Page 66 of To All the Men I’ve Killed Before

I shake my head. ‘I doubt it.’ But I drop down next to him and put my fingers to the pulse point in his neck just in case. I feel a throb against my flesh. ‘Not dead,’ I confirm. ‘Just out cold.’

She beams at me. ‘Yay.’

‘No, Antoinette,’ I say. ‘Not yay. What the fuck?’

She looks at me puzzled. ‘Aren’t you happy?’

‘I’m happy that you’ve found him,’ I say. ‘Less so that you’ve been completely radio silent for the past two hours. I’ve been worried.’

‘Oh yeah, that,’ she says. ‘Sorry, my battery died. I forgot to leave it in to charge last night and then I was just waiting around at the gym so I was playing games on it and it died.’ She gives a little shrug like it’s no big deal, like I haven’t been here picturing the worst things in the world happening to her.

‘For God’s sake, Antoinette,’ I start to say but am interrupted by a groan from Aidan. He can’t be coming to already, surely? I grab some cable ties from where I left them on the table and hand some to Antoinette. ‘You do his wrists,’ I say. ‘Use a few and make sure they’re tight.’ She nods and I loop two ties around his ankles, pulling them so tight they cut into his skin. That will hurt when he comes round fully.

Good.

I slap some duct tape over his mouth because he’ll probably scream when he regains consciousness and, although the sound would be like the sweetest music to my ears, the walls here aren’t the thickest. Then we stand up and admire our work when the back door rattles.

‘Antoinette? Kitty?’

It’s Agnes.

Antoinette and I stare at each other and then at Aidan hogtied on our kitchen floor.

Thank fuck I remembered to lock that door.

‘Shhh,’ I say to Antoinette. ‘She might think we’re out and go away.’

I can tell Antoinette doesn’t approve of this plan and she’s about to say something when Agnes wails through the door. ‘Please answer the door, please.’ She’s crying. She sounds really distressed.

‘Something’s wrong,’ Antoinette says. ‘I have to let her in.’

Urgh.

Not now.

This is the moment I’ve been waiting for.

‘Help me get Aidan into the cellar first,’ I hiss.

‘Two seconds,’ Antoinette calls through to Agnes. ‘I’m just coming.’

We grab his feet and heave him through the door before dragging him backwards down the steps, his head making a pleasing little cracking sound as it hits each one. Then, before I can say anything, Antoinette is racing back into the kitchen to let Agnes in.

‘I guess you can’t get into any trouble down here,’ I say to Aidan’s prone body before I follow Antoinette back up the steps.

When I get into the kitchen, Antoinette has already let Agnes in and she’s sitting at the table, her head in her hands. My sister is sitting next to her, her arms wrapped around Agnes, who is sobbing.

Antoinette looks up at me, her eyes wide.

‘Something’s happened,’ she says. ‘Something bad.’

38

Kitty and Antoinette’s Airbnb, West Hollywood, Los Angeles

‘What is it?’ I say as Antoinette pulls Agnes in closer to her. ‘Agnes?’

Agnes looks up at me. She looks wretched. Her eyes are all red and swollen and I notice she’s trembling. ‘Agnes?’