No in Between (Inside Out #4)(65)

“What good news?”

“I’m cleared of Rebecca’s murder. So are you and Chris, but I’m sure he told you already.” He holds up the glass. “Celebratory drink?”

I can’t celebrate anything with the word murder attached. “I didn’t know you drank.”

“Only when my joy reaches a point of zero containment.”

The pain in his words is so bitter, I think it might make them crumble into tiny pieces and take his heart with them. I move forward and sit on the other end of the couch, angling toward him. “Did they clear Ryan?”

“Yes. Seems he’s got a rock-solid alibi.”

“Blake’s still trying to find a connection.”

He turns to face me. “You don’t know yet, do you?”

A tremor of unease goes through me. “Know what?”

He motions to the computer, and I turn it toward me and bring the screen to life. A news story fills it and I read, Police search the Muir Woods beachfront. “Oh God,” I whisper, and read the article in more depth. While police stay mum on the reason for the search, an insider says it’s related to missing local woman, Rebecca Mason.

The rest is a recap of the day’s hearing, and when I’m done reading I turn to Mark. “What else do you know?” His eyes collide with mine, and the torment in them is like a blade slicing through my heart.

“I have no idea,” he replies. “They aren’t telling me shit, and Tiger’s vicious reputation isn’t doing shit for me right now. They aren’t talking to him, either.”

“They arrested Corey today. He must have told them something.”

“Obviously. More good news, by the way. That ‘tell-all’ news story that was going to run tonight isn’t running. The police offered the newsperson an exclusive on something big coming soon, to hold it off.”

“Do you . . . do you think they found her?”

“No. I think she’s at the bottom of the f*cking ocean, and they don’t have enough evidence yet to prove how she got there. And I don’t believe for a second that Ava pulled that off on her own.”

“You think Corey helped her?”

“He had some involvement. I’m not sure he’s smart enough to do it on his own.”

“Ryan?”

“Yeah. I think it’s Ryan.”

“Ava will give him up once she feels trapped.”

“That’s to be seen, I guess.” His voice lashes out at me, brutally sharp, angry even. “Why are you in my office?”

“Crystal called and—”

“I told you to let me handle Crystal.”

“Like you handled Ryan and Amanda?” It’s out before I can stop it. “He scared the crap out of her, and she ran home to her parents.”

“That’s probably the best thing that could have happened to her. Look what happened to Rebecca when she stayed. Look what happened to you.”

“Nothing has happened to me.”

“Hasn’t it?”

“No. I don’t know what you mean.”

“Who owns you, Sara?”

Adrenaline surges through me and I stand up. He follows me, his body too close. “Answer the question.”

“What are you trying to prove, Mark?”

“Friends don’t let friends make mistakes.” Suddenly I’m yanked against him as he adds, “Waking you up is doing you a favor.”

I flatten my hands on his chest to push him back. “Let go, Mark. You’re drunk.”

“I need you,” he murmurs. “You know that. That’s why you’re here.”

I shake my head. “Not in the way you—”

His hand goes to my hair, and now his mouth is near mine. “I’ve wondered how you would taste.” He dips in to kiss me, and my knee instantly lifts and lands hard in his groin.

He grunts, cursing under his breath, and lets go. I stumble backward and put the table between us.

“Really, Sara?” He sinks to the couch. “You had to f*cking knee me? It was a kiss, not an act of war.”

“I told you to stop. You weren’t listening, because you’re drunk on more than booze. You’re drunk on pain and guilt.

“And I see what you were doing. If I had let that happen, then Chris and I would have been nothing, and love would mean nothing to you—which is what you want to believe right now. Because then you don’t have to deal with what you lost with Rebecca.

“But you have to deal with it, Mark. She’s gone. I hate saying that to you, but you have to stop denying the truth. Admit it, and admit that you loved her. She deserves that.”

He stares at me with unreadable eyes for several long moments. Then he reaches for the bottle and refills his glass, then just sits there, staring at the liquid inside.

“Aren’t you going to say anything?” I demand.

He downs his drink. “You’re saying enough for both of us. Go.”

I walk toward the open door, then turn and meet Mark’s eyes. “If his owning my heart and my body means I belong to Chris,” I say, “then I belong to him. I’m not afraid to admit that, because he’s worth the risk of getting hurt that comes with love.” I turn and leave, pulling the door shut, only to gasp as I nearly run into Chris.