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Everything in me fought against the truth, because the truth meant I would lose everything. Again.
“What’s in the box?” My voice was flat and dead, and they were both looking at me like I might pass out again.
Lena took a step forward. “Are you o—”
“Lena,” I said, “what’s in the box?”
She pressed her lips together and stepped out of sight. Cardboard crinkled a moment later.
What could I do? Was it really him on the street the other day? If he was already here and watching the shop, the chances of me making it back to Resting Warrior were slim.
If he wasn’t, I could make it. But where would I go? I’d already made the decision to stay. I didn’t have a plan. Grief ripped through my chest and I fought off sudden tears. I didn’t want to do this.
Lena came out of the office holding a jewelry box like I’d known she would. But it was smaller than the others. She lowered it down on the worktable next to me. “Evie, what does this mean?”
I swallowed before I opened the box. What would it be this time? The box was too small to be a bracelet.
A strange sense of calm surrounded me as I opened it. It was like I wasn’t present in my own body. I was somewhere else, and another person was pretending to be Evelyn. Controlling her movements.
Nestled in the velvet of the box was a ring. Not just a ring, but a beautiful one. The gold band had decorative filigree surrounding a deep red stone. I knew with one glance that it was a garnet. My birthstone. Because of course it was.
Lena gasped, and Grace—now standing behind me—let out a low whistle.
The ring was a message, and a different one than he’d been sending. What was it this time?
That familiar feeling of desperate hollowness filled me as I reached for the ring. I was breathing, but it wasn’t enough. The air felt thin. Flimsy. Those invisible hands I always imagined gripped me hard, squeezing the life and joy I’d found out of me. The only thing left was darkness and fear.
Lena and Grace watched me carefully as I picked up the ring and turned it over. There it was. The tiny engraving that I’d known would be there. But this time it wasn’t a false identity with a date of death, it was me.
Evelyn Taylor
1992-2022
He’d never sent flowers before either. That was what had thrown me off. If it had just been the box sitting in front of the door, I might have known.
But shouldn’t I have known?
Black roses. Love that’s died.
I flipped open the tiny envelope. The words were printed in delicate script. He would never handwrite it. He would never leave anything that could be directly traced.
Last chance, Evelyn. Till death do us part.
So this was it, then. He was going to come for me and finish what he’d started. On some level, I’d always known that this would happen. That I couldn’t run forever. Nathan was too smart and too powerful.
I still felt calm, at complete odds with the terror inside. Maybe I was too scared to feel it. Or worse, maybe I’d resigned myself to this a long time ago. Maybe all I’d done was delay the inevitable.
Lena picked up the card from where I’d placed it on the table. Her head snapped up when she read the words. “Is this a death threat?”
“Yes,” I said. “I’m sorry, Lena. I never should have brought this into your life.”
There was anger on her face, but it wasn’t directed at me. “Like hell, Evie. This is from him? The man you thought you saw?”
I stared at her. “How do you know that?”
“When you fell behind the counter,” Grace said. “The only thing you said was ‘it’s him.’ Over and over.”
My whole body went cold. “Oh.”
