Hazel must have been so scared.
I know I was.
“And then what?” I ask, already knowing what’s coming.
“I came up behind her with my lights off and just gave her a little push. You know all about that, don’t you, Kat?” She winks at me. “Or should I call you Sloane? Which do you prefer?”
“Why me? After all that, you stole Hazel’s identity; you could have done what you wanted and?—”
“Oh, Kat, if only it were that easy but you’re everywhere.Hazel found out about your little side hustle as Sloane Daniels andsworeme and our aunt to secrecy. Adorable, right? But here we were doing the Lord’s work, as my poor aunt would say, spreading joy and instilling good healthy morals and you were just flying high writing porn like a wolf in sheep’s clothing.”
“It’s not porn?—”
“Frankly, I don’t care one way or the other butsinnerdoes have a nice ring to it, doesn’t it? And I was just so sick of watching everyone fawn all over you. It started out as just having a little fun—cathartic some would say—but then I started thinking how I could take both youandSloane down in one shot.” She opens her arms wide. “And here we are.”
“Was it worth it?” I ask, pushing back from the table to stand. “Was it worth it? You’re going to jail, your sister is dead, and your plan didn’t work. None of it worked.”
“It all worked. And I’ll make sure it keeps working.”
“And I’ll make sure you stay where you belong.”
“Oh, and Kat?” I turn just enough to look at her over my shoulder. “When you write this story in one of your trashy little Sloane books, make sure to put me in the acknowledgments.”
51
TOM
Iwant to smash something with my bare hands as I listen to Portia’s confession from behind the glass. The extent of her cruelty is disturbing but not at all surprising as everything enfolds.
Ozzy had left the gala and gone to check out a storage unit containing the Ford Taurus Hazel had been driving when she crashed in Vermont. According to what Royce could find, Portia had bought the car outright from the junkyard after the crash and had it fixed up. It wasn’t registered to her but itwasregistered to the company Dahlia said reached out to her about doing the illustrations on her covers.
A dark sedan.
Similar to what was captured by the neighbor’s security camera and described by Kat more than a week ago.
Ozzy also relayed that there was white paint transfer on the car that would be consistent with striking Kat’s vehicle.
Jealousy.
Disgust.
And a fair amount of delusion played a role in this tragic story.
Portia continued grinning as she laid everything out for Kat to see. To admire.
Because at the end, that’s what this was. A chance for Kat to acknowledge how clever Portia had been—the intricate plot she’d woven and all the players involved.
But it wasn’t some masterpiece.
It was simply a long list of betrayals.
Hazel.
Amelia.
Kat.
And undoubtedly so many others that had the poor misfortune of ever running into Portia Drake either in person or online.
