LOGINWren"Forget Ross for a second, Wren! Listen to me!" Ryan was shouting over the line, his voice bursting with wild, unbelievable excitement. "I got it! I fucking got it!"My breath caught in my throat. "Got what?!""I managed to get remote access to the security footage from the Shell gas station off the highway!" Ryan yelled, the sound of keyboard clacking loud in the background. "At ten-fifteen PM last night… the exact time the medical examiner says Emily was being beaten in that alley four miles away, Dani's car pulled into the Shell station!"Tears sprang into my eyes. "Are you serious?!""He's on camera, Wren!" Ryan laughed hysterically. "High-definition video! He walks inside, buys a bottle of water, and you can literally see him showing the female cashier a picture on his phone, asking if she's seen you! It has a certified, tamper-proof timestamp right on the screen! He couldn't have been beating Emily four miles away when he was buying water and looking for you at ten-fifteen!
WrenBy the time Anna drove me to the central police precinct, my clothes were damp and my mind was racing in a million different directions. The station was loud, smelling faintly of stale coffee, industrial floor cleaner, and damp wool.We paced back and forth in front of the heavy wooden front desk until a tired-looking detective with graying hair finally called my name."Are you the girl who was at the scene?" Detective Miller asked, holding a yellow notepad."Yes! I'm Wren, you know me," I said frantically, leaning over the counter. "Where is Dani? You have to let him go! He didn't touch Emily! He was looking for me last night, he wasn't anywhere near her!"Detective Miller held up a weary hand, stopping my flood of words. "Miss, calm down. The victim, Emily, was found unconscious in an alley four blocks from campus at midnight. She has a fractured skull and severe internal bleeding. She is in a medically induced coma right now at Saint Jude's."My heart sank into my stomach. A c
WrenThe flashing red and blue lights sliced through the dark night, painting the wet pavement in harsh, rhythmic pulses. The air felt thick and cold, heavy with the sharp smell of rain and exhaust."Get your hands off him!" I screamed, my voice cracking as I lunged forward.Two officers immediately stepped in front of me, their heavy boots slamming against the concrete. They held up their hands, creating an immovable wall between me and the police cruiser."Ma'am, stand back," the older officer commanded, his face set like stone."You're making a huge mistake!" Tears burned behind my eyes, blurring the sight of Dani being forced toward the open back door of the squad car. His hands were bound behind his back in cold steel handcuffs. "He didn't do anything! He was with me! He didn't hurt Emily!"Dani turned his head as much as the officer holding his neck would allow. His face was pale, his dark eyes wide with a mixture of fear and fierce protection. "Wren, stop!" he shouted over the
DaniMy hands were shaking violently as I reached for her. I grabbed the edge of the duct tape and ripped it off her mouth, then pulled out my pocket knife, frantically slicing through the thick ropes cutting into her wrists.The very second the bonds gave way, Wren didn't hesitate. She collapsed forward, throwing herself straight into my chest. She sobbed hysterically, her slender arms wrapping tightly around my neck, clinging to me as if I were the only solid thing keeping her grounded."Dani! Oh my God, Dani!" she sobbed into the crook of my neck, her body shivering."I’ve got you, baby," I whispered, my voice thick and trembling. I buried my face in her damp hair, pulling her flush against my chest, holding her so hard my own arms hurt. My whole body shook with the sheer, crushing weight of relief. "I’ve got you. You're safe. I’m never, ever letting you go again."Looking over her shoulder into the dark corners of the warehouse, a cold, ruthless thirst for vengeance settled deep i
DaniI slammed my bare fist straight onto the metal hood of my truck, a guttural, helpless roar tearing out of my chest. The metal dented under the impact, but I didn't feel a thing. The only feeling flooding my body was a blinding, suffocating wave of pure terror.Forty-five minutes.It had been forty-five long, agonizing minutes since Wren had walked outside of Anna’s building. When Anna called my phone in a complete frenzy, screaming that Wren hadn't come back upstairs, my heart had dropped straight into my stomach.I looked down at the wet asphalt of the dark courtyard. Lying in the puddle near her parked rental car was her phone, its screen pulverized into spiderweb cracks under a heavy boot along with her brass house keys scattered in the dirt.She hadn't just walked away. Someone had taken her."Did you find anything?!" I bellowed, turning on Ryan. My eyes felt wide, unblinking, bloodshot with panic.Ryan was standing under the dim glare of a streetlight, his laptop balanced on
WrenThe dreamlike bubble of our new romance couldn't keep the dark storm outside from crashing down on us.On Monday morning, I was sitting at Anna’s kitchen table, staring at my laptop screen with a cold, sickening knot forming in my stomach. Over the past four days, Dr. Reeves had tried to contact me constantly. My phone was flooded with voicemail alerts, and my inbox had dozens of emails from his university account, all begging for a private meeting to "clear up the misunderstandings" about Ross.I had ignored every single one of them. I blocked his number and sent his emails straight to spam.I thought shutting him out would force him to back off. I was wrong.At 10:00 AM, a bright red alert popped up on my student portal screen. It was an official, high-priority notice from the University Academic Ethics Board.My blood ran freezing cold as I read the words. My fellowship funding had been instantly frozen. My current grades were completely wiped. I was being placed under immedia
WRENI ran so fast I nearly broke the door down.The kitchen. I needed to get to the kitchen, find something to do with my hands, and blur my mind from the atrocity I had just watched…. Something I shouldn’t be watching or even have ever seen but the image had been buried in my mind and it wasn’t g
WRENThe ceiling of my dorm room had a crack in it shaped like a question mark. I'd spent the last three weeks staring at it. I had been on the list for a room change for a week. I kept staring at my phone, hoping for good news."Wren." Ross snapped his fingers in front of my face. "Are you even li
Wren’s POVThe doorbell pulled me out of sleep.Once. Twice. Then continuously.I lay on my back and stared at the ceiling.Footsteps in the hallway. Ross’s door. Ross on the stairs, moving fast.Then his voice as he opened the door, stripped of its composure, “Get the hell away from this door.”A
Wren’s pov“You’re drunk.” It was the only reasonable thing to say, the only thing that made sense given Dani was leaning close to me like that.“A little.” He admitted, like it was nothing, like he didn’t just ask if he could kiss me.“Then you should move… I’m your friend, not some random girl yo







