Preston’s face blanches. Good. He’s aware of Fallon’s reach around campus, his family’s reach. When Fallon said he was the king on campus, he wasn’t lying. He rules CU just like he did Highland High.
I wait, impatient for Preston to get on with it. “I approached her in the east lot a little while ago. I mean, she’s totally hot, so yeah.” I glare at him. He swallows. “Yeah, so, anyway, she was about to get in her car. The car is what caught my attention first before I saw her. I chatted her up, asked her to grab a bite with me. She said yes. That’s about it. Honest. Can I go now?”
“Did she say anything else?”
“Um, she bought her car in Seattle. That’s all I remember, I swear.”
“Give me your phone, fucker,” Fallon tells Preston, motioning with his hand for him to hand it over immediately. Preston enters his password and hands his phone to Fallon, no questions asked. Fallon sends himself a text from Preston’s phone and gives it back. “I’ve got your number now, and you’ve got mine. You see that girl again, no matter where or when, you contact me. Understand?”
“Yeah, I got it. Can I go now?” Fallon nods and Preston hurries to the exit.
My phone dings. Fallon just forwarded me Preston’s number as well. “So what’re you going to do now, hoss?”
“I need to find my girl.”
“What about Jay and Jules?”
Shit. Jayson’s going to lose his goddamn mind. Julien too. I exhale roughly. “Yeah. Okay.” I get out my phone once again and dial Jay’s number. He answers on the first ring.
“Why haven’t you answered your fucking phone asshole! We’ve been calling you nonstop for fifteen minutes!” he roars at me and then continues to ramble but I’m not listening. There are more important things right now.
“Jay. Shut up and listen.”
“No. You listen. He found her. She’s here, Ry! She’s at CU!”
“I know.”
“What the hell do you mean, you know?”
“I know. That’s why I’m calling. Is Julien there? Put him on.”
“What do you mean you know, Ryder?” Jay yells at me at the same time Julien’s voice says, “I’m here on speaker.”
“I’m with Fallon. Elizabeth was here. Right here. Right in front of me.”
“Where are you? We’re coming now. Keep her there and don’t let her leave.”
“She’s gone. She ran.”
Over the phone, Jayson’s temper explodes with uncontrollable rage.
Chapter 2
Elizabeth
Images and scenes fast-forward behind my eyes, all jumbled and skipping from one to another.
Excitement. Joy. Freedom. Happiness.
“Your turn.”
Golden amber eyes glow bright.
“I’m sorry, what now?”
“Your turn.”
“No, Ryder! I can’t!”
“Yes, you can.”
“Are you crazy? I’ll probably drive it off into a tree!”
“No, you won’t.”
“Yes, I will.”
“Elizabeth, get into the driver’s seat.”
“Nuh uh. Nope. No way. You can’t make me.” Strong hands lift me up and a feeling of pure joy and excitement overtakes me.
Longing. Yearning.
“Will you stay with me? Or just hold me until I fall asleep?”
“My beautiful Elizabeth. I would do anything for you.”
“Would you rather be rich and feel somewhat content, or poor and be extremely happy?”
“That’s easy. I’d rather be poor and happy.”
“Me too. You make me happy, Ryder.”
Love. Lust. Passion.
My hands are pressed flat against his chest, his hands still gripping my waist. I inhale, his scent perforating my overstimulated senses.
His kiss is like standing on a beach in the middle of a violent thunderstorm. All pulsing, electric energy.
“Don’t stop, Ryder.”
My mouth is ravenous for him as it licks and kisses along his neck and face. My body is slammed up against a wall, his body following, pressing closely against mine. I hunger for him.
I gasp and grab at his shirt yanking at it. “Off. I need this off. Right now.”
My hands mold to every inch of his chest, mapping every muscle and dip. This man is absolute perfection.
“I’ve always loved looking at you, but this is so much better.”
Heartbreak. Desperation.
“No, no, no, Elizabeth. Please, baby. Please. You’re going to be okay. Please don’t leave me. Please, Elizabeth. I can’t live without you. I love you so much. So, so much, Elizabeth.”
