Read Twisted Stars (Hardest Mistakes #3) for Free Online Page B

haven’t seen him since.”
    “Wow,” Kelly says. “That’s harsh. So he just slept with you then left?” I nod. She screws up her nose and whispers, “Was he bad?”
    “What? No! It was wonderful—we even cuddled afterwards.”
    “As one does,” Brooke pipes in.
    “So then, what’s his problem?”
    I purse my lips. Exactly. What’s his problem?
     
    ***
     
    By the end of the week, I’m mostly over Jayden’s disappearance.
    “Do you want another drink? Or are you just going to continue killing that one?” Dylan asks over the chatter of people.
    I jerk my head up in surprise. For a second there, I completely forgot where I was. I shake my head and glance down at my drink. The straw is twisted and broken, and I’ve started crushing the ice with my stirrer.
    Dylan raises an eyebrow, and I smile innocently. “No, this one’s fine.”
    “Are you okay? You’ve been a bit distant all week.”
    “No, I haven’t,” I snap back defensively. Then I remember who I’m talking to—Dylan sees everything. Observant little asshole. He sits back in his chair with a smirk.
    He knows.
    Probably not everything, but he knows something.
    “Is this about that guy you went home with at the party?”
    I purse my lips, saying nothing. He’s not getting information out of me that easy.
    “Oh come on, Ash.” He laughs. “What happened?”
    “He went missing.”
    He sits up and tilts his head. “Excuse me?”
    “Nothing, never mind. He’s out of the picture, and that’s all that matters.”
    He nods but narrows his eyes in thought. He’s not going to let it go.
    “Hi,” a new voice interrupts. I look up at the newcomer—at his dark blond hair and sparkly eyes. Just what I need right now—a distraction.
    I smile invitingly and stand. “Hey, want to dance?”
    He answers by taking my hand and leading me out into the crush of people. Dylan shakes his head at me from the table.

 
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Chapter Six
     
     
    I hate cleaning.
    Absolutely hate it. Isn’t this what they pay professional cleaners for? I flick the duster away from me and sit with a heavy sigh on the couch. The vacuum cleaner lays sprawled out on the kitchen floor, and I left the mop bucket full of water in the bathroom. Cleaning stinks. But it’s raining outside, and I have nothing else to do.
    A loud banging knock on the door startles me. I jump up, grab the duster, and hold it out in front of me like a weapon as I edge toward the front door. Who in their right mind is out in the middle of a storm? As I get closer, I call out, “Who’s there?”
    The banging stops.
    I frown and reach forward to pull the door open.
    I stare at the shadow in my doorway and then gasp when I realize who I’m looking at. I throw a hand over my mouth as Jayden collapses to his knees on my step, rain mingling with bright red blood on his face.
    “Oh my god.” I drop to my knees in front of him. “What happened?”
    He opens his mouth to say something, and then he shuts it again.
    “Where have you been?”
    He tilts forward precariously, and I have to reach out and hold his shoulder to stop him from falling.
    His eyes are wide and afraid. “They’re coming.”
    My heart rate accelerates, the breath leaving my lungs in one big whoosh. I drag him inside by his wet shirt, and he falls onto his side on the tiles in the entry. I close the door behind him and then kneel down on the tiles. He’s breathing in heavy puffs, and the cut down the side of his face looks deep and painful.
    “Who did this to you?” I whisper, leaning down to look into his eyes.
    He doesn’t answer. Instead, he lifts his head to stare down the hallway toward the kitchen.
    The back door shatters, throwing glass shards down the hall toward us. I scream as four soldiers wearing camouflage push their way through the opening, rifles raised and pointed at us.
    A short, young woman pushes through the center and smiles. Her red hair is pulled back in a severe bun, and she’s