“So thatcould’ve been him yesterday?”
Rhett stares at me, this gentle giant who carried Mira from her hell, who kissed me, touched me, set me alight. And then brokeme into a million pieces. Okay, that’s a little dramatic, but I think I’ve earned a little drama.
“Yes,” Rhett says.
I let the news roll through me like thunder. I can feel pieces of me breaking, like future versions of me are fading into black and white while the rest stubbornly remains in color. Thefun girl on an adventure with a random handsome neighboris gone. Theconfident, sassy woman who can choose how much she sharesis shattered.
“Right,” I murmur.
He tilts his head at me. “I know it’s a lot.”
My mind spins to Mira, to practicalities. “The police haven’t contacted me,” I murmur.
“Out here, Elle, sometimes the precincts don’t talk to each other. My buddy says it’s been all over the news though, so someone should’ve seen.”
I swallow. “Should I call them?”
He steps forward and shakes his head. “No.”
I stare up at him, this man with fire in his eyes. “Why not?”
“Lucian is a mob prince, Sunshine.”
“You shouldn’t call me that,” I murmur. “Not anymore.”
He swallows. “He’s got connections, some of them even in the police. If the cops are moving slowly, or trying not to get involved, then leave them to it. If you call up and the wrong cop hears…”
“Lucian might hear about it.”
“If he’s looking for you, Elle. That’s a bigif.”
I let my arms hang at my sides, thinking of Mira alone in her bedroom, probably terrified, probably reliving that night. “Someone was here,” I whisper.
“We don’t know if it was Lucian.”
“We need to get those cameras,” I say decisively, standing. “Will you still take us? We can do the boyfriend-and-girlfriend thing, like we decided. Make-believe, yeah, Rhett? We canpretend? Because I don’t know how I feel about… this, right now.” I gesture at him, at us, at everything.
He nods, planting his fists on the table, then standing with me. “What do you want to do about?” He gestures toward the hallway, toward Mira.
“I don’t know,” I admit. “She’s already scared and confused. If she knew Lucian was back…”
Rhett walks around the table, raises his hands, hesitates when I cringe away. But the cringe doesn’t come from where he might think. It’s the fact I want him to touch me, almost need it, but I don’t know what this is anymore.
“I should get ready,” I say.
“Lucian isn’t necessarily back,” Rhett grunts. “If he’s smart, he’s in Mexico.”
“If he’s smart,” I repeat, shaking my head. “I don’t want to rely on that.”
I walk toward my bedroom and get changed quickly. I splash cold water on my face and tie my hair in a bun, no makeup,flushed and blotchy and real. I don’t even care right now. My heart is in my throat. I’m going to have to lie to Mira.
She’s waiting for me in the hallway. “Are we going somewhere?” she asks, holding her backpack, a nervous smile on her face.
At least she’s still talking, still smiling.
“Is Rhett coming?” she asks.
Of course I’m not going to tell her. I can’t. “Rhett and I are still doing that funny boyfriend-and-girlfriend thing, angel,” I tell her. “That was what he wanted to ask me, if I still wanted to do it. But he didn’t want you to know in case you got upset.”
