Chasing Redemption (Book 2 of Chasing Series)

Thirty-Three | Time Ticking

The first thing I notice when I wake up the following day is that I am safely in my bed. At least that rules out any one-night stand or, you know, falling back into old habits with a particular person.

My head pounds. I groan, stretching out my arms. I notice two pills and a glass of water sitting on my bedside table. A small handwritten note from Layla sits beside the pills, my soon-to-be saviour.

Please relax today. Don't even get out of bed. You deserve a break, the note reads.

I wish I could listen to her. Staying in bed would be lovely if I didn't have a million things running through my mind.

I was back working with Davina this week after a brief phone call with her the other day. I felt like a deviant: a terrible, terrible human. Knowing that Brax was guilty of the murder that Davina was defending made me feel sick. Her client was innocent, but I couldn't tell her.

My headache worsened, and I buried my worries for the next few hours, at least until my hangover surpassed.

My phone blares and I roll over, groaning into my pillow. I wanted to be left alone for the rest of the day. Even if my thoughts were to consume me, I would listen to Layla's message about doing nothing. When it stops, I think it's finally over, but then it rings again. And again.

"Fine," I snap, grabbing my phone.

I answer without checking the caller ID. "Yes?"

At first, the person doesn't speak so after five seconds I pull the phone from my ear, checking who it is. "Sof?" I say, my anger dissipating.

"Rhea."

I shoot up in bed. She's crying. She's completely breathless, hiccuping between words.

"Slow down, Sof. Start from the beginning," I coax her.

"He's left a note. I don't know where he's going or what he's doing. But he's going to leave again and I don't understand why."

Brax.

She didn't sound like the nineteen-year-old girl I knew. She sounded small and afraid, almost childlike. She'd lost all her strength and I didn't blame her.

"I'll be over to yours in less than twenty, okay? Just hold on."

Before she can respond, I drop my phone, launching myself out of bed and throwing on the closest clean clothes I can find.

I'm out the door within five minutes.

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Sof is waiting for me outside the front door when I pull into their driveway. I don't know why I feel my heart stutter when I notice his car is nowhere to be found.

She's not crying anymore but I can see the tear tracks running through her makeup as I pull her into a hug once I'm out of my car.

"What's going on?"

My first thought is to tell her that this is all my fault, that I never should have told him about Charlie. Then I realised that none of this was my fault. Braxton's actions were his actions alone, whether they be right or wrong.

"We'll find him."

It didn't mean I wanted him to suffer in prison, though. My life since meeting the Patridge family had turned grey. Nothing was black and white anymore. A few years ago, just knowing what Brax had done, I'm sure I would want him imprisoned.

He killed someone. My mother was murdered before me. But since then, I learnt that not everything is always as simple as that. It was simple and straight to the facts in my mother's case, but with Braxton. Nothing was clear.

"I don't know where he is," Sof sniffs. "He didn't leave any clues in his note."

"How long ago did you think he left?"

Sof shakes her head against her chest, her next words muffled by our hug. "I'm not sure. Xavier came home before I called you and he went out looking with Marco. Mum is food shopping, but I'm scared she's going to come home and I'll have to tell her. I'm afraid it could break her."

When she grasps the back of my shirt, I'm sure she's about to break down again if I don't keep talking.

"What did the note say exactly?" I ask.

Sof grabs my hand and walks me inside. She goes towards the kitchen bench, grabs a folded piece of paper and hands it out to me. "Read it for yourself. Maybe it'll make sense to you."

Don't be mad. I've left. Again.

Sorry to put it so bluntly. I promise that I care about you all and that is the only reason I am doing this. I know it won't make sense right now, but it will. You'll see that it was the right thing for everyone in a few years.

I hope you can forgive me one day.

If you want to say one last goodbye, I'll be where we left him.

"I'm confused by the last sentence. Where we left who?" she sighs, rubbing her forehead.

Where we left him...

Where we left him...

"There must be someplace he visits a lot, right? You really can't think of any?" I ask.

"If I could, do you think we'd be standing in this fucking kitchen?" she snaps.

"Touché," I mumble, moving towards the lounge room so I can sit down and think.

God, what did he mean? If you want to say one last goodbye, I'll be where we left him.

Him.

"I didn't mean to yell, Rhea. I know you're only trying to help me."

"It's ok. Sof, I think—"

"I mean, you really didn't even need to show up. I just called you sobbing when you have no responsibility whatsoever to help me find Brax. He's hurt you so many—"

"Sof—"

"—Times and it's not fair on you to keep showing up like—"

"SOF!"

She stops suddenly, like I've slapped her. I'd apologise for raising my voice if I wasn't already standing and moving towards the door.

"I think I know where he could be. Are you coming?"