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My old man isn’t aware that I found out about the Order, and I need to keep it that way. Maybe Didi has a chance to live through this.

Didi’s head pops out from behind the shelf, and my breath catches in my throat when I see her and she smiles at me.

Goddamn, she’s too perfect.

I take a step toward her, and when she doesn’t cower away from me, I take another. I scared her the other night. I’ve never experienced so much rage as I did when I saw what was underneath her clothes. And I couldn’t ask her about it at lunch the other day. I couldn’t risk her running away from me again.

So I went home and punched my wall instead.

Mrs. Holly interrupts our moment. “She’ll have to pay for all the accidents she’s having. She’s costing me money. Five dollars ain’t gonna cover it.”

I grind my teeth together and hand her a twenty out of a wad of cash in my pocket. “Not today, Mrs. Holly. I need her more than you do.”

Her wrinkled lips pucker. It seems like she’s going to interject, but the money speaks for itself, and when she sees the amount, she grabs it, stuffing it into her pocket.

She lifts her head as if she has any dignity left. “She still has eight boxes to get through. I had a shipment of potatoes come in.”

I grab another twenty and place it on the counter.

Greedy bitch.

Her hand covers mine before I can pull it away, her eyes flashing. She pauses for a moment, considering me. Her usual flirtation is replaced by something else, something more sinister.

“You must really like this one, huh?” she says in a hushed tone. “I remember your old man looked at a girl like that once. Mary Swinton.”

My eyes crease. “What do you know about Mary Swinton?”

Her hand squeezes mine. “That she ended up dead.” She eyes my jean pocket. “They say Shadowface got her. Peter and Mary made such a sweet couple…it was such a shame to see love like that ripped away from them before their story even got started. Your old man wasn’t the same after.”

My skin gets itchy. “Yeah, whatever, Mrs. Holly.” I ain’t playing this game with her. It wouldn’t surprise me if Mrs. Holly was aware of all the messed-up shit that happened here when she grew up. Everyone in town suspects something—or someone.

This town ain’t right.

Mrs. Holly has some dark secrets of her own. Her husband mysteriously died of a fever a few years back. Rumors say she poisoned him and took over his business.

Completely suspicious.

The investigation was abandoned by the police and media, leaving the death as another unsolved mystery in the town’s history.

She goes back to her crossword puzzle without saying another peep, and I hope I can count on her to stay quiet.

I glance over to where Didi was standing, only to find it empty. I walk over, and she’s bent over a box of potatoes, inspecting one of the potato sacks, doing her best to act like I’m not staring at her ass. I watch her for a moment as she moves, shifting her attention to putting the potatoes into a bin. I could watch her bent over like that for hours, so I stay quiet, even though my dick perks up from how sexually frustrated I’ve been since meeting her.

Something’s changed… She’s moving differently than she did before—more womanly, more confident.

“Hi Tommy.”

“Hi firefly.” I walk and wrap my hands around her stomach, doing my best to avoid the belt she’s wearing. She still flinches. “Why are you avoiding me?”

She keeps her back to me, like she can’t face me. “I’m not. I’ve been busy.”

Damn.

“Busy,” I repeat. “Yeah, definitely avoidance.”

I’m not used to being avoided. No one avoids me, ever.

Girls avoid Remy, but he’s always so broody, and he scares chicks. But me? I’m like a teddy bear.