The knob suddenly twisted, the door moving with the weight of whoever was on the other side. My heart stopped before taking off as I scrambled to fold the towel over my naked body.
I didn’t call out to see who it was, because I knew it shouldn’t have been Dare. But whoever it was wasn’t leaving. Something scratched at the knob a second before it gave a little wiggle.
Images of the last time I was in a bathroom with a member of the Borello family flashed through my mind, making it feel like my blood had turned to ice.
I rushed to put on my glasses just as the lock on the door clicked, my heart rate so fast that it felt like my heart would tear from my chest at any moment.
By the time it opened, I had Kieran’s knife in hand and open.
A strained huff burst from me when Einstein peeked her head in.
“God, Einstein.” Closing the knife, I tossed it into my bag. “What’s so important that you couldn’t wait until I was done? Or couldn’t ask me to open the door?” When she didn’t respond, I glanced up to find her staring at me with a look of frustration. “Einstein?”
She jerked her head for me to follow her out of the bathroom, not bothering to see if I did.
Typical.
I made sure my stuff was in my bag, then shrugged into Dare’s shirt again before following her into his bedroom where she was pacing. Once she saw me standing there, she shoved a small stack of papers at me without a word.
“What is this?” I asked, somehow already knowing she wouldn’t respond.
I stilled when I saw a picture of me on the first page. Except it wasn’t me, it was Elle. And it was her driver’s license.
“Einstein, what . . . why’d you do this?”
Elle Landry from Springfield, Missouri.
She’d even changed the way I’d been styling my hair in the picture. Given me different glasses and made me look younger.
The next page was a copy of a Social Security card. Then a birth certificate.
The next page was a—
“Oh my God.”
I rushed through the rest of the pages. High school records. College records—before she’d dropped out. Police and missing person reports.
“Einstein, what is this? Did you do this?” I demanded. “You made me into a person. A person who is married to an abusive man and a runaway. What the hell were you thinking?”
She stared at me a few seconds longer before gritting out, “Dare’s worried about you. He thinks you’re in real danger, and he knows you won’t tell him. The day I drove you back to that place and he woke up to find you were gone, he nearly lost it trying to figure out what could have that kind of pull on you—could put that kind of fear in you. He told me to find out who you were. I’ve never not found someone before.”
I watched her, the normally wild-eyed, hyped-up girl who was now seething, and asked, “Why did you bother?”
One of her brows ticked up. “Do you want to die?”
“Of course not. But have you ever lied to him before?” When she didn’t respond, I said, “And you’re already keeping what you know about me from him. If it makes you this mad, I don’t know why you bothered. You don’t owe me anything, you don’t even know me. And if you’ve forgotten . . . he’s going to find out eventually.”
“I’m doing this because I want him happy. We all want him happy as long as possible. And for some fucked-up reason, the Holloway Princess makes him happy. I like you, but I hate you for being the reason I’m lying to my family for the first time in my life. Do you know what it’s like lying to Johnny? Or trying to lie to Dare?”
“You think I don’t want him happy?” I asked, my throat tightening as I fought back tears. “You think it doesn’t shatter me knowing I am who he hates? I am what has caused him so much pain, and will cause him more in the future? I want him as long as possible, but I’ve been trying to prepare him for what’s coming because it’s inevitable. I’ve been giving him as many truths as I can and letting him make of it what he will. But tricking him like this? It’s going to cause unnecessary hurt.”
Gripping the pages in my hands, I tore them in half, ignoring the horror in Einstein’s eyes.
“I already wiped the files so Johnny wouldn’t find them,” she whispered.
“Good. Destroy these too. Burn them . . . I don’t care. Just don’t tell Dare I’m someone I’m not. He may not realize who I am yet, but I haven’t told him I’m someone else entirely, and I don’t plan to.”
“Yeah. Okay, Elle,” she said my name with a scoff as she took the torn pages from my hands.
“My friend only used my initials when I first started sneaking out. ‘L’ stuck as an actual name. Considering nearly all of you go by nicknames, I don’t think you have room to speak.”
She nodded after a few seconds. “Fair enough.” With a sigh, she dropped her hands so the torn pages hit her legs, and looked up at me. “I was giving you time with him. Doesn’t mean it didn’t make me hate you.”
“I know. Stall him,” I said weakly, and attempted a laugh. “After all, you’re looking for a girl who died four years ago who never had ID.”
“I can’t. He knows I don’t know how.”
I nodded in acknowledgment. “Maybe just warn me before it happens. I’d like one last night with him.”
Einstein studied me for a minute in a way only she could, those wild eyes searching for something hidden. “You know, I think it’s unfortunate. What’s going to happen,” she added on as an afterthought. “No one else would’ve thought twice about using the fake life. I don’t think I’ll ever meet someone else who’s as straightforward in her deceit as you are. It’s a shame.”
I didn’t need her to explain.
I knew what was a shame.
