Chapter Twenty-Seven
Sailor
We get through an entire movie before Amelia brings it up.
“So, Sam is hot.”
A laugh bursts out of me.
“What?” she says, giving me a little shove. “He is!”
“Yeah,” I say with a nod. “He is hot. And really nice.”
“I forgot you like the crazy ones,” she says. “Are we going to talk about that? What the hell is going on?”
Before Sam left, I asked him if he could send me the SD cards.
He had them in a little baggie in his pocket and handed them over.
I was so worried that he could see Shadow breaking in and then think differently of me.
There’s no doubt he would. Who wouldn’t?
That was such a messed up thing that I did…
it wasn’t my home to do that in, but I was not in my right mind either.
I messed up, I accept it. I’m just really glad he doesn’t know and I can keep it from him forever.
He did make me promise to be careful with them and not destroy them because he hasn’t decided if he is going to the cops or not.
As calmly as I could, I told him that would be unwise.
I have no idea what Jaxon is capable of, and I don’t need him hurting Sam over this.
Thankfully, Sam was okay with it for now but it doesn’t mean he will be in the future.
He could change his mind, and he has the right…
I just hope he doesn’t. The easier this can all be, the better.
“I think Jaxon is still hanging around.”
“Yeah, no shit. Don’t you think this has gone a little far?” Amelia asks.
“Aren’t you the one who was pushing me to be with him?”
“Yeah, when you said this was consensual. Drugging Sam, though? Sailor, how do you know he hasn’t done that to you?”
I stare down at my hands.
“I don’t know how to explain it, but I just know.”
“That’s not good enough for me.”
“He wouldn’t do something I didn’t consent to.”
“Sam didn’t consent to it.”
“Sam isn’t me,” I say firmly.
The look she gives me is sympathetic… like I’m crazy and she feels bad for me. This is not what I want from her.
“Should I call him?” I ask.
“And say what?”
I shrug, shaking my head. “I’m not sure. Maybe ask for answers?”
“I’m worried about you,” she says.
“Please, don’t be.” I grab the remote and scroll through the channels to keep busy. “Don’t let this change anything.”
She sighs. “I want to believe you, but this is all a little crazy.”
“I know that. I just need some time to figure this all out.” I click on a channel, but have no idea what it is. Then I glance at the small bag of SD cards on the coffee table.
I have to watch them. I have to know…
“If you say so.” She yawns.
“Are you ready for bed?” I ask in a voice you’d talk to a baby in.
She swats me, then sticks her tongue out at me. “No, I’m fine. I am not cutting girls night short for sleep.”
Amelia takes the remote from me and finds a movie for us to watch—a sappy rom-com.
“Gag!”
“Oh, be quiet. You secretly love these movies.”
I roll my eyes, but cuddle closer to her. We fix the blanket so it covers us both, and we watch the movie.
Amelia has been sleeping for over an hour, her head resting against my shoulder. The credits from the movie we watched are rolling, and the SD cards on the table in front of me are calling my name.
Sam texted me that he got to the hotel okay, and that I better call or text him if I need anything.
I’m relieved that we may finally get the friendship I’ve been wanting from him, but I guess I shouldn’t get my hopes up too quickly.
My fingers itch to grab the SD cards and see what’s on them.
I carefully untangle myself from the blankets and put my feet on the ground.
“Hey, come on. Let’s go to bed.”
The third time Amelia slept over, she went from the couch to my bed. It’s big enough for us to both fit, and it’s more comfortable then her sleeping on the couch. And it makes me feel just a little better having someone there.
“Amelia?”
She groans, shifting on the couch.
“Come on. Bed.”
I get up and take her hand. Her eyes open.
“Bed.”
“Ugh, fine.” She gets up, taking the blanket with her and shuffling to my bedroom. I follow after her, get her tucked in, and then I go back to the living room. I stare at the coffee table, wondering if I should do this at all. I have no idea what I’m going to see, but I need to know.
I need to know if my gut instinct is right. And I won’t be able to sleep until I know.
Snatching the baggie off the table, I go to the kitchen table where my laptop rests. While it starts up, I open the bag and dump the cards onto the table.
Sam labeled them all based on where he found them.
It’s a surprise he didn’t look at the ones from the bedroom—because there are two, which is crazy since the room isn’t big.
He said he felt weird watching it, in case he saw me naked.
It’s bad enough one person may have seen it.
He didn’t want to invade my privacy like that, too.
I can respect that and I certainly appreciate it.
I don’t think it matters which card I grab—they’re both from the bedroom, either should be fine. So I pick one at random and stick it into my computer.
A folder opens with a ton of files, each labeled by date. I find the one I’m looking for and click on it. I realize the time runs from 12:00 am to 11:59 pm, so I close out of it and go to the next day.
The view is across from the bed, right where a painting was hanging on the wall. I stared at the painting all the time. It was abstract—blue, silver, and black. It was interesting, and I could never quite tell how it made me feel.
I fast forward, and the moment someone else steps into the frame, I set it back to regular speed.
My heart pounds a little harder and I have to force air into my lungs… my chest is tight, and heavy, because as I look at the man in the video, as I look at Shadow, I just know.
It’s him.