Edge of Sanity: An Edge Novel Read Free

Shit. That meant he was going to have to take more time off work than just a day.
    Clay straightened up, ignoring the throbbing pain in his ribs and shoulder. “My bones are fine.”
    Payton pushed past him and walked into the kitchen like he owned the place. “Mind if I make coffee?”
    “You won’t be here long enough to drink it.”
    The older man ignored him and went about searching Clay’s cabinets, putting a pot of coffee on. “Mira says you’re in trouble.”
    “Mira is wrong. Everything is fine.”
    “Your bruises say you’re lying. Judging by the color palette you’ve got going there, you’ve been injured at least three times in the past two weeks.”
    “I joined a fight club. I would have told you, but you know the first rule of fight club . . .”
    Payton turned around, his face tight with anger and something else Clay couldn’t name. “This isn’t a joke. She said you were asking about dead bodies.”
    “Mira and I are clearly going to have to have another talk about oversharing information.”
    “She trusts me. You should, too. I’m not here to judge.”
    “Then why are you here?”
    Payton’s direct gaze slid away to the empty mug he was holding. “We all make mistakes, Clay. If you’ve made one, I can help set things right. All you have to do is tell me the truth.”
    The truth wasn’t going to help him any more than it was going to help the person whose blood he’d been wearing when he woke up. “I’ve got it under control.”
    “Do you?”
    “Yeah. So you can take your coffee to go. Keep the mug.”
    Payton stared Clay right in the eyes, daring him to lie. “Did you kill someone last night?”
    In that moment, Clay’s world began to close in around him. The panic he’d felt since seeing the blood exploded until there was no room left to breathe. The edges of his vision began to fade out into gray nothingness. Sound became muted until all he could hear was the rapid, out-of-control beat of his own heart.
    He needed help. He needed to find someone who could make sense out of the chaos his life had become. Mira was too vulnerable and precious for him to fuck over with his problems. As far as she stuck her neck out for him, one of these times, she was going to lose her head.
    Payton stood there silently, patiently. He didn’t move a muscle or blink a lash. There was no hint of reproach on his face, only the faintest lines of regret.
    Clay swallowed, barely able to work up enough moisture to move his tongue. His choices were simple: continue on alone and wakke lone ane up covered in blood again, or grab ahold of the lifeline Payton offered.
    He didn’t want to hurt anyone. He knew he was completely capable of killing and not remembering much. The mission in Arizona a few months ago had taught him that. Even now, he had only vague flashes of images, like dreams fogged over by time.
    What if he killed again? What if this time he hurt someone he cared about? What if he hurt Mira?
    That couldn’t happen. He’d eat a bullet before he’d take that risk.
    And yet he took that risk every day, never knowing when he’d lose another chunk of time and wake up bruised and broken, with no memory of what he’d done or where he’d been.
    Today had to be his wakeup call. Mira was still alive and safe. That could all change so fast. She was the only family he had, and he couldn’t gamble with her life.
    Clay met Payton’s stare and told him the truth. “I don’t know.”
    “How can you not know? Either you killed someone or you didn’t.”
    “I don’t remember anything about last night. That’s how. I remember grabbing a burger at lunch yesterday. After that . . . nothing. Until this morning, when I . . .” He couldn’t even say the words. If he did, they would make this whole bizarre nightmare real.
    “What happened this morning?” asked Payton, his voice gentle but insistent.
    Rather than reply, Clay fetched the trash bag and dumped it out on his kitchen floor. Bloody