“Yes, sir. I’m so sorry.” I hid my trembling hands behind my back and tried to regulate my breathing before I passed out.
I couldn’t fuck up.
If I did, Stan could rip all this power I’d gained right out of my grasp. And then I’d be a nobody once again. And my mom would be heartbroken to see me kicked out of the Davenport family.
He absentmindedly smoothed his silk tie and smiled as a pretty female server walked by. “Even Sebastian wouldn’t be that bold. He knows how to do things without getting caught.”
My jaw clenched against the words threatening to fall from my tongue. His precious son didn’t get caught because he had people like me to clean up his messes.
“I wasn’t myself last night, sir. It won’t happen again.” I swallowed hard and ignored the images of Lexi on her knees that bombarded my mind.
Stan gave a half smile and patted my shoulder. “Relax, Killian. I’m all for having fun. There’s just a time and a place for that. Understood?”
I breathed a sigh of relief as my stepfather motioned us back to the table where an older woman in casual jeans and an oversized sweater held a picture out to Bass and my mother.
“Are you sure you haven’t seen her?”
Bass shook his head. “No. I’m sorry.”
As I took my seat, the woman shoved the picture in my face. “Have you seen Alicia Montgomery? My daughter went missing from Stonewall University a few weeks ago.”
Arctic air wrapped my lungs at the familiar girl whose body I buried in Gertrude Farleigh’s grave. I choked down the acid collecting in the back of my throat.
“Sorry,” I muttered, looking everywhere but at the woman and her picture. “I haven’t seen her.”
Bass smoothed back his blonde hair, completely unruffled. Did he have no conscience, or did he not even remember what the girl looked like?
A police officer hurried in our direction, stopping the woman from going to Stan. “Mrs. Montgomery, you’ve already been asked to leave. You can’t keep doing this.”
Her chin lifted even as tears burned in her eyes. “My daughter is missing. She would never run away.”
The young deputy’s lips thinned. “Your daughter left a note and took her belongings. The Copper Cove Police Department has done everything it can.”
“She’s not the first person to go missing from Stonewall University.” She stepped out of the deputy’s reach as he tried to grab her arm. “There is something rotten going on here, and I’m not letting this go.”
The deputy sighed and followed the woman as she marched to the door just as Micah strolled in, looking like he hadn’t slept all night. My jaw clenched, and I hid my fisted hands beneath the table.
Soon, one more person would turn up missing in Copper Cove—because Micah was a dead man if he didn’t complete his task.
And if he attempted to hurt what was mine, I’d make him wish for death.
CHAPTER 24
DEPRAVED MONSTERS
Lexi
I trudged across the quiet campus toward Davenport Auditorium, anxiety weighing down my every step. I’d managed to avoid Killian all weekend after that disastrous party, but that would come to an end today.
On top of that, I felt like the worst friend ever. I’d totally ditched Micah at the ball to fuck around with someone I hated. And now my friend was avoiding me. He hadn’t even shown up to our Biology class.
I was a total asshole. Micah was one of my only friends at Stonewall, and the mere idea of losing him made my heart hurt. I never should’ve gone to that damned fancy ball. Not only had I possibly screwed things up with my friend, but now I was having recurring nightmares of Stan again.
It had taken me years of therapy to erase that man from my mind, and in one terrible night, I was back to square one. I’d woken up Cordelia screaming and crying two nights in a row now. Luckily, the girl slept like the dead and was able to fall backasleep in no time. Meanwhile, I tossed and turned for hours with visions of silver-streaked Satan swirling in my mind. Every time I closed my eyes I was back in that car. His fingers ghosted over my skin, making their way up my thigh...
I squeezed my eyes shut, and a primal scream tore from my lips.Oops. That was not supposed to be out loud. Slowly opening my eyes, I found at least a dozen pairs of eyes staring in my direction.
“Spider,” I muttered lamely.
