Page 81

I paused at the trailhead, searching for any sign that they had come this way. A cool breeze raised goosebumps on my sweat-dampened body. I scanned the trees but saw no hint of Lila’s bright blue coat. That didn’t mean she wasn’t out there. The trees were too thick to seem much of anything at all. I scanned the ground. An upturned clump of grass caught my attention. I dropped to a squat, studying it with narrowed eyes.

It was fresh.

Lila had left me a clue.

“Good girl,” I muttered. Stay alive. I’m coming for you.

I hit the trail at a run, but it wasn’t long before the steep, rocky terrain forced me to walk. Every few feet I saw another mark from Lila. A bent branch. A turned stone. I stayed light on my feet, moving as swiftly and silently as possible, pausing briefly to listen. From what Miguel had said, I couldn’t be far behind them, and I was much faster.

My phone vibrated. Mateo? No, it was my mom with her impeccable timing. I hit ignore. Immediately it vibrated again. I hit ignore and it vibrated again. For fuck’s sake. I needed to keep my line open in case Clay had something he wanted to confess or Mateo found something I needed to know. Grinding my teeth, I hit accept.

“Mom,” I hissed. “I can’t talk now⁠—”

“This will only take a moment. Rhett was kind enough to inform me that Lila Ford is staying with you. Nice of you to tell your mother⁠—”

Something felt off about that, but I couldn’t focus on her words when Lila was out there with a goddamn psychopath. “I’m hanging up.”

“Fine. I’ll see you next Tuesday. My flight gets in at four o’clock.”

I did not fucking need this shit right now. I pinched the bridge of my nose and tried to breathe as I kept moving up the trail. “I’m hanging up, and if you call me back I’ll block you, so help me god.”

“Sebastian! What a horrid thing to say to your mother⁠—”

I hung up.

My heart thumped with adrenaline and frustration. My phone, mercifully, stayed quiet.

And then I heard it. Voices.

I stopped moving, stopped breathing, and listened.

There it was again. A man’s voice rose to a shout. I couldn’t make out the words, but I understood the tone. Relief came first—she was alive—but fury was quick on its heels. My fists clenched. I was going to cut out his fucking tongue for raising his voice to her like that. And then I was going to kill him.

I looked around. It sounded like they were around the next bend. They were ahead of me, which put them above me. From that angle, if they had stayed on the trail, Clay would see me before I saw him. I wasn’t handing him that opportunity.

I stepped off trail and slipped through the trees. Moving as quietly as I could, I turned in the opposite direction of the bend. With any luck, I could sneak up behind him before he knew I was there.

His words grew clearer as I drew closer.

“An eye for an eye, sister. A burn for a burn. A stab for a stab. Your life for mine.”

Sister? The last puzzle piece clicked into place. The son who didn’t exist, according to the internet. A ghost. It had been Clay all along. He was her brother. I didn’t know why he had hurt her, but I didn’t need to know.

Because his gun was aimed straight at her heart. Nothing else mattered.

My pulse thundered in my ears, but I kept my breath slow and even as I silently reached for my gun, my eyes locked on Clay.

And then leaves rustled behind me. I didn’t turn to look.

But Clay and Lila did.

Clay whirled, shifting his target from Lila to me. Instantly my pulse steadied. “Hands up!” he shouted.

Two fuzzy gray bodies tumbled over each other and raced up a tree, chattering loudly. Fucking squirrels. I was going to make a hat out of the next one I saw for doing me dirty like this.

Slowly I raised my hands, palms open and empty. “What the hell are you doing, Clay?”

“Making my world a better place.” He grinned cockily.