Page 122 of Glorious Rivals

“Our father was murdered,” Savannah snapped, “and you—”

“Our father was a murderer.”Gigi felt the rise and fall and rise and fall of her sister’s chest.“And I wanted so badly to protect you from that.”Gigi had wantedso badlyto be strong.

She thought about Mattias Slater telling her that she already was.

“It killed me, Savannah.Every time I saw you, it killed me.”Gigi knew that she was on the verge of babbling, and she didn’t care.“But I wanted to do for you what you did for me when you found out about Dad cheating.About Grayson.About all of it.”

“You pushed me away.”Savannah’s voice was almost too calm as she said those words.

“I didn’t mean to,” Gigi whispered.She waited for Savannah to shrug off her hug, to push her away.

But it didn’t happen.After an absolute eternity, Gigi’s twin spoke again.“You’re hurting.”

Gigi didn’t smile.She didn’t grin.For once in her life, she didn’t even try to make it hurt less.“He was our dad.”She hadn’t cried about this.She hadn’t once let herself cry about it.“I know that I should hate him for what he did, but I don’t.Men died, and there is nothing that I can do to make up for that, no matter how hard I try, and I can’t even hate the person who killed them.”

Savannah’s arms wound around Gigi’s shoulders.As hugs went, it was hardly expert, but it was enough.

“I was going to bring it all to light.”Savannah’s voice was quiet but not at all soft.“I was going to bring them down.”

Was.Gigi knew her sister well enough not to read too far into that.Savannah was not a person known for changing course.

“But now,” Savannah continued, “Avery is missing, and I don’t even—” Savannah cut off mid-sentence.“You didn’t know.”

Gigi stared at her sister.“I am totally going back over a mostly one-sided phone conversation I had that is making a lot more sense now.”

This is bad, Gigi thought.This is very bad.

“I know you care,” Savannah said.“About them.About Avery.”

“I care too much,” Gigi told Savannah.“Always and sometimes inappropriately.It’s kind of my thing—but you know what’s really not my thing?Secrets.Keeping them.From you.”

No more secrets, Gigi thought.“I might know something,” she told her sister, “about what’s going on.”It all came pouring out—again: Slate and Eve, Calla and Zella,the time for watching.

“Back up to the part where you got kidnapped,” Savannah said.“Twice.”

“And I didn’t even get a T-shirt,” Gigi quipped.Part of her wanted to ask—if they were okay, ifSavannahwas—but Gigi didn’t get the chance.

Savannah turned suddenly, whipping her head left.It took Gigi a good three seconds to realize why.Footsteps.Coming toward them.

Rohan.

There were walls, and then there werewalls.Gigi sensed the change in her sister immediately.

“You again?”Savannah raised her chin as Rohan wrapped his way around the pool toward them.

“Lower your hackles, love.I’m here with an offer.”Rohan smiled, a wicked smile, a far-too-charming one.“For your sister.”He turned to Gigi.

“Over my dead body,” Savannah said.“Or better yet—over yours.”

“Promises, promises,” Rohan replied.

“Me?”Gigi blinked.And blinked again.

“I find myself in need of an accomplice who can go where I cannot,” Rohan said, his gaze lingering on Savannah’s for another second or two before it shifted back to Gigi once more.“And based on what I just overheard, you’ll do quite nicely.”

Chapter 89

LYRA