Romeo held his breath, inching the bathroom door open.
He blinked.
Chad wasn’t there.
“I knew you were here somewhere,” Chad said from behind him.“I could feel it.”
Romeo stiffened, flexing his face in annoyance.So much for sneaking up on Chad.
Clever Magpie.
He slowly turned, and found Chad, fully dressed, and holding another knife.One ofRomeo’sknives, and he knew they were wicked sharp.He knew because he sharpened them on a block in the kitchen.
“You couldn’t just let me go.”Chad forced through his teeth.
His eyes were wet again, but angry, narrowed to slits and his hand trembled around the knife handle.
“No.”Romeo said, holding his hands up in surrender.“I couldn’t.I won’t.”
“Why not?”
“Because I’m selfish, and you and me, we’re meant to be.”
Chad didn’t reply.
Romeo glanced back when water spilled over the edge of the bath.He sighed, walking backwards so he could reach the taps, and twisted until the water stopped flowing.
“You didn’t tell them.”
Chad squinted.“Tell them what?”
“About me.I strolled, easy as anything, into Ally’s house, The Countdown Killer, and you didn’t tell them.There’s no alert on the news ...no police cars screeching around searching for me.They haven’t rushed you off to some safe house—not that anyone can stop me from finding you.”
“When I told them I saw someone at the end of the garden, spying on us, they thought I was seeing things.They drove me to my shrink on the same day, and I had to sit there while she stared at me in mock sympathy, trying to get me to ‘open up’.”
“Keeley’s a good therapist.”
Chad closed his eyes in a long blink.He shook his head.“Because of course you know her name...”
“I know everything there is to know about you, Chad.”
“No.”he said firmly.“You don’t.”
“Whatdoyou remember?About who you were?About Bardhum?About Ally and Josh?About anything?”
“Pieces,” Chad whispered.“Pieces that don’t fit together.It doesn’t make sense.I don’t make sense.”
Romeo frowned at that.“Are there pieces of me?”
“Yes.”Chad’s brow twitched.“They’re the most confusing of all.That’s why you should leave.”
“That’s not going to happen.”
Chad squared his shoulders.“I’m going to give you one chance.Only one.Leave.Let me go and don’t come back.”
He flicked his head to the side, as if gesturing Romeo out of the bathroom.
“That’s very ...irresponsible of you.”
