“Cole, can you get in touch with her?” I asked, my voice cracking around each word, as though the knife had damaged my vocalcords.
He scrutinized me a long minute before offering, “I can message her from a remote number when I get home. What do you want toknow?”
“If she’s all right.” I wish I’d thought of askingLucy.
I took my phone out of my pocket and dialed Jeb. His phone didn’t even ring, which made me think he’d turned it off. Or maybe he’d tossed it so he couldn’t betracked.
“And if maybe”—I flipped my phone around, then flipped it again—“if maybe she found out how they’re planning on using theSillin.”
Henodded.
Everything had gone from bad to shit so quickly, and yet, I feared we hadn’t reached rockbottom.
Soon, Cole was pulling in next to the warehouse. “I’ll call you if I getnews.”
“Okay,” I said, scooting out after August. As Cole drove off, August wrapped his arm around my waist, and together, we walked toward his frontdoor.
He punched in his code, and the door beeped open. After he entered, he let go of me and paced while I turned the lightson.
“Let’s go away. You and me,” he said suddenly. “We can leavetonight.”
“August, I can’tleave.”
“So you want to see Liamdie?”
I swallowed. “Liam won’tdie.”
“Ness—”
“He won’t. He’s stronger than you give him creditfor.”
“Strength won’t help him if she’scheating!”
“Don’t yell,August.”
He dropped into his armchair and cradled his head between his large, blood-soaked hands. “I’m sorry,” he whispered. “I’msorry.”
I went over to him and placed my palm on his hunched spine. He sighed, long and hard, and then he pulled me into his lap and hugged me, burying his face against my collarbone. After several quiet minutes, he pulled away and leveled his gaze on my injured neck. I probably looked like I’d escaped from the set of a slasherfilm.
“Bet this wasn’t quite how you pictured our romantic lakeside evening going,” I said, curling my fingers around the nape of hisneck.
He grunted, and I flicked him. Although it brought a little light to his eyes, it wasn’t nearly enough to disperse the shadows teeming inthem.
I stood up and extended my hand. “Come on. Let’s go wash away all thisblood.”
Exhaling raggedly, he took my hand and rose. On the way to the bathroom, he said, “We need to burn ourclothes.”
Right.Aidan’s blood was all overthem.
August yanked off his shirt, jeans, and briefs, and dumped everything in the kitchen sink. While I unclipped my overalls and pulled off my crop top, he walked over to the wall and used a pole to open two of the hopperwindows.
Even though it was probably not the time to appreciate his naked body, I couldn’t help myself from taking himin.
“Your underwear too,” he said, coming back towardme.
“Myunderwear?”
“It’ll smell likesmoke.”
