Page 43 of Wicked Little Darling

I saw the hurt he tried to hide as he turned away from her, and my heart broke for him.

He was too good for this family. I hoped one day he’d accept my offer to permanently break away from them for good, but Iwasn’t sure when that day might come. He was adamant about loving them in spite of their many flaws, in spite of how much they’d hurt him—and me—and I couldn’t tell him to just give it up, that they’d never love him the same.

That would just add to his hurt.

We left the manor and made our way down the long drive. It was a nice evening; a full moon was beginning to appear as the sun set. The trees were changing colors fast, leaves of gold and red swaying in a gentle breeze. The cicadas were still going this time of year, and for a while there was only the sound of insects and the crunch of gravel and dead leaves under our feet as we walked to the gate.

We were halfway down when the quiet calm was punctured by the sound of a car. I barely had time to grab Val and pull him out of the way when Everett came speeding down the driveway. He waved through his open window, his laughter carried away on the wind as he drove past us.

That fuckingasshole.

“Are you okay?” I looked Val over, whose eyes were wide as he stared at Everett’s car.

“How can Albert not see?” he asked, his fear morphing into anger. But even his anger was soft. He gestured at the car in the distance. “It’s so obvious!” He kicked at the gravel, sending tiny rocks flying into the leaves and grass.

“Yeah. I think he knows, he just pretends not to.” Which was even worse than not knowing in the first place.

“She looked awful,” Val said quietly, his anger gone. It never lasted long.

“Yeah, I don’t think she’s doing well.” I put my arm around his shoulder and pulled him against me, and he wrapped his arm around my waist.

“Do you think we should call Dr. Burns?”

I wasn’t sure what he would do for her without Albert’s consent. If he tried talking to her directly, well…that would be a very one-sided conversation. If he went to Albert, he’d just wave him away and keep pretending nothing was wrong with her.

“We can if you think it’ll help,” I said, knowing it probably wouldn’t.

“We have to dosomething. We can’t just let her…let her…”

He wouldn’t say the words, and I didn’t say them for him.

“I want to call him,” he said with conviction. “Let’s call him in the morning. Okay? We’ll see if there’s something he can do. Maybe somewhere she can go to get help. I can’t just sit around and watch her fade away like this anymore.”

I rubbed my hand up and down his arm and kissed the side of his head. “Okay. We’ll call him in the morning.”

“And let me do the talking.”

I huffed a laugh. “You mean you don’t want me to ask him how his fifteen cats are doing? Or if he’s found anyone who might put up with all that hair?”

Val pinched my waist. “Maybe some other time, you demon. Although I do wonder how he deals with the hair. It’s a valid concern.”

“He must spend all his money on lint rollers and vacuum bags. Albert’s money is going to a good cause,” I said.

Val laughed, and a comfortable, familiar silence fell over us as we walked back to Ashbrook.

8

IF YOU COULD JUST STOP CONFUSING ME FOR TEN FUCKING SECONDS, THAT WOULD BE GREAT

REESE

Iblinked blearily as I stared at the wall in front of me, wondering when the window had disappeared.

The smell of my pillow was different, too. I turned my face into the soft fabric and inhaled. It smelled like…maple syrup and something smoky. The scent was so comforting that I inhaled again and again, turning onto my stomach and pressing my face into the pillow.

When the last vestiges of sleep cleared, I popped up from the pillow as a cold, anxious sensation spread through my body.

What in theactual fuckwas I doing in Dakota’s bed? And where was he? And where was my fucking mind, sniffing his pillow like a goddamned creep?