But doing so would mean I have to remove the mask—it would mean giving up my need for revenge against the people who took everything from me.
It would mean giving up the last pieces of my family I still have.
Instead of responding, I take out my phone, pretending to get a call. “Steven! Where are you, man? I’ve been waiting in the fuckin’ drink line forever. I gotta piss!”
I can tell she hasn’t moved when the weight of her stare remains firmly between my shoulder blades. I roll them, trying to rid myself of her presence and move out of line. “Come on, man. I can’t believe you made me stand in this line when you brought beer in the car. You’re a real asshole, you know that?”
With sure steps, I walk away from the line, down the street, and away fromAdalene.I don’t turn around to see if she’s followed me. I don’t allow myself to look for Valentina in the crowd either.
I can’t stay. I shouldn’t have been here in the first place.
So why do I feel bad for leaving my enemy standing alone in a crowd of people who don’t know her?
TWENTY-TWO
VALENTINA
October 31st, 2025
He kissed me.It’s the only thing I can seem to think, over and over. He kissed me—in a crowd of people who see me as nothing more than an object, something to gawk at or grab.
What makes what he did any different? He kissed me without my permission.
Still, it feels different. He feels different, more so than anyone I’ve ever kissed.
I shake my head, willing away the ridiculous train of thought. It’s no different than any kiss I’ve ever received, besides the fact that it was done to protect me,sort of,rather than use me.
I bite my lip, searching the crowd. I can still feel the firmness of his lips against mine, how he all but consumed me for the briefest of moments, his mouth claiming me like I was his all along. I can feel his tongue probing and demanding, not asking permission but not taking more than I was willing to give. Just confident, determined, like the right puzzle piece fitting into the right hole.
My skin still slightly burns along my upper lip and jaw where his stubble rubbed against me. I run fingers over the tender skin, trying to wipe away the memory of him. I give up, dropping my hands to my sides. I don’t think I’ll be forgetting that kiss any time soon.
It’s because I haven’t been kissed in months—longer, if I’m thinking of a kiss that left my toes curling—not because I care what Santos thinks of me.
I couldn’t care less what he thinks. He’s simply a means to an end, a helping hand and a way to make McCrae jealous—a win, win.
Staring into the crowd, I tell myself I’m looking for Faith and McCrae, but it’s the black baseball cap and half-skull mask I don’t see that has my heart sinking. Faces blur like paint smeared over a canvas, all the colors and costumes bleeding into a fuzzy mirage of a world you can’t quiet step into. I’m standing on the outside, looking in.
Did he leave?
If he did, does it really bother me?
As the minutes tick by, I secretly admit to myself the truth: yes and yes. He left without so much as a goodbye, and it does bother me. No one wants me, wants to be around me, not even the loner man I pay.
Crossing my arms, I ignore the growing chill spreading over my skin. He’s not the only loner man I pay who doesn’t want me.
I’ve got a fucking type, apparently.
“Sucks being on the outside, doesn’t it?”
I slowly turn toward the unfamiliar voice. “Fuck off.”Just what I need—another stranger come to claim their pound of flesh.
He chuckles, not a malicious sound but a knowing one, and I face him fully. I glare at him with a scrutinizing eye—something about him familiar but distant. The blue eyes and sandy blondhair fit perfectly with his pressed jeans and collared shirt, but they stand out in the crowd of Halloween goers.
“Who—”
He sticks out his hand, his smile softening as if he’s doing his best to not scare me away. “Name’s Nathan. I’m a friend of Faith’s. We didn’t get a chance to be introduced that night at the bar.”
I bristle, remembering him clearly now. “Never heard of you.” I begin to dismiss him, turning away, but his smile falters, and for some unknown reason, I pause.