I whisper back to him, “I love you.”
Fear. Hate. Pain.
A shadow rises from the darkness. He’s here.
Invisible tendrils snake around my arms and legs. I can’t move. The evil darkness hovers over me.
“Shh, Elizabeth. My sweet Elizabeth.”
Blue and brown. Silver and red.
My body spasms in pain.
No! Stop! Why are you doing this?
Slice. I can’t breathe. Slice. Evil has come to take me.
Red and pain.
“Do you see now, Elizabeth?”
I wake screaming, my trembling body drenched in a thick, sticky sweat. No, this wasn’t a dream. I wasn’t asleep. Was I?
After running out of the student center, I managed to drive myself to my apartment. I don’t remember anything after that, I realize as I lift myself up off the living room floor. Avoiding stumbling over two boxes I left that still need to be unpacked, I race to the bathroom. I make it to the toilet just in time for my stomach to heave and empty its contents, which isn’t much. Once my stomach settles, I peel off my shorts and top that are stuck to my skin and climb directly into the shower turning the handle to cold. Cold is what I need right now to help clear my head.
I step under the icy spray and let it do its work until my teeth start to chatter. Feeling more alert and capable, I turn the shower handle to hot and grab the liquid soap bottle, desperate to remove the sticky, gross feeling from my skin. As I shampoo my hair, I try to piece together and make sense of the memories. Most of the images are fuzzy and unclear, like my amnesia is staking claim to them all, refusing to let go, leaving me in purgatory. An image flits across my closed eyes and my hands still, the soap I lathered into my hair running down my face. I grab hold of the image, not allowing my mind to steal it back and take it away from me.
Ryder. The guy from the student center. The guy who said he knew me. The guy with the gorgeous dark hair, tanned skin, and intense light brown eyes. My body reacted strongly to him, feelings so powerful and overwhelming, I ran. It was too much. He was too much.
I rinse my hair, turn off the water, and step out of the shower. Standing naked in front of the counter mirror, I touch a broken butterfly on my side and follow the path of the other butterflies up to my breast. Heterochromatic blue and brown eyes reflect back at me from the mirror and I startle, almost falling over into the base of the tub. I think of Ryder’s warm amber eyes. His are not the same as the eyes that haunt me like a dual-colored nightmare.
Piling my wet hair on top of my head in a loose bun, I slip on clean clothes, sleep shorts and a tank top, and walk to my closet. My fingers hesitate over the door handle. Am I ready to face my unremembered past? I can hear the boxes I shoved in the back — the ones that contain my old life — taunting me, mocking me, daring me to take a peek. It feels too much like Pandora’s box. Boxes filled with secrets to my old life that appear innocuous and full of promise, but in reality, are cursed with nothing but trouble. My hand drops away. I’m not ready yet. This is something I’ve avoided for almost a year now. So many questions. Too little answers. There is one question, however, I want answered, and I know exactly who to ask. Before I can chicken out, I grab a bottle of water from the fridge and call Daniel.
“I thought we were videoing tonight?”
I sit dow
n on my unmade bed and get comfortable. “We are. I need to talk to you first.” I chew on my thumbnail, something I notice I do when I get nervous. “Without Drew,” I add. Drew has enough to deal with right now.
“Okay. Hold on.” I hear Daniel mumble something and then the sound of footsteps and a door shutting. “I’m in my study so we won’t be interrupted.”
“Thank you, Daniel.”
“You have my full attention. Is something wrong?”
I take a minute to form the question I need to ask.
“Elizabeth?” Daniel asks, concern in his voice apparent.
“When you and Drew came to get me and take me back to Seattle, did you meet anyone while you were here?”
“Yes, of course. We met with the lawyers, doctors, and police. There were a lot of things to do and get settled so we could bring you back with us. Since Drew wasn’t feeling well, we used our personal lawyers and the law firm we keep on retainer to steamroll everything and get it done quickly. We were there for about two days, and then you were transported back to Seattle with us in the corporate jet with a doctor and nurse on board. Why?”
