Page 36 of My Wife

Another chuckle, even darker. “I made sure he wasn’t. Then I handed his phone to some drunk waiting for the bar down the street from the harbor to open. Gave him a hundred bucks to send the pre-typed message and dump the phone. Told him there was five hundred more if he did it and that me and my buddies were playing a game so I’d know.” His eyes light up. “Looks like I owe him the five hundred, huh?”

I made sure he wasn’t…

“You… you killed Aaron?”

THIRTEEN

CRAWL

Duh. Like, really? I only just saw what he did to two of our other friends. Why am I so shocked that Aaron might’ve been one of them?

But I am. Probably because, now that I know who was under that mask, I can’t imagine Clay doing any of that?

Look at him. He’s more than happy to explain.

“He was the first. The easiest. When you want to drown someone, just do it. Hold them under?—”

I can’t hear this. Not with the memory of Vee’s broken body, Tyler’s mutilated chest, Summer’s bloody face, and Madison strung up like a doll all running through my head… “Stop.”

“You sure you don’t want to hear more, baby? Fuck, I missed talking to you. That’s not all I missed, either, but… you look good, Cyn. Better up close.” He twirls his knife. “Maybe even better on the inside.”

I jut my chin up at him, hiding the way my knees are knocking. “You going to kill me, Clay?”

“Maybe,” is his short answer. “But let’s go in order first. How ‘bout that? I said Aaron was the first. Now that I think of it, though, he might not have been the easiest. That was probably Violet.”

Vee.

“What about Vee?”

He mimes a push. “Whoops. Violet lost her step. Too bad. So sad.” My fucking God, he’s lost it. That’s what happened while he was gone. Clay… he went absolutely insane, and every word that follows just makes me more and more sure I’m right. “I had something better planned for her, but she was always too nosy for her own good. She had to go snooping. I couldn’t resist.” He shakes his head. “She snapped something on the way down and never came back up.”

I can’t believe I’m hearing this.

“She was your friend,” I gasp.

“Myfriendnever would’ve told Chase Whitmore that you were into him. That you talked about wanting to fuck him. Myfriendwouldn’t have passed him enough shots to work up liquid courage to make his move, and tug your head down into his lap after he yanked his cock out. Myfriendwouldn’t have spread rumors all over town that the girl I’d do anything for would go under the bleachers and suck dick for ten bucks. I followed you everywhere, Cyn. Even back then. It was Tommy for you until you were mine. That bitch ruined your reputation with lies. She was never our friend.”

“She… she did that?”

Clay nods, letting it sink in.

My world feels like it’s spinning off its axis. I thought it did when Clay removed his mask, but hearing thatVeeset me up? “I… butwhy?”

“Because Summer Kaye asked her to. Because Summer Kaye thought that would be enough for Tommy to choose her over you. Because Summer Kaye doesn’t know when to keep her goddamn mouth shut.” He smirks. “She couldn’t try to tell me shit when I cut her tongue out, I’ll tell you that much.”

Summer… “You killed her, too?”

“Of course. And, don’t worry, baby. She offered to suck my cock if I spared her. That’s enough reason the tongue had to go. It’s only ever been you for me. Even while we were apart, there was no one else. And she thought I’d risk pissing you off by lettinghertouch me? Never. If I’m taking pussy as a bribe, there’s only one I want.”

Why does a small frisson of pleasure wind its way through me when I hear that, wherever he was while he was gone, he stayed loyal?

Why does an echoing sensation of guilt follow on its heels when I think about how I went back to Tommy?

I shake my head, knocking those thoughts out of it.

“How… how do you know all that? About Summer? And Vee?”

And Chase?

---