They swirl around me until they litter the floor. I instantly drop to pick them up, scrambling to put the pieces back where they were—no one likes a fucking snoop—but pause.
They’re newspaper clippings, torn or cut from their original articles, and notes scribbled on faded pink paper. As I look at the clippings, I notice they’re all from the same town—Whistleburg, Virgina—spanning over a couple years. They detail different crimes: a theft, a few attacks, a string of murders.
I stare at the last one in bewilderment.The Cosmo Killer?Why does that sound vaguely familiar?
I clutch the pieces, drawn into the web of stories they’re clearly trying to tell when I hear a door closing, and I jump. Quickly, I stuff the papers back into the book, opening it on the desk but not bothering to care which page, and flee from the room. The door nearly shuts when I remember to turn off the light.
“V?” Faith blinks at me as I lean against the hall, chest heaving. I yelp in surprise, clutching my chest to keep my heart from jumping straight out.
“Fuck! This place is seriously creepy and big. I’m so turned around.”
She blinks back at me, her face perfectly neutral, before looking down the lit hallway, directly into the foyer where the impossible to miss staircase gleams. She looks back at me, and I swallow.
I’m so fucked.
But instead of calling me out, Faith shrugs. “The ghosts like to fuck with your mind. Come on.” She wraps her arm around my waist, pulling me along with a giggle.
I lean into her, seeking safety in my friend like I’ve come to rely on.Faith would protect me from anyone, of that, I have no doubt.
FORTY-TWO
RAFAEL SANTOS
December 1st, 2025
Swirlingthe spoon through the chocolatey cereal, the pebbles that normally bring me happiness turn to ash in my mouth. What have I done?
More importantly,how do I fix it?
“Enjoy your cereal and then pack your shit.” McCrae waltzes into the kitchen, playing the indifferent part he’s too damn good at, and I snort. It’s a mask, a façade, and it’s not about to work with me.
“Or what, tough guy?”
His shoulders tighten, cords of muscle bulging in his neck as they threaten to snap. I take a bite of cereal, savoring the chocolate taste for the first time tonight.
Everything’s better when I’m pissing off McCrae.
He doesn’t turn around, but his voice lowers as he opens the fridge. “You will leave Santos—or should I say, Rafael?” He pulls out a beer and pops the cap before finally meeting my gaze.
Being the glutton for a beating that I am, I smirk. “I prefer Rafael. Santos is a little too saintly for me, if I’m being honest.”
McCrae’s nostrils flare. “If you’re being honest? You haven’t been honest a single day I’ve known you.”
I shrug, chewing the bite of cereal so slowly, the vein in his temple begins to throb. “To be fair, I thought you shot my brothers and murdered my little brother. I didn’t exactly owe you my honesty.”
“Well, now you know the truth?—”
I stop him, setting down the spoon with a loud clatter before he can begin his signature McCrae tirade. “And so do you. We’re even. I don’t give a fuck what you think; only what Valentina thinks.”
He laughs, really laughs, his eyes widening like I’ve just told him the funniest joke. “Valentina? She’ll never forgive you. That’s not who she is. She might have said that shit earlier, but that’s only because she wants to be different, not because she’s capable of actuallybeing different.” He takes another swig. “It doesn’t matter to me. I care about her just the way she is. I always have. I protect her when she needs it, whatever the fallout may be, and start over the next day. She deserves someone to be there for her, despite how difficult it may be.”
His words are like a physical blow, each one hitting closer to my already-bruised heart. Standing to my full height, I place my balled fists atop the counter, leaning my weight on them to keep from throwing them in McCrae’s smug face.
“How dare you.” My voice quivers, and his brows instantly drop.
“What the fuck?—”
“V’s not deserving of love despite how difficult she is. She isn’t difficult—she’s tortured. She’s deserving of love because she’s the strongest, bravest, most beautiful woman alive, and if you don’t fucking know that already, you don’t deserve her.”
