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Without anyone else getting hurt.
And not falling for a murderer in the process.
“What is that?” I ask, pointing toward the front step. Right in front of our door is a package, and we halt on the sidewalk, staring at the parcel as if it’s a bomb.
“I’m not expecting anything,” Vienna says.
I glance over my shoulder at Eloise, who stares at the package with worry. “Do you think…” She doesn’t have to finish her sentence. We already know.
It’s from him.
I walk up the stairs, and Posie shouts at me.
“Wait! It could be a bomb… or, I don’t know. There could be fingerprints on it.”
I shake my head, knowing him.He wears leather gloves. “There’re no fingerprints on it,” I whisper. “He wears gloves.”
“How would you know?” Posie asks, confused.
My eyes widen, and I swallow down my nerves.
“From the night by the pool. When he chased me, he was wearing gloves. Plus, don’t they always?”Shit, I’m a damn idiot.
No one says a thing, and I sigh, shaking my head before walking up the steps, looking closer at the small brown package with the black ribbon wrapped around it.
I lift it up, and I can hear them freeze behind me in fear. It’s light, no bigger than my palm, so weightless that I wonder if anything is even in here. But as I rock it to the side, I feel something sliding around.
Glancing over my shoulder, I look into the distance, wondering if he’s there, somewhere, watching me.
I canfeelhis eyes on me.
“Let’s go inside,” I mumble, and the rest of them race up the stairs, as if they, too, feel his eyes on them.
Vienna unlocks the door, and we slip off our shoes, heading into the living room. As one, we sit down on the couch, and I place it with both hands on the coffee table.
We stare at it, unblinking.
“What do you think it is?” Posie asks.
“It’s something to do with Zane, I know it is.” Eloise shakes, running her hands up and down her arms. She looks exhausted, and I know she will have to leave soon, but it’s as if he knew we would all come here together.
As if he knew we’d all see this—together.
Leaning forward, I pick the package back up, sliding the ribbon off the top. Slipping my finger underneath the lip of the wrapping paper, I swipe up, tearing the tape and unraveling the package.
A small black box lies underneath the paper, and I slide it out gently, settling it on the table.
“What do you think is in it?” Posie whispers.
“I guess we’ll see,” I mumble, lifting the black top. Tucked inside is a small, silver USB drive. I lift it out, frowning at it.
“Let me go get my laptop.” Vienna darts off the couch, racing up the stairs. We all stare at the USB while Vienna is gone, until she comes back, her silver laptop in hand.
She sets it on the coffee table, booting it up.
Once it’s unlocked, I lean forward, inserting the USB into the port. Vienna clicks Accept on the pop-up, and the media player opens.
“A movie?” Posie mumbles.
