Torn - Cynthia Eden Page 0,56
smart for that.
He’d taken his prey. He’d killed her. And he’d gotten away.
The waves brushed over Wade’s feet. He stilled, realizing now that he’d walked to one of the things that he hated most.
Fucking ocean.
The waves battered at him.
“Wade . . .” Victoria had followed him. Beautiful Victoria, with all of her secrets. Secrets that she wouldn’t share with him. Secrets that he’d tried to figure out on his own.
When I wasn’t even sharing my past with her.
Was that right? Hell, no. But right wasn’t always in his vocabulary, despite what Victoria thought of him. She believed he was the good guy. The stand-up one.
She had no clue.
Growing up, he’d been the rebel. The one most likely to sneak out and look for trouble. The one who’d taken dares. The one who’d been pissed that his old man skipped out, and he’d run wild.
His brother, Adam, had been the good one. Always looking out for him. Watching over their mom.
The water hit him again, reminding Wade too much of the past. This island. Why did it have to be this place? Fate was a cold and cruel bitch, that was for sure. He hated this place, and if he’d had his way, he would have never set foot on Jekyll again.
But I came back. And someone else died. Freaking story of my life.
“I think . . . I think Detective Black is here now.” Her voice was hesitant.
Wade stared into the darkness of the ocean. He knew he needed to pull his shit together. Melissa’s blood is still on me. “I wanted to save her.” His voice was stark.
“I know.”
He spun to face her. “When did you know she was gone?”
He couldn’t see her face, but he heard the sadness in her voice when she said, “When I—I touched her. She was too still.”
“She bled out.”
Victoria didn’t speak.
“Fuck, what? What is it?” He could feel her holding back.
“It was more like . . . you don’t really want to hear this, okay? Not now. Let’s just go talk to Dace. Let’s see if the crime scene team can find anything in that house.”
She was trying to protect him? He got that. But he wasn’t in the mood for protection. “What the hell happened to her?”
“He didn’t want her to live, Wade.” Her hand rose. Curled around his arm and squeezed. “Isn’t that enough? Why do you want more pain in your mind? Don’t you think . . . there’s already enough there as it is?”
“Tell me.” She was the doctor. She knew . . .
Her hand pulled away. “He cut her carotid. Her . . . trachea. The wound was deep and long. That rasping you heard? I—I believe she was . . . Wade, look, we don’t have to—”
Now he was the one to grab her and hold tight. “She was in my arms. I put pressure on her wound. I tried to help—”
“She was choking and drowning on her own blood. You tried, but there just wasn’t anything you could do by then.”
Something . . . shut down in him. Shut off.
Another victim. She died in my arms and I didn’t even realize it. He’d been so intent on rushing her to safety. He hadn’t felt it when she’d slipped away.
“Wade?”
He walked past Victoria, heading back toward the little cottage. Away from the ocean and away from the memories. Part of him just wanted to keep walking.
He’d joined LOST to make a difference. And in the last twenty-four hours, instead of saving the missing . . . he’d just added to the list of the dead.
Would it ever end? Would he ever make any sort of difference? Seemed like his life was just about the dead. About being too late. Again and again.
Just like I was too late to help my own fucking brother. I jumped in the water too late. Didn’t find him fast enough.
And then he was just gone.
VICTORIA BLINKED THE tears from her eyes. She didn’t follow behind Wade. Not right then. She just . . . she needed a minute.
Yes, yes, they had to go talk with Dace. Had to talk to all the cops. Had to see just what they could do to help the investigation.
But for a moment Victoria just stood there. She wrapped her arms around her stomach and drew in a deep, shuddering breath.
She’d wanted to save Melissa, too. The woman had been so young and she’d obviously suffered so much. Why couldn’t there have been a happy ending for