“But that’s all it was. I was just trying to protect you, Gwen. If I hadn’t, someone would’ve figured it out by now. Simone’s already in on it, you’re in on it, I was in on it, and the more people who knew, the more dangerous it would become. So I just thought we could all move on. I thought that’s what you were trying to do, too. You did your best to get away with it, and you were just going to pretend that it never happened?—”
“And I’m just supposed to ignore the fact that my boyfriend is a murderer?” I spoke in a hushed yell. “You know all the shit I’ve been through, and you think I’m supposed to be comfortable with this, like I’m okay with the fact that you were trying to protect me by getting rid of the body, because apparently you know how to get rid of bodies, because you’re oh so comfortable with just killing people?”
His eyes softened again. “Do you think that maybe that was part of why I didn’t tell you?”
“What, because I’m just so crazy and traumatized? I can handle killing someone, but I can’t handle knowing thatyoudid?” Playing that sentence over again in my head, a humorless, ironic laugh left me. “This is insane. Every bit of this is insane. How the hell are we standing here acting like this is a normal fight?”
“I can’t say it’s the worst fight I’ve ever been in.” Arms still up at his sides, he gave a half smile. “I think we’re handling it the best that we can, given the circumstances.”
“Don’t be cute. Don’t you dare try to be cute right now. Where’s the body, Sebastian?”
“I told you. It’s buried somewhere no one will find it.”
“Take me to it.”
His face screwed up in confusion. “It’s buried, Gwen. We only had a couple of inches of snow when I dug the hole. There are at least two feet out there now. That’s gonna take all night.”
“Then we should put some clothes on, shouldn’t we?”
Shoulders dropping, he scoffed. “Why? What are you going to do with it?”
“I guess load it up into my car and take it somewhere no one else will find it.” Considering how cold it had been, would he be frozen? That would certainly make transport easier. “Go on. Get some clothes on.”
For a few heartbeats, he just stared at me. “It’s safe, Gwen. There’s nowhere safer you can take it, not unless you got a job at the meatpacking plant, and you can sneak in with the body and incinerate it in the middle of the night.”
“It’s okay for you to not trust me with your identity, but I’m supposed to trust you after you’ve lied to me for months?”
“I haven’t lied.”
I stomped a foot. “You lied by omission. And you’re too damn good at it. I thought it was Axel, I-I never even thought it could be you. Not for a second, and…”
“You weren’t exactly eager to tell me you killed a man, either.”
“I’m not doing this.” I juggled the sheet under my armpit to keep it in place and held up a hand to silence him. “Get dressed. Then we’re going.”
A deep breath rose and fell through his chest. With a roll of his eyes, he headed to the walk-in closet in the corner. I followed him there, keeping the gun aimed on him as he sifted between the clothes that hung from floor to ceiling. When he crouched down to grab his boots, he came out with something else.
Black in color, roughly half the size of my forearm. At the top, a copper bullet sparkled in the dim light.
Still crouching on the ground, he held it up to me. “Gun’s not gonna do you much good without the clip.”
