Page 1 of Cuckoo (Devil’s Murder MC #7)

A ge fifteen—

“You sure we won’t get caught?” Katrina asked, tugging her jacket tighter around her pirate costume.

It was cold out tonight but not freezing. If she wasn’t so tiny, she’d be warmer.

“Nah. No one will be home until much later.” I shrugged off my coat and draped it over her shoulders. “Besides, it’s Beggar’s Night. Don’t you wanna play games and eat some candy?”

I mowed twenty lawns for enough money for us to sneak out and hit the carnival. I’d be pissed if we didn’t go.

“I didn’t dress up as Super Zombie for nothing.”

She giggled, and her teeth finally stopped chattering. “Perfect costume. Horror meets hero.”

“Exactly.”

“Like The Princess Bride in the Fire Swamp.”

“Yeah.”

I reached for Katrina’s hand and held it, leading her along the streets filled with kids in costumes. She kept wanting to pause and stop for candy, but I had this evening all planned. We had to hurry.

“I’ve got tickets,” I reminded her. “We’re going to have a ton of fun.”

It took forever for us to walk to the edge of town and enter the carnival, but you couldn’t miss it if you tried.

All the lights, loud machines, flashing signs, the whirring and shouts that accompanied the games, and the acts peddling to the attendees eager to gain butts in seats for the entertainment.

The first place I wanted to go was the Ferris wheel. “Come on!”

Katrina ran to keep up with me as I handed over our tickets, laughing as I had to help her climb into the seat of the pod. It swung as we entered, and I strapped us in, excited to see the carnival from the top.

“Is it super high?” she asked, nibbling on her bottom lip.

“Don’t be scared. I’m here. I won’t let you fall out.”

She reached for my hand, but I slid my arm around her instead, tucking her close to me. She stayed warmer that way. Plus, she could see everything without being afraid of slipping out and falling to her death.

“Isn’t it pretty?” I asked when we finally reached the top.

“It’s breathtaking.”

We could see the entire carnival from here. Every ride. All the food vendors. The games.

Katrina began pointing to things. Her bottom wiggled in the seat as she gasped. “Cotton candy, Rain!”

“We’ll get some. Popcorn, too.”

She leaned over and kissed my cheek. “You’re the best!”

“Anything for you.” I meant it. Katrina and I weren’t related by blood, but we were family. As close as it got without sharing DNA.

But lately, I started to notice how pretty and sweet she was, and even her smile made my heart begin to race. It was weird.

I tried not to think of her like that as we rocked in our cabin. From this view, everything seemed so small. The world didn’t feel like it was caving in.

“Rain?”

“Yeah?” I asked, not looking at her.

“I’m scared.”

Shit. When she told me things, it usually meant someone was hurting her or trying to, and it made me feel murderous.

“Don’t be. I’m here.”

“It’s not the ride.”

I knew it. “What is it?” Would I regret asking her?

“What if I don’t ever find my true love?”

“True love?” I nearly choked.

“Like in The Princess Bride . Wesley and Buttercup.”

“If you haven’t found him by the time you’re thirty, I’ll be your true love.”

I didn’t know what made me say that. Or promise it.

“Really?”

“Yeah.”

She rested her head on my shoulder, and I heard her sigh with relief. It was funny how words had so much power. They could hurt. Torture. Threaten. But they could also heal and bring hope. Katrina taught me that.

I wanted to be her forever, her true love, because I needed that lifeline as desperately as I needed her. When I felt low, she was the only one who could make me laugh and smile. Katrina was the reason I bothered to dress up for Halloween.

“You’ll love me,” she whispered, “because that’s what true love is. Kisses. Holding hands. Popcorn and cotton candy. Rides on the Ferris wheel.”

I swallowed hard because as much as I wanted to deny it, I couldn’t.

“Giving me your coat because I’m cold. Hiding me in the closet.” Her voice cracked. “Taking beatings meant for me.”

Fuck. I trembled, hating that we couldn’t escape. I tried so many fucking times. They always found us.

“If we ever get separated, will you do something for me?”

Of course. She didn’t have to ask.

Wait. Get separated? What did she mean?

“Katrina?”

“Keep wearing costumes. Put a smile on your face. Wherever I am, I’ll think of you and know you’re doing it.”

“I promise.”

“Thank you, Rain.”

Her gratitude was more than all the things she mentioned. It was all the things she couldn’t because we buried them deep down, covered them with concrete, and hid them so we didn’t have to expose the deepest hurts.

“Always,” I whispered back, watching as the Ferris wheel descended and reality rushed to meet us.

“Can we get popcorn and cotton candy now?”

I led her away from the Ferris wheel and toward the food stalls. “You can get whatever you want.”

Seeing her smile when I answered? It was worth every penny.