“No other family members or friends? There was no one else there with me? No one who was worried about me or visited me in the hospital?”
I hear his chair squeak like he’s leaning back in it. “Everything was so chaotic and we feared for your safety. The whole situation was a fucked-up mess of astronomical proportions. Pardon my language. We just wanted to protect you and get you home as quickly as possible where we knew you’d be safe and well cared for. You were in a coma and the doctors had no idea when or even if you would come out of it. Perhaps we should have asked more questions. Did we do something wrong, Elizabeth?”
“I don’t know.” I grimace at myself. “Sorry, that sounded bad and ungrateful. You and Drew have done nothing but care for me and help me. I’m just surprised that no one has tried to find me. Wouldn’t I have had friends here, school buddies, anyone that gave a damn about me and wondered where I was?”
“The hospital staff said that several people visited you, in particular three boys. The nurses who were assigned to you mentioned they had to ban them from the hospital after an incident that happened the day before we arrived. They weren’t permitted to enter the hospital after that.”
“What kind of incident? Did they try to hurt me? Were they the ones responsible? Did the police arrest them?”
“No, sweetheart. Nothing like that. Apparently one of the boys attacked some of the staff when he was told to leave your room, and then two of the boys got into a fight in the hallway outside of your room. We never met them or saw them while we were there. I’m so truly sorry, Elizabeth. We never considered things like friends or acquaintances. My focus at the time was with settling you in the facility to keep you safe, then your recovery, Drew’s illness, and running the company. That must sound like such a selfish, weak, and flippant answer,” Daniel says, his voice sounding pained.
“Please don’t apologize. I completely understand. It’s not like I have asked you about this before, but I am now. Do you know if one of the boys was named Ryder?”
“I don’t recognize that name. Elizabeth, why all the questions? Did something happen today?”
How much to tell him? If I tell him about my blackouts, the ones caused by the memory flashes, he’ll freak out and demand I come back to Washington. He’s already been on me about seeing Dr. Clairemont.
“There was this guy today. He recognized me. His name is Ryder, and he kept asking me all these questions, like he had been trying to find me.”
“That’s good, right? An old friend perhaps? Someone who can help you start to put the pieces back together? What did he say?”
“I don’t know. I ran away.”
“Why did you do that?”
“I can’t exactly explain it. It was like I felt too much. I didn’t know how to deal with it, so I ran. God, I’m stupid.”
I hear his chair squeak again as he moves around. “Elizabeth, you’re not stupid. You have a lot to process and this guy probably took you by surprise. I know the past fifteen months have been hard for you. Give yourself a break. And time. What about the stuff from your room? Have you looked through the boxes yet? I hired a company to pack up the items, so I don’t know what’s in them. Possibly something that could tell you who this Ryder is to you?”
“I can’t yet, Daniel.”
“Understandable. Again, no rush. You have to deal with things in your way and on your own timetable.”
“Daniel?”
“Yes?”
“I love you, you know.”
“Back at you, kiddo.”
A smile curls my lips.
“Let me get something to eat and unpack the rest of my stuff, and then I’ll be ready to video. Is Drew up for it?”
“For you, sweetheart. Always.”
After we hang up, I puff my cheeks out and blow out a breath, feeling better and more clear-headed. Okay, Ryder, I think to myself, the next time we meet, I’m not going to run.
Chapter 3
Ryder
“What the hell happened?”
I’m standing in the front door of our condo watching Elijah sweep up broken glass from the floor while Julien places packing tape over what looks like a huge hole in the drywall. Julien swings around when he hears my voice and rushes over to grab me in a fierce hug. My arms go around him, knowing he needs me just like I need him right now. We’ve both endured so much together this past year. He and Jay are the only ones that understand my pain because they both share in it.
“Was it really her?”
“Yeah. It was her.”
“How is she? How did she look? Is she okay?”
