“I can hear you!” A woman says through the door before she bangs on it again. Sophie looks around and then tosses the mask under the little bench near the door. Then she pats her hair, trying to finger-comb it behind her ears. I want to tell her that really won’t help at all. She looks properly fucked.
“I’m running to the bathroom.” She tries to slip around me, but I catch her, wrapping my arm around her waist and reeling her in. Sophie looks up at me with wide, shocked eyes.
“This is a good thing. How can they think this is fake when I’ve obviously just fucked your face.” I reach for the door, and she screams, clawing at my arms like a stray cat. She might yell something like“Don’t you dare open that door” and then “Let me go,” panic lacing her words.
I open the door with a big smile. She goes still in my arms as we face a crowd of her family bundled up with luggage on the porch. What I assume is her parents look at us with surprise.
“Look honey, your family came early! Come in, come in.” I urge, moving out of the way. Sophie starts fighting for her freedom again; it’s cute. Her feet aren’t even touching the ground as I move us back. She kicks and thrashes.
“Let me down,” she hisses under her breath.
“Are you okay, sweetheart?” Her mom asks. Sophie gives up and hangs loosely with a groan.
“Yes, mom,” she says lifelessly.
“Don’t mind her, she’s just tired. I’m really happy to have you here,” I tell them.
This was my dream when I bought the house. A huge family in my cabin—either through marriage or a million kids. I’m not fussy. Sophie looks at me like I’m crazy as she realizes I’m being genuine. She knows all my sides well enough to know when I’m actually excited—murder, chasing Sophie, and, yes, family visits.
“Psychopath,” she silently mouths.
12
SOPHIE
Soren is fascinating. All of my attention is taken away from my family and put on to him. How am I supposed to ask how a boring drive was when I’m watching a serial killer blossom like a crowned prom princess? He’s on cloud nine while pulling luggage up the stairs, getting people settled in rooms, and running into closets to pull out extra blankets. He’s even scheduling plans for everyone to go tubing in the morning and promising fresh pastries and coffee from the Shenandoah Valley Bakery down the street.
“How long has she been staring at him?” My aunt asks.
“The whole time,” Mom sighs. I snap my head away from watching Soren. He’s marching across the upper floor balcony, dragging more luggage while laughing at my Uncle’s bad joke.
“I just haven’t seen him around family before. It’s a new side to him I wasn’t expecting.”Because he kills people. A psychopath who loves family visits. I don’t know if that’s worse or better. I look around at everyone getting settled and realize he’s taken charge, and I haven’t had to do anything.
“He’s handsome,” Mom comments.
“I know,” I sigh. That’s what started the whole mess. I went out with an asshole who looked like Soren. And then Soren killed him.
I can’t say anything about that, though. I stare at my mom like a deer in the headlights, waiting to get hit by the car.
“She looks shell-shocked. Told you we shouldn’t have just showed up,” Aunt Carol says.
“Well, imagine how I felt when her assistant had to tell me my own daughter was married.” She shoots me a look. “Explain that to me.”
“Uh…”
Soren suddenly breezes past us and goes into the kitchen. The sound of pots and pans banging around indicates he’s starting to cook.
“I think he needs my help.” I dart away from them and throw myself into the kitchen. Soren’s pulling half the groceries I bought out of the fridge.
“Does your family like meatballs?” His eyes settle heavily on me a moment before he’s halfway across the kitchen, inspecting his seasonings. I watch him quickly whip up meatballs and then begin working on a sauce. Or gravy, I guess. I don’t know much about Scandinavian meatballs. There’s a smile on his face.
“Everyone seems excited to go tubing,” he says. The sauce smells exquisite, like Thanksgiving. I see sage beside the stovetop.
“I’m going to get cleaned up,” I sigh. This is a very new side to Soren for me. I open the freezer to grab a face mask and see a hand. I shut it back. Then I open it again. Yep, the hand is still there.
“Soren,honey?”I bite out.
“Yes, wifey?” He calls over his shoulder.