“What’s sad is I’m not enough to ease his need for revenge.”
“You might’ve been. I know you’re perfect for him. I think the two of you are what your families need to stop spilling blood. But Dare has a devil on his shoulder who’s always whispering in his ear, reminding him of his promises and his hatred. And his devil won’t let Dare stop thirsting for blood.”
“You mean Johnny, don’t you?” I asked when Einstein turned to leave.
She looked back at me, a sad smile playing on her lips. “Who else?”
“Can’t you see that he’s poison?” I asked, the question tumbling from my mouth before I could stop myself. “How can you look away from the kind of man he is?”
“Poison, huh? Interesting description. Do you need to be reminded whose bed you’ve been sharing for years?”
My mouth opened, a defense for Kieran on the tip of my tongue before I stopped. Because Kieran wasn’t the boy who hated what he’d been made in to anymore. He hadn’t for a long time. “I don’t turn a blind eye to what he does. I think the fact that I’m standing here says as much.”
“Just because you see him for what he is doesn’t mean there isn’t a part of you that hopes you can fix him.” From the way she seemed to stare through me, I had a feeling she wasn’t just talking about Kieran and me. “Everyone’s a puzzle,” she said suddenly. “He’s just missing a piece, but I’ll find it. I always do.”
“But, Einstein—”
“You can’t help who you love.” Her words were as much an explanation as they were a reminder. Before I could respond, her eyebrows lifted and head tilted. “Did you hear that? I think . . . I think my operating system just crashed. My motherboard might be fried. I can’t search for you the way I need to. Funny how that happens.”
I blew out a weighted breath and sent her a grateful smile. “Thank you, Einstein.”
I watched her slip out of the room and started to turn to get dressed when I heard Dare’s deep timbre from somewhere in the house.
Following my rumbling stomach down the hall toward the kitchen, my brow pinched when I found the kitchen full of takeout food, but void of people.
I peeked in one of the bags as I rounded the counter to continue following Dare’s voice into the living room, but turned right back around to get a drink instead when I heard Johnny’s distinct sneer.
“Maybe if you paid more attention to your own house, we wouldn’t have to do your job for you.”
“Enough,” Dare growled.
I slowed as I pulled a glass down from one of the cupboards to fill with water, wondering who they were talking to and knowing I probably shouldn’t be hearing this.
But even as my mind yelled at me to slowly and quietly retreat back to Dare’s room, I couldn’t stop from listening as Dare continued.
“He’s got plans to take her within the next two weeks. No set date.”
“Jesus fuck . . . all right.”
My head snapped up and I nearly choked on my next breath when I heard the familiar curse.
No. No, no, no. That’s not him. Please, God, be anyone but him.
“He’s either trying to shut some people up, or start a war with that. We knew he was planning something, just had no idea it would be something like that.”
“You know her then?” Dare asked.
“Yeah. Yeah, I do.” There was a rough sigh before he continued, “There were two more visits. Were you able to get them taken care of?”
“Everyone’s accounted for,” Dare said smoothly, like he wasn’t talking to an enemy. “The last two needed a little convincing. Think they’re still worried they’ll be killed if they go against Mickey. Might be worth another visit when he gets back into town.”
I staggered toward the counter, my free hand shooting out to grab it in order to keep myself standing.
What am I hearing? What the hell am I hearing?
“Solo or all?”
“I don’t mind—”
“There’s no point for us to go back,” Dare answered, cutting Johnny off.
“All right. I’ll let Kieran know. He can take care of them when he gets . . .”
I didn’t hear the rest of what he said.
I didn’t hear anything at all past the roaring in my ears.
Kieran.
Kieran.
Kieran.
Kieran’s working with . . . Beck and Kieran are working with . . . Jesus Christ.
The edges of my vision went black and the room felt like it was spinning around me.
The next thing I knew Dare was in front of me, grasping my cheeks and forcing me to look into his calming eyes as he spoke to me.
“Elle? Elle, baby, look at me. Are you okay? No, don’t try to move, there’s glass everywhere.” He was trying to sound soothing, but there was an underlying hint of panic to his words.
And I couldn’t understand what he was saying, because my best friend was standing right behind him.
It felt like I was in a never-ending nightmare that just continued to get worse. No matter how hard I tried to tear myself from it, I kept getting sucked in.
“There’s what?” I asked, my voice heavy and slow. I tried to look down but Dare stopped the movement.
“I’m gonna get you out of here, okay? Stop trying to walk.”
I didn’t want to walk. I wanted to run.
Needed to run.
Because Dare had shifted to give Johnny an order, and now Beck and I had a clear view of each other.
It only took seconds for his expression to fall as he stared at me, his curiosity giving way to denial and confusion. His chest heaved with a ragged breath before rage and accusation burned in his eyes.
I’d never seen him so terrifying.
He turned his back on us just before Dare grabbed me in his arms and looked over his shoulder to snap at Beck, “We’re done here.”