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I’d swear my heart was about to break my ribcage apart, it swelled so much.

And that feeling, well, it was getting harder and harder to name it anything other than what it was.

A word that I didn’t believe in.

Except, it seemed, when it came to her.

“Silas Ashford?” a woman with a clipboard and a walkie-talkie in her hand asked as she stood at my table.

“Yes.”

“We need you to come to the stage to get prepared.”

My gaze slid to Maggie, finding her already watching me.

There was something so sad on her face that I took a step toward her.

But she shook her head at me, then forced a smile that didn’t even try to reach her eyes.

What was that?

“We really need to go,” the woman with the clipboard demanded, pushing me forward with a strength that didn’t belong to a human.

I could feel Maggie’s sad gaze on me until I rounded the bend and disappeared.

I made a vow that as soon as this whole charade was over, I was going to figure out what put that look on her face.

Of course, I wouldn’t have to wait long to find out.

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

[ “YOU EVER NOTICE how some lies don’t rot? They sit there just under the surface like a body no one buried right. Until, of course, they surface.”

— Graveyard Talk - Episode 84]

Maggie

The convention was pure chaos.

Humans and paranormals brushed shoulders. Fans squealed at their favorite influencers and personalities.

I was happy to see that all the station’s talent had lines of fans. Sure, some were longer than others, but no one was left twiddling their thumbs and feeling left out.

Unsurprisingly, Tess and Margo were the busiest of all.

Silas had a lot of gawkers: fans who clearly liked his show but were nervous to be on the receiving end of his usual brand of cutting commentary.

But many brave souls went up to him. Some even demanded selfies, which Silas surprisingly agreed to, always keeping his hand several inches away from the women’s backs and in sight of the camera so no one could accuse him of being a creep.

It went without saying that the Alpha Mindset guys were not so respectful, and they were probably going to need a trip to HR when we got back to Seattle.

But I could worry about that some other time.

I had enough on my plate when it came to worry.

A lot of it was about the call itself.

I wasn’t someone who enjoyed public speaking. Sure, tons of people had heard me argue with Silas before. But that felt different, tucked in the safety of my office or the storage room.