Page 84 of Kiss of Deceit

“He’s fine.” Tristin brushed off his friend’s worry. “He had to distract her fucking guard dog.”

Interesting. He did think about this enough to get me away from Kole. Yet, there wasn’t any part of me that was scared. Tristin wasnothingcompared to what I’d dealt with in the past.

I nearly stumbled over my next step, my body reacting slower than usual. I shook my head, trying to clear the sudden daze. It was freezing out, but this wasn’t from the cold. Tristin’s snicker had me looking over my shoulder, meeting his smirk.

“It’s too bad you didn’t drink all your soda,” he said in a tauntingly cold voice. “Leon put on a good show to slip in those crushed sleeping pills at the bar.”

Ice slid through my veins. “You drugged me?”

He shoved me forward. “Can’t have you running off, can I?”

A stab of apprehension hit my chest. I could take care of myself, but it would be much more difficult to fight off two men if my reflexes were sluggish. I kept a tight hold on my pocketknives as we stepped onto the wooden bridge. The river below was moving fast like always, making it hard to hear anything else over the rushing water.

I wasn’t sure if the drugs were going to hit me harder, and I decided I needed to end this before it possibly got worse. There was no way I was going to chance passing out in front of them. Once we were halfway across the bridge, I spun around,knocking the gun away from me. Tristin let out a yell, scrambling back and aiming it back at me.

“Keep fucking walking,” he hissed.

I tilted my head. “Or what? If you wanted to kill me, you would have done it already.”

He seemed taken aback by my words, but it only took a second for his anger to build. “You think I won’t kill you? I want answers first. I know you had something to do with Lucas’s death. Maybe you’re even the killer. That whole situation in the police station last week was probably a show you put on.”

I giggled, fighting the pull of the sleeping pills. “Is that what you think?” I tested my luck by stepping closer to him. He shoved the gun into my chest hard enough to bruise. “If that’s true, maybe bringing me out here was a mistake. If I’m the killer, what’s stopping me from murdering both of you?”

“Shut up,” he snapped. “Just admit it. You killed Lucas.”

“We need to hurry up,” Leon muttered, rubbing the back of his head. “If Kole finds her here, he’s going to fucking kill both of us.”

“He won’t find us,” Tristin exploded, sparing a glare at his friend. “No one is leaving until she admits it.”

“You’re fixating on me,” I mocked. “It’s not healthy. You should probably see a therapist.”

“You can’t hide behind Kole out here. This whole tough act is getting old.”

“I’m acting tough?” I asked, my voice sickly sweet. I trailed my eyes down his body. “Look at how large that shotgun is. Compensating for something, Tristin?”

His eyes darkened with rage. “You think you’re funny?”

He lowered the weapon, and I stumbled back but moved too slowly. Pain exploded over my face when he backhanded me across the cheek. I cursed the drugs coursing through my system when he slapped me again. I gritted my teeth, my rage slowlybuilding. With everything happening in this town, I couldn’t afford to do anything to bring suspicion on me.

“Fuck it,” Tristin muttered, his words clearly for Leon. “We’re not going to the cliff. We’ll do it here and throw her body in the river. We’ll say it was an accident.”

Leon didn’t respond for a few moments. “And if Kole doesn’t believe us? He has a thing for her.”

“We’ll be fine,” Tristin argued. “We both tell the same story. With the shit going on in this place, Harry doesn’t have time to worry about us.”

I blinked a couple times, my limbs getting heavier by the minute. I couldn’t tell if it was the drugs, Tristin’s hits, or the biting wind making my face numb. Yet at the same time a familiar spark ignited as I stared at him while he bickered with Leon. My stomach churned anxiously, recognizing the signs. I was going to snap just like I did with Lucas. The urge to kill these two was surpassing all other logical thoughts.

Before this, I had every intention to leave Tristin alone.Not anymore.I hesitated for a split second even as adrenaline flooded me. The craving used to be constant until I stopped killing a few years ago. Then Lucas woke it back up. Yet, this was the first time in weeks I’d had this hunger.

My eyes snapped to Tristin when he stormed closer. I could have tried to stop him when he grabbed my throat, but instead, I remained still. His gaze met mine, questions filling them when I didn’t fight back or even move. He didn’t squeeze hard, giving me a chance to keep breathing.

“Tell me what you did to Lucas,” he screamed, spit flying from the corner of his mouth. “Or I’m throwing you over the railing. No one will find your body for months.”

“I killed him.” My cold words had both Tristin and Leon gaping at me. A smirk lifted my lips as I slowly slid my hand intomy jacket pocket. “I shoved him off the cliff and stayed there, listening to his screams until he hit the ground.”

“You crazy bitch,” Tristin growled, grasping my throat harder. “I fucking knew it.”

“Hey,” Leon yelled in panic. “What the hell are you holding?”