I pull away from Julien and collapse wearily on the living room sofa, my body feeling so very tired but also amped up at the same time. Julien joins me. What I wouldn’t give for something strong to drink right now, but after Jay’s heavy drinking days, we don’t keep alcohol here. Being underage has never stopped us from drinking. We did in high school at parties, and access to alcohol here on campus is easy to come by no matter what your age is.
In the kitchen, Elijah empties the dustpan full of shattered glass fragments into the trash, the sound it creates reminding me of Elizabeth’s tinkling laughter. Rubbing my hands over my face to wipe off some of the emotional exhaustion weighing me down, I somehow conjure the words to answer Julien’s questions.
“She looks the same but different. God, I can’t even describe it.” I try to recount for him what happened even though I’m also trying to wrap my head around everything as well. “While I was at the student center, I heard laughter and I just knew. I knew it was her. I had just been thinking about her. Like my brain magically materialized her right in front of my eyes. She was with this guy I know, Preston. When I called her name, she turned and looked right at me.” I rake my hands once more across my face and look around the room. “Where’s Jay?”
“We’ll get to him in a minute. Finish first. I need to hear it all.”
“Jules, she didn’t recognize me. She had no fucking clue who I was.” Tears that I had beaten down come flooding back. “She didn’t know who I was, Julien, and she ran away. From me. What happened to her? I...why...I don’t...” And then I lose it. A year’s worth of fucked up, crazy emotions come rampaging out, ripped from me in a torrent of anguish.
Julien embraces me and we both cry. Our shared tears and pain and loss, fifteen months of desperately missing Elizabeth, come hurdling out into our cramped living room. Elijah comes to Julien and wraps his arms around him, silently giving his support but knowing that Julien and I need this moment for ourselves.
“Fallon was there. She didn’t remember him either. What the fuck is going on Julien?” My words are barely articulate because my voice is raw and husky.
“The PI called Jay. That’s why we were trying to get in touch with you. He told us she’s registered here as a freshman. I convinced Jay that we needed t
o let you know first before we did anything. We have her address and everything, Ry. We know how to find her again.”
My head snaps up. “Julien, where’s Jayson?”
“When you told us she was gone, he lost it.” Obviously, I conclude, looking at the destroyed state of our home. Broken glass, hole in the wall. I notice some overturned stools, picture frames on the floor.
“I think he left to find her,” he finishes.
The look I give him has his eyes widening. “You let him walk out of here in the state he was in? Jesus Christ, Julien. What the hell’s wrong with you? Give me the address the PI found. Now.”
“Jayson wrote it down and took it with him when he left. I tried to call him, but he’s not answering his phone.”
“Call the PI back. Get the address.” Fuck it. I’ve got his number in my contacts. It rings and a voicemail comes on. Jules tries with his phone. Same result. We both leave messages for the PI to call us back immediately.
Elijah speaks up, “Don’t you guys have location sharing on your phones? You can track him that way.”
I point to Elijah, letting him know he’s a fucking genius. At least one of us in the room has the ability to think clearly right now. I completely forgot we had that on our phones.
“Found him. Let’s go.”
Elizabeth
The pounding on my apartment door causes me to drop my guitar pick. I had taken my acoustic guitar out of its case and was practicing chords to warm up my fingers. Wasting time instead of unpacking, thinking about today, thinking about that guy, Ryder, and my memory of him.
More pounding.
“Elizabeth!” a man’s voice shouts my name.
“Liz, open this fucking door right now!” An angry man. “Liz! Liz! Open the door right fucking now!”
Each pound against the door is like a shotgun blast. My body jerks at every blow.
Pound. Pound. Pound.
Like nails being hammered into my bones.
A second later, the front door flies open, a few wooden splinters crack off and fall away from the door frame. A very large, very muscular, very dangerous looking man enters. His wild eyes lock on me and I scream. Before I am able to scramble up off the sofa, the man is on me in a flash. His arms around me so tight, I can’t breathe. And then he’s kissing me. What the hell?
Paper Stars Rewritten: Fallen Brook Series: Book 2 Page 3
