shoved our arrogance aside and accepted Emma’s offer, our lives would have turned out totally different.
But would they have been better? Maybe.
Would we have stayed together? Hopefully.
Would I have become a famous artist? Who knows.
Would Syd have become a rock god? Yes. Music has always been part of his DNA.
But we didn’t accept her offer, and the life and love we’d shared, cherished, and embraced vanished like smoke on the wind.
My aching heart skipped, and I wiped a useless tear from my cheek.
With trembling fingers, I peeled ten of the hundreds from the stack before shoving the rest away while my vow to never steal again circled my brain.
“Yeah, well, I’d promised myself I wasn’t going to rip into him for leaving me that night, either. Guess it’s my turn to break all the promises this time.”
Unfortunately, my justification didn’t work. Shame flooded every cell in my body as the little voice in my head piled on even more choking guilt. He saved you, fed you, got you medical attention, and this is how you repay him?
“I don’t have any other option,” I wailed as my soul ripped in two.
Shoving the bills inside the pocket of Syd’s leather coat, I tossed his wallet on the nightstand, then picked up the pen and pad of paper next to the phone.
By the time I finished writing my apology and promise to pay him back, tears were streaming down my cheeks. I had to leave to keep from dragging Syd down. But a black hole of mourning was eating through me, consuming the fantasy of salvaging the love we once shared.
We’re not sixteen anymore. The bitter reminder careened through me as I stood and numbly strode down the lavish hall. When I reached the door, I peered out the peephole. The hallway was completely deserted. It was now or never.
Hoping against hope that Syd would forgive me, I turned the knob and briskly walked to the elevator. Impatiently waiting on the conveyance, I swiveled anxious glances over my shoulder while silently praying that Syd or one of the others didn’t exit their suites.
The elevator arrived with a loud ping that made me jump. As the doors slid open, I zipped one last glance down the hall and stepped inside. When I reached the lobby, I tucked my chin, paraded past the front desk clerk and straight outside. As I’d hoped, the valet attendant was still on duty.
“Need your car, ma’am?” the young man asked. When he raised his head and saw the bruises on my face, the professional smile slid away.
“Waiting on my insurance company to issue me a rental. Some idiot ran a red light a few days ago and T-boned me. My prized Prius is completely totaled, and my face…well, you can see for yourself, it’s not very pretty.” As the lies rolled off my tongue, the young man grimaced. “But I could use a cab.”
“Sure thing. Where do you need to go?”
“Is there a bus station in town?”
“City or Greyhound?”
“Greyhound, please.”
“Yes, but it’s downtown. That’s about thirty-five miles away.”
“That’s fine. I don’t mind the ride.”
“Okay. Any luggage?”
“Nope. I had it shipped home while I was in the hospital.”
“All right. Give me a minute and we’ll get you on your way.”
The valet stepped out on the sidewalk and issued a shrill whistle. Seconds later a taxi pulled to the curb, and the young man opened the door for me. I knew I should tip him, but I only had hundred-dollar bills. Syd’s hundreds.
“Greyhound bus terminal,” the valet instructed the driver as I thanked him with a weak smile and slid onto the taxi’s rigid seat.
As the cab pulled from the curb, I peered out the window to the top floor. Had Syd come back to the suite? Would he be hurt, angry, or relieved when he discovered me gone?
Likely a combination of all three.
If he wanted to rip me a new asshole for running out on him—not that I expected Syd to show his face in Diamond City again—he knew where to find me.
“You get in a bar fight or something?” the cabbie rudely asked.
“Car wreck,” I replied, sticking to my lie.
The driver grunted as I leaned my head against the window and closed my eyes.
Chapter 5
Syd
I washed the bile burning the back of my throat down with another sip of whiskey and tore open the next envelope from the stack.
I’d lied when I told the guys I’d seen more horrific shit in my life than they could imagine. The gang