Page 24 of Soul So Dark

On any other day, I’d probably have a different response, but right now I just want to get through this and not cause a scene at Evie’s funeral.

“How are you doing?” she asks, smoothing her long, straight platinum blonde hair that spills over her shoulders onto her peacock blue dress.

I don’t answer, shifting my gaze and suddenly locking eyes with Adrian. His eyes dart to Jordy and he shoots me a warning look before turning back to his conversation with Scott.

Jordy leans in, her amber fragrance assaulting my senses. “How’s Col doing?” she asks, glancing his way.

“Better now, I imagine.”

“Yeah,” she snickers, “Bryce can’t shut up about him. I feel like I know more about Col now than I doyou.”

“Close friends now?” My tone drips with sarcasm. “Too bad he already knows about you.”

As expected, she ignores my snipe. “He’s much more open than you are, even if he is psychotic.”

I peer down at her with a smirk. “Even psychos have standards.”

I’m finished with this conversation, stepping away as soon as Scott motions to the four of us as well as Josh and Rory. Five minutes later, we’re making our way out of the church, fulfilling the dreaded yet necessary duty of carrying Evie down the hill to the gravesite.

Her casket is lighter than I anticipated, and I don’t want to even think about what that means. I know she doesn’t look like any other deceased person. I know she doesn’t look like my mom, who looked so much like she was asleep that my dad had to sit with me for an hour right next to her until I was convinced that she wouldn’t wake up.

“Fucking Christ…” Aiden mutters, glancing over his shoulder to the top of the hill.

I squint as a small group begins descending the hill behind us. Tate Garrison leads the way in dress uniform with Hildy, Bowen, and their parents, followed by the Rhinehardts. Jay’s brother, Wells, and their father are in uniform, probably because they’re still on duty.

Jay clasps Hildy’s hand as they descend the grassy slope toward the tent set up amongst the headstones. Her short, dark chocolate hair hangs over her ears in waves, and she’s wearing a knee-length red dress with long, flowing sleeves.

Upon arriving at the tent, they appear to steer clear of the Maguires and Lutzes, remaining on the opposite side of Evie’s casket. And they should. All of them have some fucking balls showing up here. Colson, Dallas, their mom, Christy, Scott and Evie’s mom and stepdad take their places in the white folding chairs up front while I join Adrian just behind them with Mason and his parents. Aiden stands on the edge with Sydney, his jaw set in his quintessential aloof expression.

Still at Aiden’s side, Sydney glances to her right, locking eyes with a dark figure arriving under the shadow of the tent. The elder Rafferty comes to a halt next to her, dressed in an immaculate black suit with perfectly styled black hair. His five o’clock shadow is also immaculate, the same as it always is—no thicker, no thinner. He gives Sydney a once over, the corner of his mouth curling into a serpentine smirk. He has the same sharp jawline as Aiden, making him look just as menacing. The genes are strong with the Raffertys.

Still, Sydney holds his gaze, returning him a stone-cold look. And when she finally turns away, it’s with utter disdain. Her demeanor changes slightly when Aiden turns to her. This time, when she sees him, her face softens and she seems to relax even though she still looks like she’s sucking on a lemon.

As the service begins, I notice the only person Aiden acknowledges is Jay Rhinehardt who, by contrast, Sydney blatantly ignores no matter how many times his gaze falls on her. He's playing with fire, and he should’ve already learned his lesson. Hildy clings to Jay’s arm, looking more than a little upset. I guess she should—Eviewasher best friend, after all. All the same, I wonder if Evie knew who she was dealing with or if Hildy had her fooled, too.

I keep a close eye on Colson, his arm wrapped around Dallas as she leans into his side. He’s sitting perfectly still, staring over Evie’s casket at Bowen. I still can’t believe that piece of shit is here. I can’t imagine how Col’s keeping it together, watching his sister’s murderer pretend to cry over her casket. And when I saykeeping it together, what I really mean is he’s sitting still instead of tearing Bowen’s throat open on top of Evie’s remains.

I barely hear anything of the service. All of us know who Evie was, and it can’t be fully conveyed in a few minutes next to her grave.I also just hate funerals, for obvious reasons. I won’t leave here until Colson does, but that doesn’t mean I’m not about to crawl out of my skin. Which is why relief washes over me when the minister stops talking and people start rising from chairs and slowly migrating back toward the hillside.

Colson whispers something in Mason’s ear and he nods for us to head back up to the church while Colson remains at Evie’s casket. Aiden’s father is gone, vanished into thin air, much like he does on a regular basis.

Just then, Aiden’s voice slices through the silence, “Let’s go.”

I follow his eyes, still trained on Jay Rhinehardt as he and Hildy follow Wells and his parents across the lawn. Without a word, Mason steps behind Sydney and I take her right while she stays close on Aiden's left.

As we climb the hill, Sydney casts me a weak smile, “I know what you're doing,” she murmurs, “and thank you.”

I'd be shocked if she didn't send a thank you note to each of us after this. Because that's how she is. But it's choreography, a meticulously executed plan to make sure no one here gets close to her who shouldn't. Sydney might hate Aiden with every fiber of her being, but she's been here long enough now to know when his particular brand of crazy can be useful. One mistake was already made, not to be repeated again.

By the time we reach the top of the hill, people are dispersing into the parking lot and cars begin pulling away. Adrian smacks the back of my shoulder and tells me he’ll see me at home before heading for his Ram. I catch sight of Christy and Scott standing under the trees near the church, hugging and speaking to people as they leave. Dallas stands off to the side, glancing at her phone every few minutes, looking like she can’t wait to get out of here.

I can’t blame her. It’s amazing how such a beautiful spring day can be nothing but abject misery. I let my eyes wander until they fall on Mason, who’s staring down the hill at the gravesite. Two figures remain, standing side by side next to Evie’s casket. One is Colson, and when I look closer, I realize the other is Bowen. Both of us watch intently until, suddenly, there’s a flash of movement.

“Col!” Mason’s voice thunders and he grabs my shoulder, pulling me after him as he takes off down the hill.

Sprinting across the grass, I finally see Colson and Bowen on the ground, going at each other like a couple of rabid dogs.

Are you fucking kidding me?