Among the Echoes (Wrecked and Ruined #2.5)(16)

"Just go, Riley! He’ll probably be gone tomorrow. This might be your last chance to tell him." He gives me an exaggerated wink that causes me to roll my eyes.

"Why are you pushing me? I can’t go to his apartment at four in the morning."

"Why not? He just left ours like ten minutes ago. I think it's safe to assume he’s still awake."

"I’m not going over there, so hush. He must have hit your head really hard tonight. Usually you try to keep me away from people."

"Don’t give me that crap. That is not true at all and you f*cking know it. I don’t try to keep you away from anyone. You’re the one who is scared of letting anyone get close. You can have friends, Riley. Jesus, you need someone besides me."

"Maybe, but I definitely don’t need the giant hot guy who lives next door," I mumble, causing Leo to choke out a laugh.

"The fact that you just called him a ‘giant hot guy’ leads me to believe that you do." His voice is teasing, but the hopeful look in his eye saddens me.

All Dave has ever wanted was for me to find someone—a girlfriend to chat with or even a boyfriend to move on with. He just wants me to have a life, but I’ve never wanted that, so he has gone through great lengths to help me keep away from everyone else.

For me, people represent one thing—danger. Who are they really? How quickly would they turn on you? And worse yet, how bad would it hurt if I had to pick up and leave them behind on a moment’s notice? It’s not just my life that’s in danger; my heart is at risk as well.

But tonight with Adam, I felt something I’ve never felt with anyone but Dave—safe.

Damn it.

"I did steal the tape out of his bag," I say sheepishly.

"You went through his bag?" he asks, shocked, but his voice is full of pride. I peek up at him with a small smile. "Good girl," he praises.

"I just wanted to know who he was. His apartment is empty, but there was a small bag mainly filled with clothes, but it had a roll of tape at the bottom. I’m assuming he really is a boxer?"

"What gave it away? The way he lit into me tonight or the muscles that turned you into a horny co-ed?"

"Shut up! I wasn’t staring at him."

"Right. Well, take the man back his tape. But put your contacts in before he falls in love. You have to at least give him a fighting chance," he teases, but I suddenly remember Adams words from earlier.

"He said my eyes were beautiful," I confess and immediately look down at the floor.

"Of course he did. Your eyes are unforgettable, Riley. Which is exactly why you need to put back in your contacts. Tell him they are prescription or something if he asks. But just go over there."

"Damn, you’re bossy tonight. Can you stop telling me what to do?" I snap, but we both know the attitude isn’t real.

"You went to him tonight. When you were afraid, you put down the gun and went to him," he says, holding my eyes. It’s a simple statement and not at all what we were talking about, but I know exactly what he’s thinking.

"It doesn’t mean anything," I whisper.

"Oh it definitely means something, Riley. Nothing may come from it, but it means that, even for just a second, you opened yourself up to trusting someone else."

"I was scared." I try to defend myself.

"Right. I get why you went to his apartment, but you invited him in to watch a movie after that."

"I’m not in love with this guy or something if that’s what you’re aiming at here."

"I’m not insinuating that you are. I don’t care if you just have a conversation with him. You need to make friends. Badly. I know for a fact that he has zero connection to Wilkes, so I’m telling you to go say thank you. You’re not afraid of him, so go and enjoy speaking to another human without fear."

Damn it. He’s right. Those moments with Adam, even amongst the chaos, were a breath of fresh air to starved lungs.

"Fine." I let out a huff, pretending to be frustrated when, in actuality, I’m freaking out.

"Go!" he demands then drops his head back against the couch, closing his eyes.

"You going to be okay?" I ask.

"I’ll survive," he responds, but he never looks back at me.





"I need a favor," I speak into the phone the minute my door shuts behind me.

"Anything, Slate," Jimmy says, and I can envision him pacing around the room as he answers this late-night call from me.

"Hire a PI and find out absolutely everything you can about Dave or Leo Roberts. He lives in apartment 108 here. And when I say everything, I mean everything—right down to what he had for breakfast yesterday and the porn he jerked off to last night."

"Are you in trouble?" he asks in that fatherly way I’ve come to expect from him.

"Not me. But I think someone is."

"Maybe you should come back. Go down to the beach house or up to the apartment in Chicago."

"Nah, I’m good. I got into a scuffle tonight though and I just want to get his backstory. He’s got a woman with him. Her name is Riley. He says they are related, but I’m not so sure," I respond, heading to the fridge, desperate for a drink to dull my anger. I snatch out a beer and open it with a loud pop.