“MyexDanny?”
“Yep, that’s the one.” Briefly, Zach’s eyes glinted with something I couldn’t interpret. “I hear he’s in the hospital.”
My arms crossed. “Everyone’s probably heard that.”
“See, thing is, there was an item he promised to sell me. And with him out of commission, in the hospital and all, we didn’t get to finish that transaction. It’s important to me. I thought maybe you could help me with it.”
All I could do was stare at him. This made absolutely zero sense.
I’d suspected Danny wanted my mom’s old jewelry box for some scheme. But I’d never imaginedZachcould be involved in it.
“What kind of item?” I asked. “Was it a jewelry box?”
His features sagged with relief. “Yeah, that’s it. Do you have it?”
“Why do you want it? What exactly did Danny claim was inside?”
“That’s kind of private. I just need what Danny promised. I’ll pay.”
“You’ll pay,” I repeated in a monotone.
He lifted his hands, squirming in his seat. More sweat beaded at his temples. “Look, I know I don’t seem like I’m flush with cash. I’m not. But my mother has money. She’s not all that generous with it, as I told Danny. But for this, I can figure something out.”
“Yourmother?”
“I just want this settled.” His eyes bored into me, turning hard. Same blue as Dillon’s, but a lot less kind. “I told Danny we could pay ten thousand.”
Did he meandollars?
In high school, I’d thought Zach was cute. Dark hair, those blue eyes. He’d been a loner, a bad-boy type who’d naturally attracted me. Rode a motorcycle and everything.
But his family had been rich, and I’d literally been from the wrong side of the tracks. Nowhere near brave enough in those days to ask out the wealthy, quiet bad boy.
Aside from those fleeting impressions, I hadn’t known him well at all.
Then the Kirby family nearly lost everything. That awful fire killed their father and older sister. Destroyed their home. I’d felt terrible for the Kirbys. Even now, their mom still lived on the same massive property, but all alone.
A memory popped into my head. Something I hadn’t thought about in years.
About a month after the fire, I’d seen Zach in the school hallway and stopped to tell him how sorry I was.
If you need anything, I’d said.
Until I’d seen the look on Zach’s face. Pure hatred. LikeIhad been the cause of his suffering.
Same way he was glaring at me right now.
“Look, I have to get this done today,” he said. “Now. My offer is ten thousand. If that’s not enough for you?—”
I laughed incredulously. Not because this was funny, but because it was so strange. “I don’t have the jewelry box.”
“Danny demanded a lot more, and I told him what would happen if he fucked with me. Don’t test me, Piper.”
All at once, the room telescoped around Zach, like he was finally coming into focus. What I saw was not good. Not at all.
“It was you,” I breathed. “You’re the one Danny was supposed to meet with.”
Zach was probably the person who’d attacked Danny too. Broke into my garage. Tried to frame me and Grayden.
