Page 17 of A Wild Darkness

“Why would he think I have a girlfriend?” Confusion bowls over me.

“No clue. But you’re going to have to find one.”

“What the actual fuck?” I quickly rise from my chair, sending it rolling back to hit the glass window behind me. “Is he expecting someone else?”

My cousin shrugs his shoulders, bewilderment expressed on his face. “I don’t know. But the only way to find out is to go to that ball.”

“I have to figure something out before Friday.” I pace behind my desk, grabbing my phone to call Christian.

River’s finger flies into the air in front, as if he’s forming an idea. “What about Stevie?”

“Lux’s sister?” I ask.

Before I can protest any further, Christian answers right away. As always.

“Hey, Sebastian.”

“River is here, too. You’re on speaker,” I say, foregoing pleasantries. “I called the number on the back of the card.”

“Okay, and?”

“Well, apparently, they’re expecting me to bring my girlfriend.”

“Expecting?” he clarifies, sounding as taken aback as River and me. “How would he know who found the card? And why would they think you had a girlfriend?”

I circle my temples with the tips of my fingers, trying to search my brain for an answer I don’t have. “I don’t know. Maybe he’s assuming since the last time he spoke with Andrew, he was looking for a couple?”

“They both need to be at a masquerade ball this Friday,” River tells him.

“Huh?”

“I know it’s weird, but if I want to find out what they know, I need to go, which means I need a fake serial killer girlfriend,” I say, repeating River’s words.

Christian pauses for a beat. “How about Lux’s sister? Do you think she’d do it?”

“That’s what I said!” River exclaims with a grin.

“That’s not an option,” I spit out. The last person I want to spend more time with is Stevie. “Can’t we hire someone?”

“Stevie might be the best choice. She already knows everything. And is familiar with how we work since she helped on the Andrew project,” Christian points out. “And she helped us find Lux.”

“Absolutely not. She’ll blow our cover.”

“What other options do we have?”

An idea crosses my mind that seems more appealing than pretending to date Stevie. “I can simply say that I broke up with my girlfriend.”

“So, you and your serial killer girlfriend broke up, and that’s it? Assuming she’d know about their little murder group, you think they’re just going to be okay with that, and let you in anyway?” River argues.

I run a frustrated hand down my face. “Dammit.”

They’re right. Lux’s sister is the only choice with the short time we have until the masquerade ball.

“Do you think she’d be up for it?” Christian asks.

“Probably, but we could check with Lux first,” River suggests, sliding his phone from his pocket to text her.

“Fine,” I groan, giving in.