Even if she hadn’t been a star, the house was impressive enough on its own.
But then what?
I sell this place and then…
“You want to leave, give me a day to pack my bags. We’ll take Precious and Cujo with us. We can get one of those motor homes and travel the country if you want. Or just live a quiet life in the woods, or on a beach, or in the fucking Arctic. I don’t care, as long as it’s with you.”
Sebastian’s words from our unofficial second date—out on the boat, disposing of his ex-agent’s body—filled my mind. I hated how quickly my heart betrayed my brain. It wanted all those things so strongly, it was willing to change course, abandon all plans of murder, revenge, and peace, in favor of…love.
Could I?
“Penny for your thoughts, Final Girl?”
Spinning around, I found Sebastian leaning against the doorframe of my house. His arms were crossed, and his playful smirk danced on his lips.
“What are you doing here?” I asked, rushing to him. I threw my arms around him and inhaled his scent deep into my lungs. Oh, how I needed him right now.
“I couldn’t stay away,” he admitted, embracing me tightly. “What happened at your meeting with Arthur?”
I pulled back and took his hand, leading him out into my backyard. I didn’t come out here often, but as I gazed around, admiring the heart-shaped pool and all the pink furniture my mother had painstakingly picked out, the idea of selling this place hurt my heart. I took Sebastian to the edge of the pool, where we pulled our clothes up to our knees and put our feet in the water.
“He wants me to kill you.”
“Oh my God,” Sebastian gasped dramatically. “Same!”
We shared a look then burst into laughter. He gave me the rundown of his meeting, and then I told him about mine. We’d both caught the odd bullet name fromHeathers. In the movie, Christian Slater told Wynona Ryder they were stun bullets. He assured her they were safe to shoot, and then when they shot at the school bullies, Kurt and Ram, she discovered that he’d been lying, and they were real ones. That was what Arthur and whoever had helped him plan this were doing. They’d told Sebastian and me two different stories but given us the same lie about the bullets.
I wasn’t surprised by any of this, but I was a little bitter that I hadn’t been offered a producer’s credit.
“Even in the business of murder, women aren’t paid the same as men.” I reached for Sebastian’s hand and laced my fingers through his.
“So, what do we do, then?” he asked.
Good question. I stared out into the water. A tiny little plastic swan filled with chemicals drifted by, and I focused on it.
“We perform like we never have before. We pretend like we’re going to go through with things. And then…we don’t.”
“We could turn the guns on them,” Sebastian suggested.
I nodded. “We could. Although if your goal is to keep me alive, that isn’t the way to do it.”
“True.” He tightened his hold on my hand. “I do enjoy you being alive.”
I leaned close, resting my head on his shoulder. “We’ll figure it out. It’s funny that they tried to pit us against each other, and they thought you were self-centered enough to take the bait, and I was too stupid to see through them.”
“That’s Hollywood, Final Girl.” He turned and kissed my forehead.
We relaxed and spoke of other things for a bit, but we’d both had long days and would have another long one tomorrow, so we pulled our feet from the pool, and he took his leave.
I stood on the front steps, waving and watching him drive off. He would have stayed, but the dogs would miss him.
So would I.
A cold shiver ran through me, making me shudder. Going back inside, I locked the door behind me.
Tomorrow, I decided, I would make decisions. Plan a future with Sebastian if things went well. Or maybe, if things ended badly, I’d hide inside a closet upstairs and insist they break through the door and shoot me down, like I’d always planned. What a way to go.
People would paint portraits of my end.
