Classified ☑

[ chapter 11 ]

Water dripped into the tub as I turned the faucet off. Thankfully we now had power and I could see without having to use my phone's flashlight. Thomas had messed with the breakers and was able to get the lights back on.

Warm water soaked into my skin as I lowered myself into the tub. My body ached in exhaustion from everything that had happened tonight.

The events of what happened were on replay in my mind, between getting tackled and watching them drive away. It was like a movie scene I couldn't escape from no matter how hard I tried. I watched everything that had taken place but couldn't do anything to stop it.

After I changed into sweats, I headed back downstairs. Gracie was making soup at the stove with Cole sitting in one of the kitchen chairs.

My heart ached as I watched Cole. He had bags under his eyes and now had a bruise forming on his jaw from where he'd gotten punched. What was even worse was he'd gotten dragged into my mess.

"Hey," I said to the both of them. My voice came out strained and whispered, but I knew they both heard me because their heads whipped in my direction.

"Where's my uncle?"

"He's talking on the phone with someone," Gracie replied. "I think with the police."

I nodded my head, knowing what my uncle wanted me to do since I knew he really wasn't on the phone with the police. I'd spoken words out loud that Gracie and Cole never should've heard.

They didn't hesitate when they killed my dad.

"Cole, can I talk to you?" I asked him.

Gracie's eyes darted between Cole and me as he stood up from his chair, nodding his head. He followed me out of the kitchen and into a quiet part of the messy house.

I looked up at him and couldn't help but study his features, wondering if this would be last time I'd ever get a good look at him. His brown eyes glowed in the moonlight as it filtered through the window, lighting up his features.

I licked my lips as I tried to come up with the words to tell him. I felt safe with him around, but I was being selfish thinking that. The last thing he needed was to be anywhere near what was happening in my life.

Before I could get the words out, he started talking. "What did you mean earlier when you said they didn't hesitate to kill your dad?"

My hands shook as I looked at the ground to avoid his eyes. "I said that out of anger and fear. My father and I were involved in a bad car accident when we passed this guy with road rage. He was so angry that he slammed his cars into ours and we flipped."

I took a deep breath as my fingers started to intertwine with each other, but Cole stopped me from doing it by taking one of my hands in his, tentatively. My hand felt warm and safe in his, like he wouldn't let anything happen to me.

"My father died in the car with me next to him. I've been paranoid since then thinking someone's after me. I-" I paused, trying to form my next words. "I think tonight was just a burglar and they weren't expecting me home, so out of fear for themselves, the person started choking me."

Finally, I dared to look up at him and wished I hadn't. There was anger present in his eyes and his jaw was clenched. "Do you really believe that or do you think someone is actually after you?" The way he said it told me he already had his mind made up. He believed it wasn't just some random break in.

I looked him right in the eye, trying to convince him. "I really believe that it was just a break in," I lied to him. "This year has just been bad luck for me." At least that part was true.