Page 38 of Property of Scythe

She nods and traces her finger over the pattern of the blanket. “What else?”

“Do you know anyone named Calvin Brown?”

She frowns. “No. Should I?”

“No. He’s the guy my bike crushed.”

She visibly startles. “Oh. Wow. Why did he try to attack me?”

“I’m working on it. So is Boomer.”

“Okay.”

“Listen, baby. Last Friday night, someone left a severed arm outside the shack. Boomer thinks someone is being targeted.”

“Who?”

I hate telling her this, but she deserves to know. “You.”

“I don’t understand. Why? I haven’t done anything.”

“I know. But someone has been following you.”

“So? That could be nothing.”

Her argument would make sense if not for the clown.

“When we were sitting down after the hayride, I saw someone dressed as Art the Clown watching us.”

She flinches. “What do you mean?”

“I thought it was Phantom until I saw all the blood on the stranger’s costume. When I talked to Phantom, there wasn’t any blood on his clothes. And then we found the severed arm.”

“That doesn’t mean it’s about me.”

“He was watching us, Lottie. You, mostly. He seemed angry when he saw us together. Like he was on the verge of violence.”

“Then why did that Calvin Brown guy try to kill me?”

This is the part that fucking worries me. “I think he might believe that if he can’t have you, no one will.”

She sputters as she tries to respond. “That’s ridiculous!”

Maybe, but it’s a viable theory. “We can’t take any chances.”

Lottie folds her arms over her chest. She’s frustrated, and I don’t blame her. Either she’s got a superfan who’s deranged, or she’s become a target for another reason. Either way, I need to protect her.

“I want you to stay with me until this is figured out.”

“Stay with you? Does that mean I move in?”

“For now. Yes.”

“And if I say no?”

“I’ll be staying with you. And that’s complicated because I have to bring Mila. How big is your place?”

She rolls her eyes. “Not big enough.”