“It was a private party,” I told the fans.
“Maybe we should have gone to one of the after-parties,” she said.
“Nah, those are always boring. I prefer a more...” I smirked at the camera “Intimate gathering.”
Oh, people were going to eat this up. Between the red-carpet ass squeeze and this livestream, the rumors were going to go wild. I bet I could get the PR team to give us bonuses.
“Are we dating? No. Sorry, guys, Sebastian just needed a date, and I had nothing to do tonight, so I agreed to go with him. We’re just friends,” Evie said.
The comments turned from the constant questions to skepticism.
“I know, I know, it’s not what you want to hear,” I added, wrapping my arms around her from behind. “But, like she said, just friends.” I gave an exaggerated pout, then, when she wasn’t looking directly at the screen, I winked at the stream.
“Who’s the best person to work with on set?” she read off.
We continued answering questions about the movie from true horror fans, and between those, we answered a few flirty ones. We made sure to keep denying any relationship outside of work, all the while touching and flirting.
Finally, she complained about wrinkles from being in the water too long, and we got ready to shut the livestream off.
“We’ve got an early call time, so we should attempt an hour or so of sleep.” She yawned. There was a barrage of comments with various forms ofsleep isn’t going to happen if you share a bed.
“She’s staying in my guest room, guys. I’m a gentleman, I swear,” I joked.
But just as Evie was about to shut off the stream, she froze.
“What is it?” I asked.
She didn’t say anything for a long moment, but then, seeming to come to, she shut the stream off and sat back, her eyes blank and unfocused. I checked the phone to make sure it was off then turned to her.
“Evie, what’s wrong? Did someone comment something gross? You just gotta ignore them. They’re just trolls.”
She was stiff, and despite being in the boiling water, she had goose bumps. “I murdered someone today. On purpose.”
I narrowed my gaze. “How does that make you feel?” I asked.
A slow smile parted her lips, and a thrilling chill slid up my spine. The question seemed to pull her from the daze she’d been under.
“Good. Scared, but…also good. Sebastian, I need them to know it’s me coming after them. I want them to be scared. I know we just established an alibi, but I kind of hope the men on my list start to realize they’re being targeted.”
We dried off, and I gave her another shirt to wear. I directed her up the stairs and down the hall to one of the guest rooms, but she insisted she sleep in the living room instead. The couch was apparently too comfy to move from. The dogs loved it, and the moment she lay down, they joined her, Precious at her feet and Cujo near her head.
I stood and stared, watching her sleep. She wasn’t quite at peace yet, but she’d gotten one step closer tonight. She was practically glowing.
I hoped one day, after all those names were crossed off, being with me would have the same effect.
Maybe I could be her peace.
In time, I said to myself as I left her to snag a few hours of sleep.In time.
Chapter 26
Evie
The Production Hold
“Is there anything I can help you with?” Skye, dressed as Riley, glanced up at me from the reception desk, an annoyed look on her face.
I shifted my purse on my shoulder and looked behind her. “I’m here to have lunch with my boyfriend.”
