Page 63 of Cruel Abandon (Fallen Royals 5)

“I live with a roommate,” I offer.

The roommate who’s still not talking to me.

Luckily, Taryn was pulled aside by the officer. They’re around the side of the ambulance, and I think she’s giving him her version of events.

This was supposed to be harmless.

He packs up his bag and lists off symptoms I should watch out for. I step aside, watching for a moment.

“How do you do it?” And then I roll my eyes. “Sorry, that’s probably a question everyone asks you, huh?”

The EMT turns back around. “You mean helping people?”

I look away. “Just seems like it’s all for nothing.”

“It isn’t. I know you found something fucked up in the woods, but that doesn’t mean everyone is bad, or selfish. I like to think that I make a difference.”

I guess.

“Ready?” Taryn asks.

I nod, then think better of it. My head still pounds.

“I’ll give you a ride back,” the officer says. “This way.”

We round the ambulance, and I’m shocked to see how many people have arrived. I missed all the commotion. There are at least three police SUVs, and someone has rolled crime scene tape across the entrance to the trail.

The unsettled feeling returns, and my stomach flips. Nausea crawls up my throat.

“How long will it take to identify the body?” Taryn asks.

I try to hide my cringe.

Her brows crinkle. “You didn’t recognize her, right? It wasn’t Natalie.”

The officer’s gaze seeks out mine in the rearview mirror. I think he, too, is wondering what I’ll say. He didn’t see her. He was on the trail with Taryn, and then came back with us. His babysitting routine is taking him farther away from the action.

“Her face was covered by her hair,” I say quietly. “And I didn’t try to move it.”

“Rightly so,” the officer cuts in. “Disturbing a crime scene would just hinder the investigation.”

Taryn shudders. “God, this is horrifying.”

Horror—the same word I had used. It’s fitting.

Then she adds, “My parents are going to freak out.”

Mine will only freak out if I tell them. I grab Taryn’s hand. “Mine can’t find out. They’re already weird about this whole thing, and if I tell them we found—” I shake my head sharply, then pay for it with a sudden pulse of pain. “I’ll be interrogated. Whitney, my family, everyone will want to know what happened, and I can’t deal with that. I was the center of attention once and I hated it.”

She squeezes. “It’ll be okay, Skylar. I’ll leave your name out of it. Okay?”

I try to smile, but I can’t quite make it happen.

Her gaze goes to my collar. “There’s blood on your shirt. I’m not sure how you’re going to explain away the cut on your head, either.”

“I’m clumsy,” I say forcefully. “I fell getting home, hit my head on the stairs.”

The officer shakes his head but says nothing.