Page 138 of Dead Pretty

And he’s acting strange. I mean, Cole is often weird. But this sudden appearance in my apartment and this overly long, stretching silence are odd, even for him.

“Cole? Answer me.”

Nothing. His eyes are looking down at the things I’ve found.

“They were in my floor,” I tell him. “I spilled some water and found these beneath a loose floorboard under the sofa. There’s jewelry in this pouch. Don’t you think it looks like the one Mom used to keep her pearls in? And I’m pretty sure that’s blood on that cloth.”

Cole sighs. Finally, a response comes from him. “You weren’t supposed to find these, Audrey.”

“What?” I laugh, but it’s a nervous sound. Something doesn’t feel right. “What do you mean, I wasn’t supposed to find these? You’re acting really weird, Cole. You never answered my question as to what you’re doing here. I never told you where I lived. So, how did you know where to find me?”

“I always know where you are, Audrey.”

I’m staring at him, and I have this alien feeling. Fear. I have never once felt that around Cole. He has always been my protector. He’s always taken care of me. He would never hurt me. But right now … I’m not so sure.

“Cole, you’re scaring me. What’s going on?”

The expression on his face is sad. He takes the pouch from my hand and puts it back into the floor where I found it, next to the knife and stained cloth.

Cole reaches for my hand. It’s shaking. So hard that I can barely feel his hand touching mine. His fingers entwine with mine. I stare down at them.

What is happening here? Why can’t I feel him?

“It’s time, Audrey.”

I blink up at him. My vision goes hazy. “Time for what?” I hear myself saying.

“For you to rest.”

Then, he moves so fast that I don’t have time to react.

And then it’s just blackness.

Cole

I hate to do this.

I don’t want to hurt Audrey.

I never want to hurt her.

But I don’t have a choice.

She wasn’t supposed to find those things. My things. My private things.

She was never meant to know about any of this.

But she found them, leaving me with no other option.

I know Audrey. She would have overthought things. Thought about the maybes and whys. She would have thought of the recent murders. And then she would have taken them to Jack, and he would have told her to take them to the police. Because he would have thought that they might be able to help get his brother out of jail.

And he would have been right.

So, they have to go.

Just like last time.

Although, the last time, when I had to frame Tobias for the murders, it was because the police were beginning to get suspicious.