Spent (Wrecked #2) by Charity Parkerson Page A

“I’ve been looking for you too,” she said before tossing back the shot. He had no idea how much she meant those words. This man, he disappeared like smoke every time she let him out of her sight. With the glass set aside, she pulled Lucien away from the bar where they could speak in private, and gave him her full attention before adding, “But look how easy I was to find. I wonder why that doesn’t go both ways.”
    Lucien didn’t react to her taunts. His patient expression said he was willing to wait out whatever ridiculousness she had going on. Bailey sighed. He didn’t understand. Lucien would never get what he was doing to her because he didn’t know her past. The man appeared and disappeared from her life, leaving her wrecked from the loss. Sometimes, weeks passed without a word. Yet she couldn’t resist him when he returned. Internet searches of his name turned up nothing. She lied to herself, thinking his obvious foreign birth accounted for his lack of records. It was as if—when they were apart—he didn’t exist. The impact of him on her life couldn’t be denied. She questioned her sanity all over again every time he left. Perhaps he was only a dream after all.
    “I went to your apartment last night,” she said, hoping to shake something loose. The shadow passing over his face could’ve meant anything at all. Bailey didn’t trust herself enough to decipher his reactions. “It wasn’t there. Like, the whole building. It didn’t exist.” His expression remained blank, making her suspicions grow. Anyone in their right mind would’ve responded to such a declaration. “You don’t seem surprised.”
    “Sorry. I was waiting for the punchline.”
    Bailey wanted to growl, throw her arms wide, and scream she wasn’t crazy. Unfortunately, she wasn’t sure that was true. Tears filled her eyes. Bailey tilted her head back, blinking against them. For the thousandth time, she reminded herself how little Lucien knew about her. That was her fault. She’d been incapable of saying the words aloud, explaining how much she’d lost in the past. Telling him would make it real again. Would he look at her the way everyone else did? Would she always be the woman who saw things that weren’t there—loved people who were only real in her mind?
    Stamping down the pain, Bailey tried saving herself before she ended up institutionalized… again. “I don’t want to see you anymore.”
    Lucien’s fist slammed into the wall next to Bailey’s head, making her flinch. If he drew any attention their way, Bailey missed it. She was too mesmerized by his fury. Even though Lucien kept his tone soft, he still spoke through clenched teeth. “Do you mind telling me exactly what the fuck I did wrong?”
    Lucien’s smoke-colored eyes became almost iridescent in his fury. Bailey couldn’t move. This was what she’d been wanting. She needed him enraged. Maybe then he’d feel a quarter of the anger she did. Now that she’d gotten a reaction, she hated it. She was more alone than ever. Her throat swelled, making it hard to speak. She’d never seen him like this before. The crack in his indifference was her undoing.
    “I don’t.” Bailey swallowed, doing her damnedest not to cry. A tear ran down her cheek, betraying her. It was another failure in a long list for her. Lucien cupped her face, his hand visibly shaking. As he wiped away her tears, his eyes followed the motion of his fingers. She couldn’t look away. “I don’t like the way I feel when we're apart—as if you’re not real. We don’t exist.” Her voice broke on the confession.
    Lucien leaned away, tugging the chain of her necklace out of his shirt as he went. “This is an Obol,” he said, holding her stare. “It’s an ancient coin used to pay the Ferryman for safe passage.” He took her hand and pressed the piece of gold between their palms. “That’s one hell of a coincidence. Don’t you think?” Without waiting for her answer, he added, “Do