Reid shakes his head. “No. No one else was there.”
I turn to Sierra, my stomach still roiling, my head still trying to catch up. “And you knew all this? Is that why you broke up with him?”
“No,” she says immediately. “I found out way before we broke up.”
“I told her once, when I was drunk,” Reid says. “I thought it would drive her away.” A faint, bitter exhale. “It didn’t.”
“And you stayed with him after that?” I ask, incredulous, my voice rising before I can stop it.
“Yes,” she says, firm and unflinching. “What happened wasn’t his fault. It was an accident.”
“He just admitted he wanted the guy dead.”
“So?” She lifts her chin, not backing down an inch. “I wanted my parents dead too. That doesn’t mean I would’ve actually killed them.” She shrugs, unapologetic. “And even if he did…” Her eyes flash. “He deserved it.”
“Jesus.” I scrub both hands over my face, pressing hard like I can force my thoughts back into place. I can’t. None of this fits. None of this makes sense.
Yeah, my family’s fucked up. But not like this. Not even close.
“I gotta go,” I mutter.
“Where?”
“I have no fucking clue.” I just know I need to get out of here before my head explodes.
I push the door open and walk out, ignoring Sierra calling after me. The hallway feels too narrow, the air too thick. My vision starts to tunnel, dark creeping in at the edges as I move faster, needing space, needing air.
This is insane.
I knew Reid had demons. I never imagined even for one moment they involved a body at the bottom of a lake.
Murder.
Or… maybe not full-on murder. Maybe something less clean-cut. Murder one, murder two, manslaughter—hell, I’ve never needed to know the technical differences. Not until now.
Whatever the hell it’s called, it’s not small.
I don’t know if I would’ve gone into business with him if I’d known. Actually, I am pretty dure I wouldn’t have. I mean, apart from anything else, knowing about it would’ve made me an accessory right? And thinking about it, that means Iam nowan accessory.
I’m an accessory to a murder. Albeit one I knew nothing about… up until about thirty seconds ago.
Jesus!
And now that I do know… what the hell am I supposed to do?
How do you even begin to process something like this?
“Luke!” Sierra calls as I reach the entrance.
“I just need a minute,” I throw back, not slowing.
I jog down the steps and head straight for the trees, the forest pulling me in, quiet and empty and far away from everything I just heard.
I don’t make it far.
She catches up fast, grabbing my wrist and spinning me around before I can get any real distance.
“You can’t just do this,” she says, breathless but steady.