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Liar. I could read it in her face, the way her eyebrows raised and the light pinching around her mouth. Ruby was a good liar when she wanted to be, but I caught her off guard.
“Don’t,” I said, voice sharp. “I already know it was you. Fox traced the number to the phone, and Mrs. Lanahan confirmed you were the one to purchase it. So, please, don’t pretend not to know what I’m talking about.”
She froze, and I saw the gears turning in her mind as that information sunk in. She was trapped, and that shocked, innocent expression darkened. Her mouth turned down at the corners as her eyes narrowed.
“I wasn’t threatening her,” she snapped. “Not really. I just wanted her to leave. Of course she went whining to you about it.”
I was losing the battle with that molten rage wanting to erupt out of me, but I swallowed down the curse I wanted to throw at her. My hands shook as I balled them so tight, my fingers ached.
“Why the hell would you do something like that, Ruby? And they were threats, whether you were going to go through with them or not.”
Her arms tightened across her chest, and she looked away. “She doesn’t belong here anymore, Reid. I wanted her to leave. The moment she came back, that girl went missing and I don’t think it was a coincidence. She’s not good for this town.”
My chest felt like it was on fire. “She had nothing to do with that,” I spat. “She’s a victim, Ruby. Nothing is her fault.”
Her eyes cut back to mine, and there was a flash of anger in them that rivaled my own. “The whole town is a victim, Reid. What happened all those years ago affected everyone. Not as much as you, I know, but it made everyone scared. The moment Lark came back, that feeling of terror returned. I just think it’s better if she’s not here.”
Some of her words hit hard. She wasn’t entirely wrong. The town was different after the murders. People were scared. There was media all around and suddenly everyone knew the name of our tiny town and the horrors that happened here. And worse, the killer had never been caught.
Now he was back again.
I rubbed a hand over my jaw, massaging the ache from grinding my back teeth. “It’s not her fault. This would’ve happened if she came to town or not.”
Ruby raised a brow. “Are you sure?”
I paused. Was I sure? There was so much we didn’t know at this point, could I definitively say one way or the other? Lily went missing very near the time Lark got back to town. I didn’t understand how that was connected, though.
I let out a frustrated sigh. The one thing I knew was that we needed answers. And I prayed that Lily’s body was going to hold the key to leading us in the right direction.
“It doesn’t matter,” I snapped. “You have to stop this, Ruby, or else I’ll have to go to the police. No more texts. No more notes. No more threats.”
Ruby’s forehead crinkled. “Notes?”
“Yeah, the notes you’ve been leaving for Lark on her doorstep and car. It all needs to stop.”
Ruby shook her head, looking confused. “I didn’t leave any notes, Reid. I just sent her a few text messages.”
I studied her face, paying close attention to her micro expressions. There weren’t any tells that she was lying to me.
If Ruby hadn’t been leaving the notes, who the hell else was trying to threaten Lark? And when was all this madness going to finally stop?
29
Lark
I could not stop grinning. Even as I pulled into the driveway of my mom’s house after closing up the shop, my lips were twisted up into a smile I couldn’t get rid of.
I shifted into park and cut off the engine. My toes curled in my shoes as memories of my time in Reid’s bed flashed through my mind. I bit my lip, leaning back in my seat with a sigh. I couldn’t believe it happened, and yet, I couldn’t wait for it to happen again.
It wasn’t just the sex. Though it turned out that Reid was really, really good at that part. It was something else. Something more important.
I loved Reid Ramsey.
Not only in the way of friendship, but I was in love with him. It happened so fast, I barely realized it. At the same time, maybe it was always there, silently growing from a seedling within my heart all these years.
Reid was someone I had always admired. When Thea was pissed at him for being too overbearing or too protective, I sympathized with her—but in my heart, I had always admired him for the way he looked out for his little sister. He was the closest Ramsey sibling in age to Thea and me, and he hung out with us often, keeping an eye out and making sure we were safe.
I pressed a hand against my chest. It broke me that he blamed himself for what happened to Thea. It made sense, and I understood the survivor’s guilt more than anyone, but I should’ve known that Reid would have faulted himself for not saving his sister. I wanted nothing more than to take the pain away from him, but it was going to take time. I would be there, though, constantly reminding him of how truly amazing he was. It was his responsibility to do the real work of forgiving himself, but I’d do everything in my power to help guide him there.
