Free Hide My Thoughts: A Romantic Suspense Thriller Book (Hide Me Series 2) by Lisa Ladew Page B

apartment was empty. Had West left her? Abandoned her? She'd been expecting that for days. Why he had stuck around as long as he had was beyond her. She was nothing but a stupid freak, a basket-case caught up in some deadly game she didn’t want to play.
    Katerina saw his phone on the table and realized he hadn’t left after all. A fierce gladness welled up inside her, followed almost immediately by a dirty glimmer of anger that he would leave her in here by herself and not even say anything. Katerina pinched herself on the leg, hard, irritated with her emotional swings. They were exhausting her.
    Katerina walked to the door, unlocked it, and pulled it open. She was going to find West. Be nice to him , she told herself. As she stepped onto the balcony of her second-floor apartment and squinted her eyes against the bright sunlight, the first thing she noticed was a crowd of people standing in the parking lot. She stepped forward to get a better look and blinked a few times. In one part of the parking lot at least fifty people stood in a group, and Katerina could hear them muttering from where she stood. Her eyes looked in the direction they were facing, and her breath caught in her throat. Cop cars. Everywhere. Uniformed cops. Everywhere. Technicians in white shirts working on something just out of her line of sight, behind some trees. One of the technicians moved, and she saw a naked, motionless foot. A body. At her apartment building. Katerina’s hands fluttered up to her hair again, but this time they went to her face and scratched. The pain distracted her from the endless, hysterical thoughts that had bubbled up inside her again. She tore her gaze away from the dead body that shouldn’t be there and saw West and Agnes ten feet away on the other end of the balcony. They were watching the technicians, and Katerina was struck by how sad West looked. He knew. He knew this body had something to do with her - was all her fault.
    Katerina watched as West said something to Agnes and then started towards the concrete stairs leading down to the parking lot. A baffling but compelling fury filled her and she suddenly saw him, in her deepest mind’s eye, laying bent and broken at the bottom of the stairs. Her feet began to move and her body followed. She rushed towards him, her thoughts urging her on. She passed Agnes and reached West as his foot stepped off of the top riser. Her hands shot out but just before they connected with his back she jerked herself to the right, the hands that were meant to shove him down the stairs glancing sideways off of his back instead. Her own feet tangled together and she felt her body flying through the air. She was going down the steps instead. At least she hadn’t pushed him. Thank God she’d been able to stop herself, was her last thought as she faced her own sure and violent death.
    Strong hands grabbed her by the shirt and one arm and hauled her to safety.
    West pulled her into a bear hug and squeezed her tightly. “Oh my God Katerina, you almost fell down the stairs.”
    The tears began to flow again and Katerina hid her face in her hands, unable to look at him. What was wrong with her? She needed to go see a shrink or something. She would start by taking those pills he had gotten her. And by telling him the truth.
    Agnes rushed forward and Katerina saw concern and knowing in her eyes. “Are you okay Katerina?”
    Katerina couldn’t speak. West and Agnes tried to help her back to the apartment, but she didn’t want to go. She got her tears under control and looked imploringly at West. “I have to see it. I have to know.”
    He nodded and she saw the burden in his eyes. The burden of knowing her.
    He spoke to Agnes. “Agnes, we are going to go down and talk to the police officers. Where is your car? Can you get out of the parking lot?”
    Agnes nodded. “I parked on the street. You call me if you need anything ,” she said, touching West’s arm in a meaningful way. Katerina fought