Page 45 of Wicked Little Secret

It’s a female torso that has the delicate and svelte curve only someone as talented as Nyssa could pull off. But for all its beauty, there’s a morbid element too.

While the right side of the torso is smooth and whole, the left side has a hole carved out as if depicting a wound of some kind.

A gaping hole where the heart should be.

My head slants to the side as I study the piece and imagine the meaning.

At the turn of the hour, I decide I’ve been greedy enough and should get going if I’m to avoid her. According to her AirTag, she and Heather have left the downtown area where their favorite boutiques are located.

On my way out, I notice a collection of old school newspapers dating back twenty years. I stop in my tracks and pick up the top paper to read the headline. Predictably, it’s about Valentine.

Assistant Dean Roger Fairchild Found Slain in His Office

“Hmmm,” I say aloud to no one, “why would you have these, Miss Oliver? Doing some research on Valentine, are you? Is that why you’ve been at the library so often?”

I make it out of her apartment and stride toward my car once I’m on the ground floor. Mere footsteps away, a familiar voice calls out to me.

Not Nyssa. Not even Theo.

“Theron, surprised to see you here,” says Veronica. “Visiting a student?”

Tension cinches my spine, making me stop mid stride. I cast her a cold look. “My sister. She does manage the building. I could ask you the same question, Veronica. Make a habit of hanging around college apartments?”

The woman I’d once been foolishly engaged to sniffles as she crosses her arms, her dark locks framingher pale face. “Have you forgotten my family owns this building? I can come by any time I want.”

“But you can’t come by my home any time you want. If I ever catch you near me again—or my BMW that you keyed—you’ll regret it.”

Her eyes narrow. “You are unbelievable.”

“No, Veronica, the only unbelievable thing is that I was ever fooled by you. That won’t happen again.”

I turn my back on her and finish my walk down the front path. The alarm on my BMW beeps as I approach the door and get in.

Veronica watches me in bitter silence for so long, I assume she’s going to let me go with no more protests. It’s as the engine starts that she calls out her own version of a farewell.

“Ever think it’s not me, Theron?” she says. “Ever think the problem is you?”

I slam my foot on the gas and drive off, leaving her in the past where she belongs.

11

NYSSA

FIRE OF LOVE - JESSE JO STARK

“You look sexy as fuck,”Macey says when she sees me in my costume. She’s seated on my bed, already wearing hers. Slutty police officer complete with thigh high boots and a garter belt. Her shiny patent leather police cap leans lopsided on her head, though she doesn’t seem to care. She’s nibbling on a piece of licorice as I stroll out of the closet and twirl around for her full assessment. “I didn’t think you had it in you, Oliver.”

“Had what in me?” I ask, stepping toward my floor length mirror.

“The whole slutty Halloween costume thing. It seems so… beneath you.”

That’s because it is.

…but I also know the rules of the game.

I uncap the top of my lip gloss, carefully applying a shiny coat to my lips. “It’s Halloween, Macey. You’re overthinking things. Everyone dresses like this for Halloween.”

“Since when are you everyone?”

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