Page 134 of XO Karma

He narrows his eyes. “This isn’t funny. You’re in danger.”

The smile falls off my face. “I know.”

His expression softens, and he runs his hands along my arms. “Don’t worry, we’ll figure this out.”

Aster’s phone rings, and he pulls it out, answering the call. Seconds pass till his eyes are connecting with mine in surprise. After another minute, he hangs up.

“What’s wrong?” I ask.

“That was the Solarium. There’s been another Kodak Killer victim.” His gaze trails to the box on the bed. “They were missing their head.”

39

ASTER

“So you’ve been getting random gifts and calls, and now the head from the most recent Kodak Killer victim is on your fucking bed?!” I ask, exasperated, as panic claws at my insides. Why did she keep all this from me?

“Looks that way…” Lily replies, her eyes dropping to the floor.

“Do you think it was the Kodak Killer leaving you these… gifts? Calling?”

“I’ve suspected it.” She swallows hard. “But they never made it seem like they were the killer. More like they wanted me to understand him.”

I pace the room. Great. My girl is being hunted by another killer.

“What do we do with it?” Lily asks, gesturing towards the head.

“We could toss it?”

“This could be the only piece of evidence we have.”

“It is out of the ordinary for Kodak to leave body parts behind,” I agree. But how would it even work? “Are you considering telling Liam about this?”

“I probably should.” Her eyes stay on the box. “I’m really sick of all the secrets.”

“What if we let the police handle the head, and we look into the file you got from Liam to see if we can find any more out about Violet?” I suggest, and Hell must have frozen over if I’m recommending calling the police. I suppose I could call my own contacts, but I’m starting to wonder who I can and can’t trust. And when it comes to Lily’s safety, besides me, no one would care more than Liam.

“How am I going to explain where it came from?” she asks, eyes swimming with hesitancy.

It goes against my usual judgement, but I say, “Tell him the truth.”

“The truth?” she scoffs. “You mean that I’m dating a serial killer and being left body part presents?”

“Not all of that information is necessary. Just tell Liam about the calls and gifts from this anonymous caller.”

“Are you insane?!” She looks at me like I have six heads. “Liam will lose his ever-loving shit if he finds out I’ve been keeping all of this from him.”

“Yeah, well, he’s not the only one unhappy about the secrets you’ve been keeping,” I snap, unable to keep the bite out of my tone.

She sighs. “I really don’t know what to say. I thought it was the right choice at the time.”

“Because you believed it was me?” I ask, hurt aching in my chest, and she shrugs. “Well, what’s the better option than Liam?”

She drags her hands through her hair. “I. Don’t. Know!”

The front door opens and shuts. “You better decide fast.”

She stands paralyzed, unmoving, as creaking footsteps ascend the stairs, growing nearer. But this is her house. Her brother. Her decision. She closes her eyes, taking a calming breath, and they pop open as he nudges the door with his foot.