Watch Me (Phoenix #1) - Stacey Kennedy Page 0,29

tears flooding her cheeks. “I understand, I do, but he can’t be allowed to get away with this. If we don’t stop him, this never goes away. It’ll always be there, haunting us.” A nameless, dark emotion crossed her face. “Haunting me.” She blinked as more tears fell down her face then reached into her purse. “This is my card. Please, if you change your mind, call me. No matter the time. I’ll answer.” She grabbed the dog’s leash and strode out of the room.

Zoey shot forward toward her purse on the counter, her heart ready to jump out of her chest. She had her cell in her shaky hands a second later.

Elise answered on the first ring. “Hey, babeolious, what’s up?”

“I don’t even know how to explain what just happened,” Zoey managed.

Elise paused. Then, “Tell me everything.”

Zoey took a few deep breaths and knelt down, getting her bearings. She finally answered, “A woman just came into the clinic. She said she’s been assaulted by Jake too.”

“Wait…what?” Rustling came through the phone line. No doubt Elise was moving to her laptop in her bedroom. “Seriously?”

“Yes,” Zoey breathed.

“Did she mention Scott?”

“No,” Zoey said, pressing her hot hand onto the cool floor, grounding herself like her therapist had once said to do whenever things felt too out of control. The technique had gotten Zoey through those last two months of college. “Just Jake. Elise, tell me I shouldn’t be freaked out right now.”

“Don’t be freaked out.” She paused as clicking on her keyboard sounded through the line. “I’m sure everything is fine. Of course Jake likely had other victims. I just want to figure out how she knows you. Did she tell you her name?”

Zoey glanced at the card she’d dropped to the floor. “Hilary. No last name. She gave me a handwritten card with her name and a phone number on it.”

“I’m on it.” The phone line went dead.

“Is everything okay?”

Zoey glanced up, discovering Betty, the receptionist, in the doorway. Her dark, concerned eyes told Zoey she needed to lie through her teeth. “Yes. Yes. I’m sorry. Everything’s fine. The lady ended up wanting to take more time to decide the type of cut she wanted me to give her dog before we proceed.”

Betty’s brows shot up. “She seemed upset when she left.”

“I don’t think so,” Zoey said and gathered herself to give her a smile. “She said she’ll be back.”

“Oh, okay.” Betty returned the smile, obviously believing the lie. “All done for the day, then?”

“Sure am. Any plans for the night?”

Betty grinned. “I’ve got a date with Netflix. See you tomorrow.”

“Bye,” Zoey said, still stuck on the ground, her legs nowhere to be found.

Betty gave a final wave and strode away.

Zoey leaned back against the grooming table and released the breath she hadn’t realized she was holding. The room swam a little. She shut her eyes and breathed past the panic creeping up her throat. She was done with lies. Having just told one made her feel like crawling out of her skin.

Her cell phone beeped in her hand. She expected Elise, but that wasn’t who texted her.

The guys and I are going for dinner tonight at Skyline. Interested in joining us?

She stared at the message from Rhys, feeling like the world was determined to keep messing with her. Was this a date? Okay, no, his friends were going. Did that make her one of his friends? Friends with benefits, maybe?

All the logical parts in Zoey’s brain fired off a hard response of “no”. Wasn’t it better to keep things strictly to Phoenix? But her head was spinning, her heart all types of confused. Both Elise and Hazel were working tonight, which meant she’d be left alone with her thoughts. Feeling a step away from falling back into that dark place she’d just crawled out of, she fired off her response. What time?

7:00 pm. See you then.

Zoey pressed her cell phone against her chest and exhaled. One breath after another, after another, after another. A few more weeks was all she had to get through. Then she could leave this city and her pain behind. Until then, she had Rhys…and his ability to help her forget everything.

Stars blanketed the sky later that night when Rhys answered his phone. “Hello, Mother.” He sat atop New York City’s hottest dinner spot, Skyline, a rooftop restaurant. Lights from the high-rises were gleaming as far as the eye could see.

“Rhys, my dear, how are you?” his mother, Alice Harrington, asked, her voice soft yet