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How is it possible to feel both relief over death and sadness at the loss of life? The mixture in my veins has me feeling disoriented, my skin heavy, my chest constricting, my mind in utter shambles.
Archer pulls off to the side, and we follow suit, parking behind him. I don’t know where Kyler went, since he pulled off a few miles back, and I haven’t seen any cars on the road since. Not many come down this way, as the abandoned street leads to nothing but forest.
I suppose Archer had a good idea when he thought this was the best place to bury a body.
Eloise slips out of the car, pushing the seat forward and extending her hand toward mine. I glance up at her, seeing the same fear and shock on her face.
“I never wanted it to go this far,” she whispers.
I shake my head, feeling the same.
“Maybe we should tell the police?” Posie suggests quietly.
“We can’t!” Vienna groans, opening her door and stepping out. She grumbles under her breath as she shakes her head, making her way to Creed as he steps out of Archer’s car.
“What’s going on?” Creed snaps.
She walks up to him, curling into his side. “They’re thinking about going to the police,” she mumbles.
Creed whips his gaze toward mine. “What the fuck, Lake?”
Archer pops the trunk, and Zane comes into view. His body the same.Dead.
My stomach rolls, and I open the car door, slipping out and keeping my back to the sight of him.
“Lakyn,” Archer growls in warning, and I can hear his door slam forcefully.
He’s pissed.
Irritation fills me.He’spissed?
I’m fucking pissed.
“This is fucked up, Archer. Do you realize that? Zane wasn’t your friend, so you don’t understand. But I was hanging out with him, and it wasn’t just sex. He was nice to me, and it was all fake. Do you know how that feels? How it makes me feel?” I seethe, walking around the car toward him. My bare feet grind against the rough pavement, and I barely register the fact that I left my heels at the docks. “You don’t get to be pissed about it. You wanted him dead from the moment you found out we were f—"
Archer is on me in a flash. His hand slaps over my mouth, and he pulls me to the side of the car. My spine hits Eloise’s door, the handle digging into me.
“You better shut those pouty lips before another damn word of that sentence comes out of your mouth. You want to say it? Huh?” he taunts, his eyes lifting, though his jaw clenches hard enough to break stone. “You’re lucky I don’t tear your tongue from your mouth for your filthy words. You need a reminder of who’s in charge?” he growls, grabbing me around my waist and hauling me around the car.
He points at Zane’s body, but I refuse to look. Unfortunately, Archer expected it, and pins my body against his, twisting us until I have no option but for my eyes to clash against the guy whose lips were on mine only hours ago. “This is what happens when you step out of our circle. This is how fucking deadly we become when someone touches what doesn’t belong to them.” His chest heaves, my breathing matching his.
We’ve always been one. Even if I hate him sometimes, our bonds could never be broken.
“This is what happens when someone tries to take something of ours,” he whispers, leaning down into my ear. “They die.”
He loosens his grip on me, looking down into my eyes. “And don’t forget, baby Lake, who it is that hit him first.” His fingers graze my bruised knuckles, cut, dried blood caked in the crevices. “It was these knuckles, baby. Fucking deal with the consequences.” He draws me in, his eyes alight with a fire. I can’t help the gasp that breaks from my chest.
“I fucking hate you so much, Archer. You’re such an asshole,” I growl as I shove against him.
The soles of my feet dig into the cracked pavement as I take in a deep breath. All I can smell, the only thing I can taste, is the salty ocean air, the thick needles of the evergreens, and the flavor of regret that lingers on my lips.
From starting something with Zane.
For murdering a man.
I don’t have the right to take a life. It should’ve never been my choice.
Archer can see the spiral turning in my brain, and he leans forward, pressing his lips against mine. I fight against him, shoving at his chest, and his lips quirk. “The thing is, baby girl, is that you’ve been ours since the beginning. There’s no going back. There’s no stopping what you’ve already started. And if your pretty little lips feel like spilling the truth”—he leans forward, his thumb pressing down on the center of my lower lip—“we’ll tell them exactly how tonight went down.”
