Page 59 of His Sinner

“The man in the video was wearing a mask.”

“So you think I played dress up with a mask and fucked some random girl?”

When he says it like that, it does sound fucking crazy. But maybe Trevor’s fucking crazy. I don’t know what to think anymore. “Not some random girl. April Emmons, Austin’s sister. The girl who thinks I killed her brother and mysteriously showed up at my house after someone gave her my address.”

Trevor lets out a short laugh. “And why the hell would I do all that?”

“To drive me away from Saint.” My voice shakes. “To make me believe the worst about him so I wouldn’t want him anymore.”

Saint might’ve been right. Maybe Trevor did all of this to drive us apart so he could swoop in and be the hero. The hero always gets the girl, after all. He’s an ex-cop and a security guard—he’s used to playing the hero.

I trusted him. Confided in him. Fed him all the information I knew about Saint. If he’s the one behind all of this, if he’s been using everything against me?—

“The worst should’ve been him stalking you.” He rolls his eyes. “And no, I didn’t fuck Austin’s sister while wearing a mask. You women are insane.”

Maybe I shouldn’t believe him. But I don’t know how to believe either of them without solid proof.

“Where’s that footage you said you had? Of Saint breaking the window on my car? You never showed it to me.” How convenient that Trevor claimed to have video evidence, but it mysteriously hasn’t materialized.

He shrugs. “Why would I bother now? All the evidence has been right in front of your face the whole time and you’ve ignored it.”

Rage boils in my veins, and I’m done playing nice. “You know what the problem is with guys like you, Trevor? The nice guys like you are actually just the asshole guys in disguise. You think just because you’re nice to a girl, she owes you something. You think showing a woman basic decency makes you a good guy, but you’re not doing any of it because you’re actually a good person. You’re doing it to manipulate her into fucking you. Which makes you just as bad as the rest of them. I’d rather take a stalker who’s at least honest about who he is and what his intentions are than a phony who’s faking his personality to get laid.”

Trevor stares at me for a few moments, fire burning in his eyes. I’ve hit my mark. I only wish I’d seen Trevor’s true colors sooner. “You’re just as fucking crazy as he is.”

I smile sweetly at him. “That’s exactly what a nice guy would say. Now please get the fuck out of my house.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

BRIAR

While we’re packing my car for the writing retreat, Mack sighs wistfully. “So I know I said I was just going to help you unpack and set up, but I think I’m going to stay for the week. I’ll totally be out of your way. You won’t even know I’m there. Just tell me if there’s a hot tub so I can bring a swimsuit.”

“This is not a vacation—this is work. And the cats need you or they’ll starve.” Sunlight reflects off my car as I open the trunk with a squeak and heave my suitcase inside. Thick gray clouds promising heavy rain are swiftly moving in.

Mack rolls her eyes. “They would never starve. They’ll figure out how to open doors to get to their food and catnip. They’ll be happier than they’ve ever been.”

“And then you’ll come home to shit all over your house.”

She chews on her lip. “Maybe I can hire someone to dig the shit out of their litter boxes.”

Near the end of my driveway, a black BMW parks along the sidewalk.

You’ve got to be shitting me.

“Who’s that?” Mack asks.

“April Emmons. The girl who’s been stalking me and fucked Saint.” Possibly. Unless it was Trevor. I have no idea anymore.

Mack’s eyes practically pop out of her head. “Oh shit,” she mutters as April climbs out of her car and strides toward us.

“What the hell do you want?” I call when April’s halfway up my driveway.

This time, she’s not confronting me with fire raging in her eyes, and I finally notice how young she is. Twenty-two, still in law school, and searching for whoever gave her brother the drugs that killed him.

She stops a few feet away, biting her lip. “Your boyfriend isn’t the one in that video.”

I play dumb. “What video?”

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