Page 266

I did take joy in it. I savored every gasp.

“But you weren’t finished,” Sienna continues. “There was still one more person on your list.”

“Misty,” I say hoarsely.

Sienna nods, her shoulders slumping.

“That kill was more than personal. You remembered her mentioning at brunch that she went jogging every morning before dawn. So you went to the lake and waited for her.”

The memory comes back in fragments.

The cold morning air.

The sound of footsteps approaching along the shore.

Misty’s ponytail swinging behind her as she ran.

“She never even heard you coming,” Sienna says. “You struck her from behind and knocked her into the water. Then you followed her in and held her beneath the surface. She fought you. She fought with everything she had, but she couldn’t get free.”

“She never stood a chance,” Milo says softly. “Her betrayal was just too big.”

There’s no accusation in his expression. No horror. Just that same impossible tenderness as he looks at me, his fingers still wrapped around mine.

Sienna lowers her head, as though the sight of us together is more than she can bear.

“Don’t stop,” I tell her.

“Max…”

“Please, Sienna. I need to remember. Don’t stop now.”

I tighten my grip on Milo’s hands, drawing what little courage I have left from the warmth of his touch.

Sienna swallows. “Then there was the vigil. And Kayla begging you to take her life, too.”

I close my eyes, remembering her standing in front of everyone, crying and pleading with me.

“But you never went after her,” Sienna murmurs. “One of the Reds died every day after you returned to Fairhope. Every day except Tuesday. I always assumed the killer simply hadn’t found an opportunity to strike that day. But that wasn’t the reason, was it? It wasn’t until the vigil that I finally understood why.” She studies my face for a beat. “You didn’t kill Kayla because you didn’t have to. The girl we knew in high school barely exists anymore. Why bother ending her life when she’s doing such a good job of ruining it on her own?”

“Or maybe it was mercy.” My voice cracks on the last word. “Maybe I wanted to show her mercy.”

Sienna shakes her head.

“No. Kayla never showed you any, and you weren’t about to give her something she’d never given you. You wanted her to keep suffering. You wanted her to wake up every morning and remember that she’s the reason Kody is dead. You wanted her to suffer for all she let happen. In your eyes, she was just as complicit as the others. Maybe even more so, since she knew what they did to you was wrong.” She studied me intently, waiting for me to deny it. “Am I wrong?”

I want to tell her she is, but when I search my heart for even the smallest shred of forgiveness, I find nothing. Nothing but years of hatred and resentment, festering in places I’d convinced myself had long since healed.

I slowly shake my head.

“No. You’re not wrong.”

Sienna’s face falls. “That’s what I thought.”

For a moment, we don’t say a word. The sound of the sirens has faded but I can still see the flashing red and blue lights in my peripheral vision as the paramedics rush toward Peyton, shouting instructions to one another.

“There was only one person left,” Sienna finally says.

“Peyton,” Milo answers for us both.