Series: Cobalt Empire Series by Krista Ritchie
Total pages in book: 234
Estimated words: 226965 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1135(@200wpm)___ 908(@250wpm)___ 757(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 226965 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1135(@200wpm)___ 908(@250wpm)___ 757(@300wpm)
I turn back to Eden as the lightbulb moment surges hope through me. “Does your apartment come with a parking spot?”
19
BEN COBALT
Oscar parks in an open space three cars down from the Honda, and my brothers thankfully stay in the Range Rover as I hop out. My pulse is climbing as I close in on Harriet’s car, and the smell of urine in the parking garage doesn’t fucking help.
I’m at the bumper and peering through the rear windshield and—shit. I don’t see anyone sitting in the driver or passenger seats.
Slipping between the silver Honda and a blue Dodge Charger, I squint through the tinted window into the backseat. My shoulders fall in relief when I see her. Eyes closed, chunky headphones on, and a pillow under her head while she lies longways. A fuzzy hot-pink Hello Kitty blanket partially covers her slender frame.
I rap my knuckles against the window. Her eyes instantly pop open in alert. It takes two seconds for recognition to sink in, then her brows draw together in deep confusion. Did she not think I’d check in on her?
She doesn’t make a move to the door.
I point down to the handle, trying to signal for her to unlock it.
She blinks four times as if she’s shaking off a heavy thought. Leaning forward, she flips the lock for me.
I slide into the backseat and shut the door behind me. I rest my shoulders against the window. Facing her. A fir tree air freshener dangles off the rearview mirror, giving off a festive pine fragrance to the car. Harriet pulls her headphones to her neck and hugs her pillow to her chest. She scoots back to lean against the opposite door. First, I’m stuck on how bloodshot her blue eyes are. The puffiness of her eyelids makes it hard for her to open them fully.
I just want to take her hurt away. I’m not thinking about how I could be the cause. Because if I descend too deep into that, I might never come out of the abyss.
“I didn’t think you’d be into Hello Kitty,” I say with a peeking smile, but this time, it doesn’t draw hers out.
Her lips pull into a massive frown, and her voice is barely a whisper. “I’m more into a ninety-percent-off clearance sale at Walmart.”
I nod, my ribs compressing as her gaze drops to her legs. She tucks them closer to her body. I’m scrunched up back here, but I don’t invade her space. I skim her car, then see a first-aid kit in the footwell, along with band-aid wrappers, a plastic grocery bag with bloodied paper towels, and the plaid pants she’d been wearing tonight. Her pants—the kneecaps appear stained with blood too.
Right now, the blanket hides her legs, her knees, her waist, but I’m putting some pieces together. Did she get down on her knees for him?
As my throat swells and my eyes feel scrubbed raw, all I care about is her. I hate, with everything in me, that she’s hurt right now. Not just emotionally, but fucking physically…
“Harriet,” I breathe.
“What are you doing here, Ben?” she chokes out. Her confusion is confusing the fuck out of me. I feel as if this should be obvious.
“I’m here to check on you,” I say. “When my friend runs away crying, I’m not going to just go home and bake a frozen pizza like nothing happened.”
She shakes her head, her bangs falling in her eyes. She pushes them away with a quick hand. “I don’t understand,” she says, then her lips part in shock. “He didn’t tell you?” Her nose flares.
My stomach coils in a vicious knot. “Charlie did something. That’s all I know.”
Her frown deepens, but her jaw hasn’t closed. “He told you that?”
“No, I…” My voice trails off as her face shatters. Her fingers curl tighter to the pillow, and I can tell she’s fighting off tears. The realization that I might be wrong slams into me like a thousand gallons of water after a dam break. My throat is sandpaper as I add, “Beckett said he saw you and Charlie in the parlor, and that’s when you ran away crying.” I want to bring up the first-aid kit, the blood, her pants, but her chin begins quivering. “Harriet?”
“You should leave, Ben,” she tells me, her voice surprisingly monotoned compared to the fracture of her face.
I can’t leave things like this. I can’t leave her like this. It’s all impaling me. “I’m not sure I can. The Hello Kitty clearance blanket looks pretty comfy.”
She chokes out a hoarse noise, her eyes daggered on me. “You can’t be serious right now.” I’m smiling a little, and her lips twitch up just a bit until her face contorts in a near-cry. “Stop, Ben.”
“Yeah, I’m not sure I like you using my name when you’re upset. Go back to Friend, Friend.”