“You know, years ago I stole some cutlery from you and I believe I had my arm hacked off.” I bat my lashes up at the psychotic Sector. “Of course, you had Ezrina do the privilege. I suspect that kept your hands clean to a certain extent.”
“Not at all. Ezrina begged for the opportunity. And what a prized memory.” His chest thumps with a silent laugh and I can’t help but glare at him.
“You chopped my arm off—let’s not get too jolly about it.” I shudder at the memory. “Need I remind you that it is, in fact, how I ended up with Chloe’s arm stitched to my body, and it’s also the crazy train that eventually brought the Bastardized Bishop back to life?” I shudder even harder than I did just a moment ago. “Anyhow, my point being, I do believe a certain wicked witch stole an antique bed warmer from either you or Ezrina, and honestly, I don’t really care about the incidentals as much as I do the incident. I’m not sure why you’re so slow to pull the trigger on the limb chopping retribution, but I say let the good times roll. As your fearless leader, I command you to initiate all the holy terror you can muster. So what’s it going to be?” I give his arm a quick squeeze and nary a vibratronic is juiced from this wall of muscles. “An armanda leg? I say a double amputation is the only way to go. Think about it. A bed warmer is much bigger than a couple of forks and knives. Don’t you agree? Per stolen ounce her punishment demands to be that much more severe.”
His lips purse as he looks her way and my stomach explodes in a ball of acid when I note the two of them are dancing. How dare Gage turn his life into a demonic public spectacle. Who would have thought I would have preferred Gage Oliver dead and in the grave, awaiting his second skin patiently with the rest of the great majority?
“She’s with child.” He groans as if he weren’t impressed with their breeding practices either. “Bleeding out would put her into shock and she would inevitably lose the baby. And before a spark of excitement ignites within you—no, I shan’t be responsible for the taking of that life.”
I suck in a quick breath. “You saidthat life. So I guess you’re not opposed to taking Chloe’s. You’ll have to remove the supernatural protective hedge my mother has doled out. But my God, if you brought me Chloe Bishop’s head on a platter, I would reward you dearly.” I run my tongue over my lips in order to sweeten the prize. Honestly, even if I were in full Logan mode by then, I think even he would give me a pass to make all of Marshall’s naked Celestra dreams come true. Hell, he would cheer us on. Okay, so maybe not, but I’m practically jumping out of my skin with glee just thinking of a dead Bishop.
Marshall’s lids lower as he looks to someone near the entrance. “We shall see about those things, Ms. Messenger. You are correct in noting that retribution is long past due. As you are regarding the protective hedge. But for now we have an abundance of heads to decapitate in order to land both you and me back in our proper heavenly positions. If you’ll excuse me, I see Rina and Heathcliff.” He bows down and looks directly into my eyes as if he were examining them. “Find the Pretty One. Do what you must. It is, I’m afraid, a vital part of the plan. I’m thankful, however, that your heart is where it needs to be. I adore you far more than I thought I would and your happiness is paramount to me.” He takes off and I’m left choking in his wake.
“What do you mean you adore me far more than you thought you would?” I call out after him, but the sound of my voice is drowned out by the music.
Now that’s a backward compliment if ever there was one. It implies that at one point in time Marshall was pretty meh about the whole him and me combo. It’s almost as if I were a means to an end. And don’t I know it in no uncertain terms. I’m about to seek out the “Pretty One” as Marshall so kindly refers to Logan when a couple of familiar beauties in matching little black dresses try to scuttle on by.
“Oh no, you don’t.” I jump in front of Mia and Melissa and they roll their eyes at the sight of me. “What are you doing here? You’re not alumni just yet, you’re seniors. And who’s watching the boys?” A thin spiral of fear rides through me at the thought of Beau Geste manning the fort. He just started pre-K and I’m betting that meets a plethora of babysitting criteria according to Drake and Bree.
Mia leans in and her perfume smells of rich sweet tea. “Your witch-in-law stopped by and offered to stay over, so we thought we’d crash.”
Melissa bops along to the music. “Who knew there would be so many freaking studs out tonight? Some of these old goats don’t look so bad. I bet they’re up for a good time with no strings and we could get some real action.”
I gasp. “Trust me, honey. It’s the lighting. And no action for the two of you. Mia, you’re still married. And Melissa, you’ll probably want to finish out your last year at West STD free. You should be home plotting your senior prank or designing your real prom gowns, not trolling for old West discards that have nothing better to do on a Friday night than hang out with Cerberus. Have I mentioned the communicable diseases?”
Mia huffs, “I won’t be married for long. Is Rev here?”
