Page 119 of His Trick

“What are you going to do, Shiloh?”

It wasn’t a question, not really. It sounded more like a dare.

“Because I want you to be extremely aware of the consequences your actions will cause,” he continued.

I had thought about that. I knew when I set out to do this, it would put Carrington into a tailspin, and I knew what it meant. I had to protect my choice. No matter what.

“No longer content with hiding behind my sister anymore?”

I didn’t answer.

“What are you going to do, Shiloh?”

Again, I stayed silent. I couldn’t admit it, even to myself.

“Shiloh Anderson, if you do not tell me what you’re planning, I can’t promise I won’t retaliate and do something far worse than killing sweet, Carmen Vita.”

Carrington was already spiraling, already falling deeper into an endless void of darkness.

“Meet me one last time, Carrington.” My voice was as unsteady as my shaking body. “Meet me where we met. I need to say goodbye, the only way we’ve ever said hello.”

Carrington didn’t speak, his breathing getting harder and faster.

“Goodbye?” His voice cracked. “You’ll only say goodbye to me over your dead fucking body…or mine. I won’t say goodbye to you, Sunshine. Ever”

My heart was fucking breaking in two.

“I love you, Care Bear. Meet me tonight. Please. After everything you owe me this.”

Carrington remained silent, but his tears were as audible as mine when he took a deep breath and said, “Tonight, Shiloh. I will have you tonight, but this time I won’t let you think it’s just a fucking dream.”

The drive into the city was suffocating. The morning sun was too bright, even with my sunglasses on. It stabbed through the windshield in sharp slants that made me squint even harder. Xanthy was still fast asleep, and the damn tie at my throat felt more like a noose than a fashion statement.

I kept my glasses on, even when we finally arrived at the overly fancy venue.

“Baby, wake up. We’re here.”

Xanthy sat upright, blinking and looking around. Her pale lavender dress made her look radiant, and all her primping would surely have her looking better than any of her friends. She was humming softly, her hands folded in her lap, a nervous habit I knew all too well.

“Hey, you’ve wanted to go to this thing for weeks. What’s wrong, Babe?”

I was fucking here. Ready to be a damn show pony for her.

Ready for…after.

She had no idea how much weight pressed against my chest.

I glanced at her profile, at the curve of her nose and the way her lips curved up ever so slightly, even when she wasn’t smiling. She was content, if not a little uneasy.

“I’m sad about Carmen. She was my friend, and it won’t be the same without her here.”

The name pinged an uncomfortable memory, and the shrieking corpse with Xanthy’s voice played in my mind.

“I’m sure your other friends will make you feel comfortable. They’re all grieving, too. But this is about, uh, Grettel’s big day. A joy and whatnot, okay? I’m here.”

Xanthy sighed but leaned over to kiss me. That’s what she wanted today—me beside her, polished, attentive, and the very proof to her friends that she’d chosen well. That Shiloh, the sweet boy with a doctor’s title in Kentucky, had grown into a man worthy of her.

I gripped the steering wheel tighter.