Assassin's Heart - Ch7

Recap: “Go,” She huffed. He immediately sprinted out of the room in chase of his twin, and flung the door closed behind him.

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     In less than half a second, she’d collapsed between the beds, sobbing into the heels of her palms. How had she blown it immediately? All she had to do was keep herself under control and her emotions in check, but no, she just couldn’t get Blake’s name out of her mouth—out of every thought.

     Her mascara smeared all over her face, which reminded her of how her mother had always advised her to wear waterproof mascara, which made her feel even worse. How stupid was she to leave her parents behind? They were surely worried out of their minds, and they probably called her older sister Diora in New York. Then Diora would’ve traveled all the way to San Diego to help look for her, and she hadn’t even left them with a note…how could Blake have loved a person like that?

     Another sob racked her body, and she put her hands on the back of her head, entangled in her hair. What in the world was she thinking? Couldn’t she have just planned a funeral like a normal person, instead of hunting down the person responsible for ruining her life and ending Blake’s?

     No, no. That wasn’t the person she wanted to be. She wanted to make his life count.

     She didn’t realize the door had opened until it slammed closed and a low voice spoke. “Nobody shoot, I just forgot my…what the heck?”

     Amanda immediately shut up, wiping her face off with one swipe of her sleeve and adjusting her hair. She stood up to face Arthur, who was leaning on his arm on the wall and looking over his aviators at the end of his nose. His eyes were narrowed, and she desperately hoped she wasn’t beet red. “I—um—s-sorry, Robbie and Kaden had to go somewhere. I was just leaving,” She sputtered. She made a beeline for the door, but he hooked his finger on the high collar of her body-con jumpsuit as she passed.

     “I’m gonna stop you right there, Yellow,” he said snarkily. She swatted his hand away and he put his palms up, then motioned for her to go sit down. Trying to keep her shaking to a minimum, Amanda went and leaned against one of the nightstands—every muscle tense.

     “Do you need something?” She asked with a fake sweetness in her tone. She glared at him so he got the message.

     Arthur was silent. He moved his glasses to the top of his head and absentmindedly cracked his knuckles. Her eyes followed him as he brought himself over to the ledge of the tinted and sealed window and hopped up to sit on it. Finally, he looked up at her.

     “I recognize you, y’know. I know who you are.”

     Her heart jumped into her throat. No, surely he didn’t. He was messing around. “Do you now…?”

     He nodded and stretched from side to side. “Yup. Amanda Charlotte, Ricky Charlotte’s kid. Your ‘disappearance’ is on the news as we speak, and I watched your dad’s stupid comedy movies on TV all the time when I was a kid,” he drawled as if he were talking about the weather or sports.

     Amanda tried her best not to hyperventilate. This was bound to happen, but she didn’t know what she was supposed to do about it. In the end, all she managed to come up with was, “My dad…my dad’s shows aren’t stupid. He’s a great actor.”

     He ignored her. “But that’s not the only way I know you, Yellow.” Arthur glanced at her out of the corners of his muted blue eyes. “I saw a corny picture of you tucked in an envelope in my room. Blake was writing all those letters to you…wasn’t he?”

     Amanda shot to her feet. “What? Oh my—you were Blake’s roommate!”She blurted. “You saw him…you saw the letters?”

     She held the sides of her face in her hands and her knees buckled so she fell onto Kaden’s bed. She hadn’t even processed that this guy used to share a room with Blake before Kaden moved in. Arthur saw him write all those letters to her. Holy crap.

     “Jeez, calm down, woman. So I was right, it was you. He agonized over those notes so much, it was hilarious. They were a big deal to him apparently—anytime I’d walk in he would cover his paper. And he was constantly crumpling his notes and restarting. You must be something special to him then, aren’t you? Though, I can't see why.”

     He said it with a sly smile, but Amanda couldn’t focus on it. It felt like she was drowning, like her lungs were filling with water in a room full of air. Though she was suffocating, she managed to choke out, “Where did Blake go?”

     His dark brows pulled together and he frowned thoughtfully. “Honestly, Yellow, you think I know? None of us know. One day he was just gone, and Hansen won’t tell us anything.” He paused and gave her a weird look. “That isn’t why you came here, is it? I’d hope not, because if so, you’re a fool and I wouldn’t mind being the one to kill you.”

     Amanda aggressively shook her head, putting all her willpower into keeping her voice from breaking. “No, of course not. I’m here to help a cause he thought was useful. He probably just…just decided he was done.”

     Arthur laughed darkly. “Oh, Sweetheart—in this business you’re not just done. Hansen told us from the beginning. Come to a place like this, and it’s naive to think you can leave.”

     She nodded and swallowed. “I-I see. Thanks a lot for the pep-talk, Arthur.”

     He winked at her, and she couldn’t bolt from the room fast enough.