Page 73 of Girl, Reborn

‘Martin. What the hell's going on withhim? Where is he?’

Mia's eyes went cold as a morgue slab.‘Why do you think I’m in this town?’

‘You tailed him? Here?’

‘Yeah. And it was the perfect opportunityto come apologize to you, too.’

Ella thought back to the shadowy figuredogging her steps. The stranger in the residential street, the figure outsidethe mayor’s bar.

She’d chalked it up to paranoia. To thejittery nerves of a long hunt without rest.

‘Mia, were you here all day? Tailing mesince this morning?’

‘No. Just got into this one-horse town tenminutes ago. It was a haul and a half from the city.’

Ice water trickled down Ella's spine. IfMia wasn't the one shadowing her every move, that left only one option. Onehorrible, gut-wrenching possibility.

Martin.

The bastard had been on her tail since thebeginning. Watching, waiting, biding his time for the perfect moment to strike.

And she'd played right into his hands. Ledhim straight to Mia, gift-wrapped her with a shiny bow.

What if he was watching right now?

Ella swallowed hard. She needed to think.To find a way to finish this. To put some distance between her and Ripleybefore Martin could spring whatever trap he had planned. Needed to keep hersafe, even if it meant doing something foolish.

‘Mia.’ Ella caught Ripley's gaze, held it.Willed her to understand the desperate plea lurking behind her blackened eyes.‘I need you to do something for me.’

‘Shoot.’

‘I need you to trust me. And I need you toslap me.’

Mia goggled at her like she’d suddenlysprouted wings. Mia searched Ella’s face for the punchline. When it never came,she asked, ‘What?’

Ella surged forward, leaned in close sothe desperate rasp of her voice wouldn’t carry.

‘He might be watching. Trust me. And if hesees us together, being pals…’

Ella let it hang. Then saw understandingdawn in Mia's eyes, slow and horrible as a tumor metastasizing.

‘You're a real piece of work, you knowthat?’

‘Learned from the best, didn't I?’

A ghost of a smile flickered across Mia'sface, there and gone like a stutter of lightning. She squeezed Ella's handshard enough to grind the bones to powder. Ella thought of all the wounds she'daccumulated over the years: stabs, bullet holes, burns, bruises. Surely a slapwas nothing in comparison.

Then Mia cocked her arm back and let fly.

The crack of flesh on flesh was like agunshot. Ella's head snapped back, and stars exploded across her vision insickening spirals. She staggered, then fell on her ass against the dirt.

Damn. Maybe she’d underestimated the powerin Mia’s palms.

Through the ringing in her ears, she heardMia's ragged inhale. Saw her square her shoulders, spit a curse that would'vemade a sailor blush. Then she was striding away.

Somewhere out there, Martin Godfrey waswatching.

The trap was set, the pieces in motion.All that was left was to see who'd blink first.

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