So I lift the knife and slit his throat, blood spraying over my mask and the room.
After wiping my knife on the man’s shirt, I take off my gloves and text the cleanup crew, who will take care of thebody. Then I head back to my Airbnb to get cleaned up and packed to move on to my next assignment.
I’m on the back porch smoking a cigar, my go-to reward for a successful hunt, when my phone rings again. Goddamn, I’m popular tonight.
My sister’s happy face in her contact ID fills the screen, and I can’t help but smile. I do miss her. We were so close growing up, even though we’re a few years apart. But after I got involved with the Venatores, I had to keep her at a distance. I know she hates it.
She’d probably hate it even more if she knew what I was doing.
“Hey, sis,” I answer.
“You’re coming home?!” Her excitement vibrates through the phone, and I can’t help but chuckle at her. Despite what we went through, Alyssa’s always had a joy about her that spreads easily to everyone she interacts with.
“I take it you saw the schedule update?” While Alyssa doesn’t know about the Venatores, she does know that I work for the fair as an engineer and designer. She’s the only one who does.
“Yes! I have an alert set up so I immediately get any and all news about the fair. I like to keep track of you,” she tells me. “I’m so excited! And Violet will be so excited to see you, too!”
My heart lurches at the sound of her name. Violet. The one I left behind.
“Don’t tell her I’m with the fair, though, please?”
“Yeah, yeah, I know. You’re so weird about that, but I promise I won’t tell anyone. I’ll just let her know you’re coming.”
“Do you think she’ll even want to see me?” I wouldn’t be surprised if Violet wanted absolutely nothing to do with me. We used to daydream about leaving town together when she graduated. About building a life together. Then I left for college and never looked back. Never reached out to see how she was doing. I haven’t seen or spoken to her in eight years.
“Of course, she’ll want to see you!” Alyssa assures me. “I’ll set up a lunch or something with all of us.”
“All right, just let me know when and where. I love you, sis. Have a good night.”
“Love you. See you soon!” she says and then hangs up.
Chapter Two
Violet
Present
THE CHATTER OFother patrons fills the coffee shop as I sit in the corner with my best friend.
I love it here.
Nothing beats starting the morning with her, catching up as the scent of brewed coffee and sweet syrups floats around us.
“Damon’s going to be in town this week.” Alyssa’s declaration catches me off guard. I haven’t seen her brother since he graduated and moved away from Ridgewater eight years ago. I don’t even know where he’s been or what he’s been doing all this time. We used to be close, but then he left. I’m sure seeing him again would be nothing but awkward.
“Oh, that’s nice.” I’m not sure what else to say.
“We’re meeting for lunch tomorrow, if you wanted to join us? I’m sure he’d love to see you,” she tells me before taking a sip of her macchiato.
“That’s okay, I have work to catch up on, deadlines to meet, you know.” I’m not actually behind on anything, but Ican’t tell her that there’s no way in hell Aaron would let me see Damon, even in as casual of a setting as lunch with his sister. He knows about the crush I had on Damon, how close we were before he left, and he’s told me before that I’m not allowed to see him if he ever came back to visit. I’m surprised I’m even allowed to see Alyssa.
“Well, he’ll be in town for a while. Maybe we can all get together at some point?” She looks at me hopefully.
I know how much she loved that we all got along in high school and were able to spend time together. I miss it, too, and I am curious about what Damon’s been up to, what sort of man he’s become. But I’ve been in enough trouble with Aaron lately, and I don’t want to give him any more reason to be mad at me.
“Yeah, maybe. I’ll see if I can make it work,” I lie.
Alyssa eyes me like she doesn’t believe me. “Why don’t you want to see him? You guys were so close. I honestly thought you’d end up together. How cool would it have been to be sisters?”
