.”
I read Matty’s text with eyes still blurry from sleep. My boyfriend, Charlie mutters in his sleep and pulls the comforter up over his shoulder and turns his back to me.
I slide out of bed and hurry into the bathroom of the hotel room we booked for tonight and close the door behind me.
My phone says Matty called me four times before she sent that text.
Alarm sends my stomach into freefall, and I can’t get my normally pragmatic brain to pull the brakes on my fear. We’ve barely spoken in the last month.
I take a deep breath and with still trembling fingers unlock my phone to call her back.
But it rings before I can. The caller id flashes Jack’s name this time I answer it before the second ring. I hear Matty’s deep voice shouting a steady stream of curses in French and a man shouting too.
“She’s still not answering,” Jack sounds distressed and desperate.
“Jack?" I shout to make sure she hears over the pandemonium in the background.
“Oh my God Reggie, thank God,” Jack’s breathy, frantic voice is barely audible over the shouting behind her.
“What’s wrong?” I cover the mouthpiece to try and muffle my voice.
“No, no, no, no, no, no,” she cries and then I hear the unmistakable sound of a gun being fired. My blood turns cold and terror sinks claws into my chest and holds me in its grip.
“Jack! What’s happening? I’m going to call the police.”
“No no, Regan you can’t call the police. Please don’t,” she shouts but part of it is muffled as if she’s covering the phone. All I can make out is the general sound of chaos and irritation mingles with my fear.
“Jack, if you don’t tell me what the hell is going on, I don’t care what you say I’m hanging up and calling the police.”
“No, no—please wait” She sucks in a breath and when she speaks again her voice is much steadier. “We’re not hurt, but we do need your help. We’re at Dan Harrison’s house. We need you to go to his office and get his laptop and bring it over, please?” she asks
At the mention of my grandfather’s personal secretary, dread joins my fear. “Why? And who fired a gun at who?”
“We’ll tell you when you get here,” she says impatiently.
“No, you’ll tell me now or I’m not coming,” I snap, even though I’m already on the move.
“I told you,” she says in a voice made rough with annoyance.
“Told me what?” I ask confused
“Not you, Reggie. Hold on.” She covers the phone to muffle her voice. I’m about to hang up when Matty comes on the line.
“Reggie it’s me, there’s been an accident, we need you to go to Dan’s office and get his laptop.” Her voice is distinctly calmer and far more strident than Jack’s and the demand without any explanation snaps my patience.
“Give me a minute to get dressed and I’ll call you back.” I ignore her groan of frustration and hang up so I can focus on getting myself out of the hotel room as quickly as possible.
I hurry back into the bedroom, sacrificing stealth for speed as I throw my clothes on.
Charlie turns over