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I pull away and she giggles.
“Too much?”
“Not enough,” I say. “But I can’t whisk you away just yet, so I’d better be good.” I don’t want to be good, though. I want to rip her clothes off and feast on her sex, I want to feel the length of my cock inside her and watch her shiver as she comes.
I can’t do any of those things yet, though, so I just pull her into my side and press a kiss to the top of her head. In a few more hours I can take Isla back to her place.
“Alistair says your website will be up and running in a few days.”
Isla sighs and gazes out over the vines. “This is so surreal,” she says. “To think, I was going to be getting married today.”
“Any regrets?” I ask her. She glances up at me, a wry expression on her face.
“Not a single one.”
“Hey guys,” Noah says, coming up to us. “Jeez, Von is really giving Derek a tough time. We’ve done everything by the book with that casing.”
I look over to where my sister is now arguing vehemently with the deputy, who appears to be shrinking into his suit jacket.
“That’s Von for you,” I say. “I don’t think she can turn it off.”
“Maybe she should try yoga. Or meditation.”
Noah and I look at each other and burst into laughter at the thought of Von on a yoga mat surrounded by Upper East Side moms in head-to-toe Lulu Lemon.
“Has she ever triednotbeing quite so scary?” Isla asks.
“Nope,” Noah says. “She lives to dominate.”
“Never seemed to intimidate you,” I tell him.
“I am a man of strong moral fiber,” he says, grinning. He claps me on the shoulder. “Ready to take on the responsibilities of running this place?”
“Dad isn’t retiring yet,” I remind him. “He’ll still be involved in the day-to-day. But yeah.” I smile. “I’m ready.”
Isla rests her head against my shoulder and for one second, time seems to slow. I wish I could capture this moment and keep it in a jar like a firefly, a reminder of the brightness of life and the possibility of the future.
The next second, I hear sirens wailing in the distance. I look to Noah.
“What’s going on?” I say.
“I don’t know,” he replies. “I’m off today.”
The sirens come closer until suddenly, three Magnolia Bay police cars descend on the lodge. Sheriff Briggs gets out, surrounded by his men as they storm up the steps to the veranda, startling all the guests.
“What is going on here?” Dad says, pushing through the crowd to get to the sheriff. “This is a private event, Bill.”
“I’m sorry, Russell,” the sheriff says. “But this couldn’t wait. We’ve got a match on that fingerprint.”
I feel a jolt run through me, like an electrical current straight to my heart. A match. Finally, we’ll have a name for the monster who took my mother away from us.
“Who is it?” Dad demands as my brothers and sisters join us.
The sheriff strides over to where me and Isla are standing. For a second, I’m confused. Then he turns to my best friend.
“Noah Patterson, you are under arrest for the murder of Marion Everton,” Sheriff Briggs says.
It feels like the earth drops out from under my feet. I’m floating, disembodied, my pulse thudding in my ears.