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Pushing up to stand, Minka laughs and follows her. “You can try it, but I don’t think you’ll like what happens.”
“What will happen?”
Together, the girls leave me sitting in the living room, coloring books and markers spilled on the couch. Minka’s seductive smell and Mia’s playful sweetness linger, and behind me, the television is tuned to the news station and yammers on with shit I long ago learned to ignore unless it belonged to me.
“Late this afternoon, gunshots were reported on the corner of West and Thirty-First,”Tiffany Hewitt says. “Moments later, witnesses saw a silver sedan speeding away from the scene. Initial statements hint at similarities to two previous murder-suicides in as little as a week, but the fleeing car tells us a different story.”
Someone killed someone. Even in my mind, Isigh. A couple is dead. A car left tire tracks on the road. Some cop is investigating… and right now, I’m glad that cop isn’t me.
Pushing up from my seat on the table, I reach forward to start collecting the mess of markers Mia left behind, but as I do, the coloring book falls to the floor and flops open to a page that makes my breath come short.
Anger rears in my blood, because it’s not the colorful unicorn I see now, but a fucking wolf.
It justhadto be a wolf.
Along the hall, Minka and Mia chatter. The shower starts, and their voices continue to carry as they discuss what happens to freezing ice cream under a boiling spray of water.
“Investigators are on-scene,” Tiffany chatters behind me. “At this stage, Detective Fox and Officer Grayson have not made themselves available to comment.”
“Fuckin’ assholes.” Grumbling, I pick up the last of the markers and snap the book closed, then cross my apartment and dump the pile on the counter. “Asswipe didn’t hand Jada a needle, but he sure as fuck started this whole mess.”
“Listen, Archer—”
“Right!” Spinning, I pin an unaware Minka with a filthy glare as my temper spills over. “I’m done with this back-and-forth fuckery.”
“Uh…” Raising her brows, she stops in the doorway and studies me. “Excuse me?”
“I can’t find a compromise!” I toss down the coloring book and charge across the room, unable to stop until our toes touch and she’s forced to look up to meet my eyes.
“I can’t find it, Mayet. I’ve searched for the answers. I’ve tried to figure out how we can still be good for each other. But sending you out to die isn’t acceptable to me. It willneverbe okay in my eyes. So what the fuck do you expect me to do?”
“What doIexpectyouto do?” She speaks too calmly, too relaxed, when inside my heart and head, a ferocious storm brews. “You’re asking me whatyoushould do withmylife?”
“No, I’m asking what you expect me to say every time you go out there at night and risk your damn life.” I grab her arms and tug her to her toes, closer so her breath whispers on my lips. “I’m asking how you expect me to sit at home at night, wondering if this is the time you won’t come back to me.”
“Archer, I—”
“Don’t you give a shit?” I demand. “You don’t care how I feel?”
“I care!” Angry now, she works to dislodge my hands. “I care enough to tell you something I’ve told no one.No one, Archer! I care enough to risk prison for the things I’ve told a cop. And I care enough to be honest with you, even when being honest aboutthisis terrifying.”
“But you don’t care enough to save yourself? To stay alive?”
“I haven’t died yet!” she snaps. “I haveneverbeen hurt, or even come close to it. But do you know who was?”
“That’s—”
“Diane Philips!” She shoves my hands off and takes a step back until her shoulder blade smacks the corner leading into the hallway.
Clamping her lips shut, she grits her teeth and works to hide the pain in her eyes.
“Diane Philips was hurt,” she growls. “Beyond imagination. But so was Lorni May. Lilly Reading. Laila George. Elouise Phelps. Aysha Quintana. Mahlia Potter. McKenzie Brooks. Ariana Farelly. Mandy Kline.” She places her hands on my chest and shoves me back. “Shall I go on?”
“N—”
“Tegan Webb. Misha O’Connell. Poppy Daly. Miyah Walters.”
“Minka, sto—”
