“Don’t you mean lives to destroy?” Evie asked.
“Same thing,” he snickered and tilted his head, nodding to the glass door behind us. “Let’s go have a good time, shall we?” He stuffed the gun in his pants, under his jacket, and together, the three of us exited my house into the backyard.
What should have been a joyous night with my girlfriend turned into a tense, stressful one. I was on constant alert, watching Elliott like a hawk. He’d shown up drunk with a gun. If something were to set him off, this could turn deadly.
The party kept going until close to morning, and eventually people began to slowly take their leave. With each person who left, I grew more and more nervous. Elliott was still here. Everyone was starstruck and kept asking me how I’d convinced him to come. I wasn’t sure what to say, so I avoided the topic. Instead, I stayed close to Evie, making us look like the most in love couple that had ever existed. Any paparazzi who’d snuck in to capture some scandal would have tons of photos of us kissing for next week’s magazines.
A few people mentioned the sex scandal, but I just laughed it off. More than one of them told me they’d had similar experiences. That was the thing. Bodies being sold was nothing new in this industry. People just didn’t like to face the truth. The truth about Hollywood was ugly. That’s why we tried so hard to make it look pretty.
Their plan to destroy my career had gone nowhere. I was sure that some directors might refuse to see me, but from the email I’d gotten from Anderson earlier, I felt comfortable that I’d still be making good money for the foreseeable future.
Eventually, Elliott took his leave, but not without a cold warning and another flash of the gun in his pants.
“Another time, perhaps. We can talk all about your mother, Evie, and how you came to be. I’m sure there’ll be some conflicting stories we should get cleared up. I think you’ll find I’m not the villain in this story.”
“And who is, then?” Evie asked boldly.
Elliott smirked. “You are.”
He left, and when we looked around, I realized it was just Evie and me. We cuddled on a beach chair and watched the sun rise.
“I meant what I said earlier,” I said. “I want to move in with you.”
“I know. Can we talk about it when I’ve had some sleep?” She yawned.
“I’d love that.”
I closed my eyes, prepared to sleep near the pool with her in my arms, when my phone rang. With a groan, I answered it.
“Yeah?”
“Sebastian? It’s Bryce. I popped a tire about a mile from your place. Do you have a tire iron?”
I groaned and gently moved Evie off me. I rubbed my face and stood.
“Yeah, I’m on my way. Evie, you want to come?” I asked.
She stretched and looked around the yard. “I’m really tired. Would I be a bad person if I said no?”
A small smile spread over my lips as she crawled back onto the chair. I bent down and gave her a quick kiss. “Not at all, Final Girl. Rest, and I’ll be back in an hour, tops.”
“Perfect. See you soon, Psycho Killer,” she said as she closed her eyes.
I pulled my keys from my pocket and left, going through the house. I got to Bryce in a flash, and we got his tire changed and his car back on the road. He thanked me, and as I got back in my car to drive back to Evie, I checked my phone and saw a notification from my door camera. Someone had come in shortly after I’d left.
I clicked on the app to pull up the camera and see what the hell was up, and my blood chilled. The bastard had waited for my car to leave before pulling right back into my drive and walking to the door.
Elliott Bradly had come back for her.
Chapter 67
Evie
The Boss Fight
My phone rang from the beach chair I’d been yanked out of a moment ago. Both Elliott’s gaze and mine shot to it. Elliott walked over, picked it up, and smirked.
“Psycho Killer is calling. Interesting. I thought I was right here.” Without a second glance my way, he softball pitched it into the pool. It made a plopping sound as it hit the water, sinking like the rock in my stomach.
