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"I really need this story," Stan says, raking his fingers through his hair "My job’s on the line"

"She says she doesn’t want to talk to you," Luke steps forward, positioning hi et the hell out of here before I have to beat your ass," Luke says and then he reaches back and grabs hold of my hand As much as I would love to see hiht with Preston and the guys at the strip club, there will probably be consequences this time, so I squeeze his hand and hold on to hi his eyes as he skitters to the side so I can see hi, but I really need this story or the paper’s going to let ood"

"Go find a story that’s easier to get, then," I tell hi beside Luke "Don’t chase me dohen I don’t want to talk about my past"

"The easy ones are the ones no one wants to hear," he says "Girl who finds her parents murdered and stays in that house for twenty-four hours" He moves his hand across the air, like so a headline "Now that’s a story I can only is in your head… the stuff you saw… And if people knew about it, oes rigid as flah my body He just told Luke my secret, the one that everyone wants to run away froe for Stan Luke’s hands slips fro to crash it into Stan’s face I haven’t felt thistiht now all I want to do is hit Stan Ram my fist into hi to hurt in just a few et his arms around my waist and he holds o!" I protest, squir to" He hugs et away fro at all beside feel what’s prickling up inside me My parents Luke knows I’m fked up He knohat lies beneathto want to be with me anymore

I push against hiainst his chest "Just breathe," he whispers inhis hand on the back ofon inside my body, like he’s in tune with it "I can’t," I choke "I hate hi else besides getting air intosteadily, and I listen to it as I try to get rowls at Stan, his chest ru really hard to talk to her," Stan says "If she just would, then we could get this over with"

"If you don’t walk away, I’o and beat your ass myself," Luke says calmly "So take the opportunity to walk away now"

"You can’t threaten ive a shit about the cops?" Luke replies "Now get the hell away froet his point across Stanhis card and Luke adds, "If you try to contact her again, you won’t be walking away"

Moo by, it feels like days, before either of us ain I’ me space Luke watchesthat will make it easier to deal hat just happened, but ultiaze travels back to Luke

"So now you know," I say and blow out a loud, defeated breath I search for the disgust in Luke’s eyes, the look everyone has when they find out, but his eyes look black against the night, the porch lights glaring behind hioing to cry Tears sting atto be that tough girl again, the one that doesn’t give a shit I need her Sheokay, even when it’s not

"I didn’t know reporters were like that," Luke finally says quietly as he wraps his fingers around my arm "He seems crazy and intense"

"Unfortunately a lot of theernails, desperately wishing I could read what he was thinking "But I’ve neverme for weeks and he showed up at ?" he asks and I don’t even bother to answer "You should have said so"

"Why? So I could tell you ht now"

"You can’t even see my face so you can’t see how I look"

"I know the look, though It’s the one everyone has when they hear about irl who found her parents dead and then sat in the house with their bodies for a day The fucked-up girl that scares the shit out of people" If he wasn’t planning on ditching ainst htly so I can see his face and there’s nothing there but sy "Everyone has their dark past I have ed you for anything you did I’ve done plenty of messed-up shit that most people wouldn’t understand"

I slipI could fold myself intoover the last feeeks "Like what?" I honestly don’t expect hi to speak,your ht because she hated needles and so she made you do it for her?" he utters softly and I can tell he doesn’t want to say it, but it’s like his lips forced him to do it

I don’t kno to react If I should react If I should hug him Run from hiers leavingaround my waist

"Do I scare the shit out of you now?" he asks and I shake my head "And your past doesn’t scare the shit out of me," he says "Now you do, but for entirely different reasons Ones that have more to do withas he leans down to gently kiss ood way, because for a moment all the bad that just happened doesn’t exist I don’t feel it crushing against my chest Luke’s the first person that’s ever been able to lift so to hi as I can So when he picks me up and carries me into the house, I let him Just like I let him undress me Allow him to pull my shirt off and slip it over my head, so I’m surrounded in the scent of him I let him lay me back on the pillow and cliether

Chapter 16

Luke

Violet and I fall into this weird rhythanize our room and I let her put most of the stuff where she wants it She has this teddy bear that she insisted had to go on the dresser, right out in the open, even though it was purple and girly But then she toldbecause it’s all I could think to do I’ve been hugging her a lot, partly because I like the feel of her, but partly because I’ to disappear