“Mmm,” he hums against my skin, kissing softly.
“Sit.”
He sighs, pressing one last kiss to the crook of my neck, then letting me go and sitting back down on the stool. I take my position behind him, adding all the mixed toner to the roots, mids, and ends of his hair until it’s completely coated.
“Can I ask you for a favor?”
I lift a brow. “Always.”
“Tomorrow, during the funeral, please keep your eyes on Niko.”
“I will.”
He doesn’t need to elaborate. I’ve seen what the loss of Luna has done to Niko, albeit from a distance. He’s a wreck, andon some level, he’s blaming himself for not finding her sooner, just like Arlo. It’s gut-wrenching, and all I can do is pray that some day he will find peace.
Because getting over something like this isn’t in the cards; it never was.
“And also, we need to talk about what’s been happening recently.”
I freeze for a moment. Panic floods me, though I keep a straight face. My hand trembles, and I lower it out of his sight, trying my best not to reveal anything.
“What do you mean?”
“Why did you send Paul to prison using Noelle’s name, Blair?”
A part of me is relieved that he’s not referring to my heroin hobby, but the other part of me is a little scared. He doesn’t use my name often, and now that he is, the tone of his voice is serious.
“Let’s just… sit in the living room and talk.”
Arlo nods and heads out of the bathroom. He holds the door open for me, and I step into the room. It’s warm. Arlo figured out I needed a lot of warmth during the winter, so he turned up the heating to the maximum. And I’m still wearing a pair of leggings and a sweater. Meanwhile, he’s in a pair of shorts and a shirt.
I sit on the couch, putting the decorative pillow on my lap, fiddling with it. He sits across from me, arms folded in front of his chest. He’s serious, but that soft gaze he always looks at me with is still there. The kindness, the love, all of it is out in the open for me to see, to make me more comfortable.
“It’s very stupid.”
“I figured,” he chuckles. “Go on.”
“You were gone, Noelle and Hudson were gone, and Aria was trying to be four different people at once. And I just… needed him out of the way.”
“He was already locked up, Blair.”
“Yes,” I nod. “But if we kept him there, he would’ve been set free when we got attacked. It turned out to be better to have him in prison. Besides, he’s Hudson’s cellmate. He’s definitely not having the time of his life.”
“He’s one wealthy man,” Arlo points out. “He’s got connections in a lot of high places. He can easily get out. What’s the plan if that happens? We barely got him the first time.”
“He won’t,” I respond immediately, confident in my words. “I mean, yes, his legal team is working their ass off to get him out, but whenever they try something, a little birdie sends more evidence to the press.”
Something dark gleams in his eyes, his brows narrowing. I can’t tell if it’s pride or respect, but I don’t have the time to question it, either. I’m focused on clearing out anything he might need cleared out, because I’m not risking our relationship taking a hit because of miscommunication.
“Your plan is to turn the public against him until it’s safer for him to stay in prison.”
“Bingo.”
“Alright, what next, then?”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, unless your grand vengeance is to keep him in prison, then you’ll need a plan on how to pull him out.”
