Heartless (Lonely Souls #2) - Autumn Reed Page 0,101

my bed that included the clutch I’d been carrying the night of my accident and the silver stilettos. I inspected each of the shoes, expecting them to be damaged. But both were—thankfully—still in pristine condition.

“Hey,” Hayle said from behind me, and I spun around. He held my cell out to me. “I realized I still had this from earlier, so I made Leo turn around.”

“Thank you.” I accepted the phone and laid it on the bed. “But you didn’t have to come back just for that. I would have survived without it for an hour.”

He smiled sweetly. “I didn’t want to take the chance that you’d need something.” He started to turn but paused when he caught sight of the shoe in my hand. “Where did you get that?”

“They were in my mother’s things. Why?”

Hayle looked from me to the shoe then back to me. “It’s strange. I could have sworn my mother had a pair just like that a long time ago. I remember, because of the jewels on the heels. And because they were so shiny.” He shook his head, as though clearing the memory. “But I’m probably just remembering a similar pair or something.”

“I was wearing them at the ball. You didn’t notice?”

He gave me a sly grin. “Thea, the last thing I noticed that night was your feet.” Then, heading toward the door, he said, “Anyway, I should get back out there, or Leo will leave without me.”

While I packed up most of the rest of my clothes, I couldn’t stop thinking about what Hayle had said. The silver stilettos were the most beautifully unique shoes I’d ever seen. What were the chances that Lily had owned a similar pair? Not great.

But I also didn’t get the feeling that he was an expert on women’s fashion. One pair of shiny silver shoes might look exactly like another to him. Especially if he’d seen them as a boy.

Once I’d finished packing my things, I placed the shoes, my cell, a notebook, and a pencil in a tote and carried them downstairs. I didn’t have my drawing supplies with me, but I could make do without them. I’d spent most of my life making do.

After taking a seat in my favorite chair on the deck, I positioned the stilettos on the small table next to me and began sketching. I didn’t know what it was about these shoes, but from the first time I’d seen them, they’d called to me. Almost like they were trying to tell me something.

As usual, I lost track of time and was surprised when Susan joined me on the deck, carrying two plates. “Hi, honey. I wanted to see if you’d like a piece of pie?”

“Oh, sure.” I closed my notebook and set it aside. “I can’t turn down pie on Thanksgiving.”

“Pumpkin or apple?” She grinned. “Or both?”

I laughed. For once, choosing wasn’t a problem. “Apple, please. I can’t handle both right now.”

She handed the plate to me, and then froze, her face turning pale.

My adrenaline spiked. “Susan? What’s wrong?” Was she having a heart attack? She would be able to tell me, right?

She gave me a forced smile. “Nothing. I was just surprised to see those shoes.”

“Really? You recognize them?”

“Yes. They were found in your mother’s car the day she died.” Susan softened her voice. “I always assumed she’d planned to wear them for her wedding.”

“Oh.”

My mind whirred as I tried to put the pieces together. It wasn’t a surprise that my mother had planned to wear them on her big day. They were basically a fairy tale come true. The real life equivalent of a glass slipper.

But, then, why had the soles been worn?

And why was Hayle so sure that his mother had owned the same pair?

I’d been able to ignore the coincidence before. But finding out my mother had the shoes with her when she died? That needed to be explored.

I offered the pie back to Susan and reached for my crutches. “Would you mind saving this for me? I need to go talk to Lily.”

She appeared confused but merely asked, “Are you sure you can make it? I can drive you over there.”

“No, I should walk. Since I’m going to try attending a couple of my classes on Monday, I need to get used to making it farther on my crutches, anyway.”

“Okay. If you’re sure.”

I gave her what I hoped was an encouraging smile. “I’m sure.”

Then, I returned the stilettos to my tote and draped it over my shoulder. “Will you let the guys know where I went?”

“Of course. And be careful.”

“I will.”

The jaunt to Lily’s cottage wasn’t as painful as I’d expected. Apparently, the small walks I’d been taking around the outside of the townhouse had paid off, because my arms didn’t ache nearly as bad as they had at first. Still, I intended to add weightlifting to my normal routine even after I was fully recovered. It sucked being weak.

Since there was no doorbell, I knocked several times, but Hayle’s mother didn’t appear. Figuring she was likely in her greenhouse, I tried the handle and, finding it unlocked, pushed open the door. “Lily?” I took a few more steps into the house and called out again. “Lily?”

I slowly made my way to the greenhouse, but she wasn’t there either. Although I knew the polite thing to do would be to turn around and leave, I couldn’t resist looking around. The only other time I’d visited, I’d only gotten a glimpse of all her flowers.

In addition to the daisies, poppies, and geraniums I’d identified last time, I was able to find cards that named hibiscus, lilies, African violets, and orchids, among other plants I’d never heard of.

The more I studied the flowers, the more familiar they felt. And that was when it hit me—my mother’s grave. There had been a gorgeous bouquet already at her tombstone when I’d visited on her birthday. I’d assumed they were from Vincent. But now I wasn’t so sure.

Because I was absolutely certain the arrangement had included the exact daisies, lilies, and violets I found here.

My stomach twisted as sinister thoughts entered my brain. Why would Lily have visited my mother’s grave? As far as I knew, they had never been friends, or even close.

Was this all a coincidence? The shoes and the flowers and—

My eyes caught on something shoved into the corner shelf below where I stood. Black fabric in a lightweight sweatshirt material. Was that...?

It couldn’t be.

And, yet...

Setting my crutches aside so I could brace against the counter, I leaned down and retrieved the garment. As it unfurled before me, I peered at it, almost unseeing. Because this wasn’t just any black hoodie. It was my black hoodie. The small tear on the cuff confirmed it.

The one that had gone missing around the time of Bodie’s accident.

The one that, quite possibly, had been worn by the woman who had tampered with his car.

Holy fuck.

My heart hammered in my chest as my brain took its time catching up to what my instincts already knew were true. None of this was a coincidence. Not the shoes or the flowers or this damn hoodie.

And Lily Crowder was not the sweet, tortured soul I’d assumed.

Suddenly, a voice sounded from behind me, startling me so badly, I dropped the hoodie.

“I guess you caught me.”

Witless (Lonely Souls Book 3) releases on October 29th and is now available for pre-order!

A Note from Autumn

Thank you so much for reading Heartless. If you enjoyed the book, I would truly appreciate it if you would share your thoughts by posting a review.

To learn more about me and my future projects, please visit my website or contact me at [email protected].

Also, don’t forget to sign up for my newsletter for sneak peeks, behind-the-scenes details, and information about upcoming releases!

Autumn

Also by Autumn Reed

Scarlett XOXO

Stolen Song

The Collectors

Series Box Set

Touch of Regret

Touch of Wrath

Touch of Promise

Touch of Fate

Risking It

Raising the Stakes

Playing to Win

Defying the Odds

The Stardust Series

Series Box Set

Phoenix

Draco

Pyxis

Chamaeleon

Vega

Polaris

About the Author

Autumn is a lifelong bookworm with a penchant for sarcasm. She loves cloudy days, fluffy dogs, and murdering succulents. When she isn't bringing daydreams to life on the page, she can be found behind the lens of a digital camera or binge-watching Veronica Mars.

To read more about Autumn Reed, visit www.autumnreed.com.