Page 70 of Vicious Sentiments

Julian stills in his stroking of my arm. “Well, I’m glad we agree on that.”

“He’s really dead right? All the way dead?” I worry that I was just mistaken, that we were all mistaken, and at this moment he’s digging his way up from the ground and will be coming for me.

Julian chuffs. “Well, if he wasn’t, he is now.”

I wince. Maybe he did cut him up into tiny pieces. I have to resist the urge to check his nails again.

“You aren’t mad at me at all?” I raise my head.

“What?! God, no.” Julian tucks me back into him.

“But I let him in. I didn’t know it was him but I opened the door and I didn’t have a chance to stop him,” I sob.

“Shh.”

“And Margo’s kitchen is ruined.”

“It’s all cleaned up.”

“And Cape. I feel so bad that he did that and he probably hates me. I didn’t fight like he showed me and now he has another name on his list.”

“His list?”

Oh, no. Did I just let that slip? I sit up and note Julian’s confused expression.

I might as well reveal it all, if I really want to be here.

I tell him about how I snuck out and went through his house, leaving out Marney because I was the older one and going over there was on me. I even tell him I went through his underwear drawer, which gets an amused eyebrow raise, but he doesn’t seem upset. And then I tell him about his office and the bottom drawer.

He nods as if he already understands.

“I’m really sorry.” I hang my head.

“Hailey,” He draws out my name and I brace for a scolding. “While I didn’t expect you to go snooping, I wouldn’t have given you the keys if I was trying to hide anything.”

“You aren’t mad?”

“No.” He pulls me against his chest. “But do you have any questions about what you read?”

I chew my lip. I would like to know if Margo had anything to do with the death of Marney’s parents, but that seems rude, considering how she’s handled recent events for me.

“Did you kill a woman?” I ask instead, not sure I want to know and not sure why it’s more important to me more than any of the other names.

“You do know that those lists are extremely errored right?”

“But did they get that one right?”

I feel Julian’s head bob one way and then the other. “Ehh. Technically. But you should know I don’t feel good about it.”

My heart sinks.

“In this line of work there are always casualties and the specific person you are referring to was in the wrong place at the wrong time. A wife who thought her husband was cheating but found him being taught a lesson instead.”

“Oh,” Is all I can say.

“We really can’t have loose ends,” he says. “Not in this business.”

“I understand,” I tell him and I really do understand, but it doesn’t make me feel any better.

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