Page 85 of Death Kiss

Ellie nods, her eyes growing glassy. She reaches over and takes my hand. ‘And you’ll be an Aunt.’

Relief and joy swell in equal measure, and before long we’re all a mix of tears and laughter, babbling questions and shared excitement.

It’s late into the evening when we’re all stuffed with food, and all but one more than a little tipsy, when I light the candles on the cake. Liam’s face glows in the orange light, and he’s never looked more perfect to me.

We sing off-key and loud while Reggie manages to sneak onto the table, batting pieces of cheese at Hamish, who very much enjoys the game.

Liam blows out his candles to a resounding cheer from our little group. When everyone moves away, taking the cake to cut it up, I slip a hand onto Liam’s chest, snuggling in. He wipes a hand over his eyes before looking down at me.

‘You okay?’ I ask.

‘Better than okay. I have all of you here for me. I’ve finally got a family to call mine. For so long, I’ve kept them all at arm’s length, but now I feel like I can let them in rather than push them away.’

‘You’ve got a family,’ I say with a smile.

‘We have a family.’

Liam runs a thumb over my jaw before kissing me, to a shout of get a room from Ellie.

‘And it’s only going to grow,’ he says.

Smiling, I look out to the woods. To the place we first met, and the location of our deepest secrets. The caved-in well containing body after body. It’s dark now, but even in the brightest daylight, the forest has started reclaiming the scene of our very first kill.

Every family has secrets. Ours are just skeletons in a well instead of a closet.

FORTY-ONE

ASHWORTH

My cell door slides open in the middle of the night, dragging me from a fitful sleep. I’ve lived on the edge since the moment I entered the prison, every side-eye making my stomach clench. There are so many reasons someone might look at me the wrong way in here. And for what? A couple of snotty kids? It’s not like they were the ones people actually cared about.

There’s no guard announcement, no lights being switched on. Sitting, I gather my blanket against myself as I see my cellmate take one look at the figure in the doorway and roll over, covering his head with his blanket. There’s no fear in his actions, just a tapping out of the situation.

Which means they’re here for me.

And that someone has provided them access.

No one’s going to come to help me.

‘Stop,’ I say as the towering figure comes into the room, soon flanked by two others. I recognise them in the gloom. Lifers.

People with nothing left to lose.

William’s threat from so many months ago had begun to diminish with each passing day, but it comes back to me with a terrifying clarity.

I scramble back into the corner of my bed until my spine hits concrete, cold fear flooding my chest as they continue to advance.

‘Please?’ I beg. ‘Don’t do this. I can get you money. Whatever he’s paying, I’ll double.’

The cell door slowly closes behind them. Another sign that whoever let them in is colluding with them.

‘We don’t want your money, Dicky boy.’ The one closest to me says. ‘We want to hear you suffer.’

One of the others gives a low, dangerous laugh that has every hair on my body standing on end.

‘You won’t get away with it,’ I say, hearing the way my voice trembles. I know that tremble; I’m usually the one on the other end of it.

‘Who’s trying to? Killing a kiddie killer isn’t a crime in here. It’s a badge of fucking honour.’ The big one flexes his fingers before fisting them.