“Ah, so the truth comes out. You’re hoping to have a hot hookup with Paragon’s official bad boy. I think you should hold off on that. And I’m not even sure if he went to—”
“Rev!” Mia screams before launching herself like a missile at a tall, dark, and well-dressed might I add, sanitized version of what was once Paragon’s biggest menace. I spot Carson Armistead coming right for them and I’m sure a war is about to break out. But a crowd moves between us and I miss the show.
“And there’s that.” I frown over at Melissa. “Let me guess. You’ll be attaching yourself to Gabe Armistead.” I don’t need a road map to connect the coital dots. Melissa has wanted Gabe for herself for as long as Mia has. Might as well get the next teen wedding out of the way.
She makes a face. “He’s been calling, but I thought I’d make him work for it. I mean, he did choose Mia over me. That means I’m second best, right? I heard that whole speech outside. You really handed Gage Oliver his balls. You might as well have given them to Bullet to chew up and shit out of his rear. It was that ugly.”
Now it’s me making the face. Bullet, aka D-O-G, is the giant pit bull mix that Mia and Rev share custody of. I’m sure once Bullet gets wind of their reunion, he’ll be thrilled that he’s no longer the product of a broken home—that is, if Mia can break the hold Carson Armistead now has on Rev.
“I’m sorry you heard that.” I glance past her and spot Chloe pawing all over Gage. Her fingers are knotted up in the back of his hair the way mine used to be and my hands actually hurt because they still crave the feel of his slick locks. “Just between you and me, not a word of it was true.” Tears come to my eyes and I’m quick to blink them away. “If Gabe cares about you even half as much as I loved Gage, then you are a very lucky girl.” That didn’t come out quite the way I wanted it to, but she gets the point.
Melissa pulls the hem down on her skirt before fiddling with her purse. “I’m really glad to hear that. I was about to dump some love potion I swiped from Dominique and spike his beer with it later, but in all honesty, I’d like to see how this all plays out in the natural. But for you, my dear older, somewhat wiser sister”—she produces a small plastic bag of what looks to be white powder and shoves it into my hand before curling my fingers over it discreetly—“sprinkle this on Chloe’s Wheaties and that witch who’s been haunting you ever since we set foot on this island will be no more.” Her serious dark eyes bear hard into mine. “I won’t tell, Skyla. This will be our deadly little secret.” She gives a sly wink before disappearing into the crowd.
I glance down at the bag full of poison, I presume, and my blood runs cold. How easy it would be to tamper with Chloe’s food. How wonderful it would be to remove her from the planet indefinitely.
The bag feels slippery in my hand, uncertain of whether or not it even wants to be there as I tuck it into the boxy black metallic purse Bree gifted me for Christmas. I know for a fact if my mother wants Chloe around, that bag won’t do me an ounce of good. Of course, I could remove Chloe from the planet indefinitely myself. I do hold the power. But I like the idea of being the bigger person, the one that makes this sin ride over Gage Oliver’s back for choosing her day in and day out. Besides, how I would loathe Gage threatening to take the boys from me unless I return his favorite hostage, the way he demanded I keep Holden away from Chloe. It’s bad enough I have to witness Gage and Chloe together, but hearing him all but profess his love via his acts of perceived kindness toward her guts me all the more.
Shakespeare saidhell hath no fury like a woman scorned, and I’ve yet to unleash any great fury. The only thing I want and need is my people safe. Screw Gage and Chloe and their outlandishly foolish love. I’m wearing my crocodile skin as Marshall suggested. I’m going to save my people from the Barricade and screw Logan Oliver’s brains out. And those are the only two things on my agenda tonight.
I take off to find the fair-haired Oliver and stop cold when I see a sight that actually has the power to frighten me a bit more than Chloe and Gage intertwined on the dance floor.
“Holy shit.” I speed over and snatch the blonde bombshell with her red glittering gown away from a group of men I have never seen in my life. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?” I hiss as I speed us all the way to the dark corridor that leads to a small makeshift kitchen in the back that they open up as a concession stand during basketball games.
This identical version of me giggles, her eyes sparkle like luminescent stars, and then it hits me.
I gasp. “You’re not Candace.” My heart thumps erratically. “You’re Rory.” For the life of me I didn’t think I’d see her in the wild sporting my face in a crowd where I am actively participating. “Oh crap. Please tell me you’re not running around this island pretending to be me.”
“Heavens no.” Her eyes widen and her lips pull back in the exact manner mine do when I’m lying.
“What are you doing here? Are you aware that haunted horse of yours has been in Marshall’s corral for the last three months?” Has it been three months? It was on Gage and Chloe’s fated wedding night, the first one, that Logan and I stumbled upon the beast roaming free.
