What are you doing out here, girl?
Alone in the rain again.
In the dark.
Her silhouette pauses, head tilting as though she senses me watching. And despite everything—the pain, the rage, the betrayal—I’m struck by how fucking beautiful she is, even as a shadow.
Perhaps you fancy another game of Hide and Hunt, Miss H?
You know...for old times’ sake?
Only this time, we play for keeps.
When I catch you, I’m not letting go.
I step forward, melting into the darkness of the woods.
Chapter 50
Bastian
I glare at the rain as it slams against my Tesla’s windshield. The wipers are going full blast, but I might as well have them turned off. Water sluices down the glass, only briefly dispersed by the blades before a fresh wave ripples down.
…it’s never going to stop, Bash. Never, ever, ever…
My jaw clenches, teeth gritting. It wasn’t raining this hard when I left home. If I knew it would come down like this, I wouldn’t have?—
A bark of laughter stabs through Chopin’s nocturnes.
Please.
Like I had a fucking choice.
My resentful glare turns into a bemused smile as I guide my Tesla down the road. Who knew my brain could still surprise me with its little idiosyncrasies? Like pretending I’m not a slave to my urges. In that respect, I’m all too human.
I couldn’t have stayed home anymore than I could have stopped myself spitting into Haven’s bleeding pussy. Or helping her rid herself of her familial duties.
This isn’t about what I want.
It’s about what Ineed.
And thank God, there’s a college kid in Agony Hollow who needs this as much as I do.
A demonic red glow up ahead warns me of an intersection. I stop the Tesla, shoulders hunched as I peer through the pouring rain, waiting for the light to change. This late at night, I’d barely have slowed down before speeding through, but with such poor visibility, I’d be risking someone T-boning me.
Definitely shouldn’t be out in this weather, but I won’t suffer through a dry weekend when this rain looks like it won’t let up for days still. Who knows what I’d get up to?
Passages from Evelyn’s manuscript keep rattling around in my head. I scavenged a few pages from the trash, those I hadn’t already burned…or eaten. Jesus, I wonder if I made Ginger Snap eat a page?
There’s this shard of a memory that keeps replaying, someone saying they don’t like the way the paper tastes.
Could have been her.
Could have been me.
Should have burned all of it, but I’ve always been a collector of oddities, among other things. Besides, there might be enough evidence in those pages for some form of litigation.
All I need to do is find a lawyer willing to sue a renowned, dementia-ridden old woman.
