I clung to him more, wanting to keep him as mine, wanting to be the only thing he thought about day and night.
I wanted to be his obsession, and he saw me as a chore—a job to carry out.
We pulled into the driveway of the Fletcher Mansion less than ten minutes later. The bike idled up the drive, Aiden clicking open the garage door and pulling into his parking spot.
“I have something I need help with tomorrow,” I said, ripping off my helmet.
“I can’t. I have things to do all day.”
“Perfect. I don’t need you during the day. I need a ride to downtown Valeport later at night.”
He gave a small groan, pulling off his jacket. “I’m not a fucking taxi service, Evie. And I’m sure as hell not chauffeuring you to all your dates now, too. Call a cab or ride one of the bikes.”
“It’s not a date, and it’s not somewhere I want to go alone,” I said, moving my hands to my hips now.
He hit the garage door closed and headed inside. “And that’s my problem?” he asked with a snarl of his lip.
I kept following him, winding our way through the big house to our rooms down the same hallway.
“You mean besides following my brother’s orders,Ace?” I asked, throwing the nickname like an insult now. It landed perfectly and he sighed, his head falling back as he stared up at the ceiling. “It is when I need help and you have a permanent ‘I owe Evie’ tattooed on your head.”
“Permanent? I thought this was a one-time thing. I help you with something and you leave me alone about... all of it.” He tried to sound casual, but I could see the way his jaw tightened.
I leaned back on my door, smiling now. “I thought about it, and I think this is good for more than one thing. I mean, the pictures are pretty good. I think one even has your hand on my boob. That’s gotta count for at least two debts.”
“You know I don’t call you Psycho for nothing, right?” he asked. The edge of his voice made me press back harder against my door. I wasn’t scared of Aiden, but I did consider him one of my strongest opponents. I knew he could unravel my plans fasterthan anyone else ever could—I just hadn’t left him any room to do it this time.
“I know. And I also know you are going to help me tomorrow because good oldAcewill not risk my brother seeing those photos.”
I saw his jaw tick, his eyes glance down the hallway to make sure we were alone. It’s like I could see the torment of having his back to a wall and I loved it. It’s not like I wanted anything bad to happen to him. But when I was the one causing that torment? I would revel in it.
“What time tomorrow?” he asked through gritted teeth.
“Let’s do it after eight. I have a few things to do in the morning, and I’d rather not go when anyone is around.”
“Fine. Two things, Evie. You get two fucking things and then I am done with this game.”
“Fine, and until those two things are done, I suggest playing nice because you already know I won’t if you don’t.”
He shook his head and disappeared into his room, muttering under his breath. I turned, shutting myself in my room. It took less than five seconds before I let out a deep breath, leaning against the door as the weight of the day fell off my shoulders.
There was really only one thing out of this game I wanted, and I didn’t know when I would face the reality that it would be the one thing I would never get.
Chapter 8
Evie
The reflection of me stared back from the mirror hanging on the wall of my bedroom, the gold frame standing out against my dark green walls. I wasn’t trying to look particularly hot tonight. I had things to do, but I didn’t want to look dull, either.
My taste in fashion usually went for flair and awe. I liked to be noticed when I walked into a room, but tonight I needed to blend in. I opted for jeans, boots, a cute oversize T-shirt, and a black hoodie, ready to throw on if I needed. My knife, as always, was still strapped on my leg over my jeans.
Maybe this night would be what Aiden needed to see I wasn’t always an over-the-top psycho girl. Then again, we were going downtown so I could break into an old office building to learn more about my parents’ lives before their deaths, to know what led up to their violent deaths.
That wasn’t exactly the chill, cool-girl thing to do on a Friday night.
Then again, my usual Friday night of locking my door and secretly bingeing rom-coms wasn’t exactly cool, either—but I figured it was better to cry at scripted heartbreak and love than risk slipping up and doing it in real life, in front of actual people.
I stepped out of my room, coming face-to-face with Aiden.
