Afterglow

sacrifice

"You found your birth father?"

Sloane's face was ashen, those light blue eyes losing their luster as she stared at me with concern and empathy, two emotions that I thought I'd never witness from her.

"When I was in California, I did a DNA test.  I found a few first cousins, and they told me the truth of what happened to my birth parents.  My mother was killed by her husband- my biological father."

The room went quiet at my words, the only movement being Lachlan's hand as he rubbed soothing circles across my back so that I knew I had support to continue my story.

"Somehow, he figured out that I was looking for my birth family and started harassing me on social media, and I never reached out to him because my cousins told me what a monster he was, but it didn't matter at that point.  He knew about me, and he wanted to find me.  I was sent back here after acting out because I knew my mom and dad were keeping secrets from me, but he didn't know that I wasn't still in California.  He followed Ian in his car one day with his new friend Leah and-"

"Oh my god.  He was the one who caused your ex boyfriend's wreck?  We all just thought you were either over reacting that day after finding out about him or you were way more in love with him than we thought.  It wasn't that at all..."

Sloane's words struck me in a tender spot as a few salty tears escaped my eyes.  I hated crying, but I couldn't help it, not when the news of Ian's death was so fresh.

"He kept telling me that I was next, but I didn't respond to the threats...until today."

"What happened today?"

Lachlan's warm arms were like steel banded around the front of my waist.  He spun me around to face him and I had to crane my neck to meet his tempestuously frantic eyes.

"He took a picture of Ian in his hospital bed.  I didn't get the text until this morning with Vera.  His mom was crying over him and the machines were off.  Ian was dead.  The text said that my other friends were next."

He didn't hesitate as he tucked me into his embrace, which was exactly what I needed at that moment, his hands running soothingly through my hair as he held me like I could vanish at any moment, and as long as he kept holding me then he could make sure I couldn't go anywhere.

"You're saying your birth father killed Ian?  What if it was just a medical thing and he's taking the blame for what happened to him?"

I turned Sloane's words over in my head, but the striking fear that my sperm donor 'father' instilled in my heart blinded me to any other possibilities.

"He called me just a few days ago, awake and happy and joking around.  He was fine.  He was alive, and now he's dead.  And guess who took the credit for killing Ian?"

"I know, and I'm sorry your friend died, Kate, I was just trying to make sure you look at the situation from every angle."

I turned around in Lachlan's arms once more, his body molded to mine to make sure I didn't jump out and do anything crazy like attack her or something, like I'd ever do that, it wasn't like she was Jenna trying to attack me first.

"He was the one who drove Ian off the road in the first place, killing his friend, because of me.  He's plenty capable of doing whatever he wants.  Why do you think I kept everything a secret when it came to Lachlan?  Why I distanced myself from almost everyone?  Pretty soon he's going to find me, and he made it crystal clear who was next.  The more I make it clear who my friends aren't, the less people he can hurt."

The room was quiet, deathly still, and the irony of that analogy wasn't lost on me.

"Have you thought of going to the police?"