Page 73 of Pretty Little Lies

Ramsey takes a sip of his drink and slowly looks over the landscape ahead. “Emilio has given Torin and I everything we ever could’ve wanted and more. However, he lacks personal space and follow-through.”

“Excuse me?”

“You, for instance. We both know you don’t want to be here. That you couldn’t give a shit about having a relationship with him. And, like I said, I don’t blame you. You hate him for what people around you have said about him. He cares about what you think.” He raises his shoulders. “I don’t.”

“So the whole ratting out Penn Northcott thing does nothing for you, huh?”

My stepbrother doesn’t even spare me a glance when he says, “You mean when he ratted out a traitor? No, Bay, I sleep just finewith that little fact in my back pocket. It doesn’t even come to the surface unless someone’s bent out of shape about it.” His eyes slide over to mine. “Penn put a hit on every single one of us, kids and all. I don’t owe him anything but a bullet in his head.”

“I guess we can agree to disagree, then. However, you can stop the whole nice act. I’m a threat to what you believed you were being handed down, so you don’t even need to stand here and pretend to give me details over things I’ll never take your word on.”

He perks a brow at me, expertly gluing his stoic facade on. “You’re not going totakeanything I don’t willingly give up or offer you. If you tried, I’d kill you. We clear on that?”

“What does that include exactly?”

Ramsey rolls his dark brown eyes. “God, if you’re talking about this fuckin’ Titan seat, I’ll throw a bow on it for you. Ask Emilio, my brother…neveroncedid I mention wanting it.”

“Doesn’t sound smart.”

“How so?”

“I am South Shore, after all.”

“For now.” He pauses a pregnant moment, the crashing of the waves filling in the background noise. “Until Levi Wallace decides he wants to kill you.”

Well, I think our plan is working.

“My brother…I think he likes you,” Ramsey continues. “In fact, I think he’s stupid that he likes you. Especially when you’re already showing me how fickle you can be with loyalty to a town that just dumped you on your ass and zero countenance to fucking him over in the long run.”

“I think you and I are more alike than I want to admit.”

We’re not. The only thing we share is how paranoid we are to the other.

Ramsey sighs and slices his eyes to the waterfront. “You should know that I’m not a very forgiving person. I’m straightforward”—he steers his clear focus back to me—“so, whatever you have going on in your head…” He purposely leaves it open for interpretation for me to reply to.

“You don’t need to worry about that,” I offer. “I’m not looking to be involved in some fucked-up gang.”

“So, the guy you were talking to earlier, who got you the drink you’re holding, doesn’t hold a candle to your interest?”

I scrunch up my face. “What?”

“That was a spy.” His voice is void of any emotion that I can’t tell if he’s serious or just fucking with me. “No offense, but you’re gonna suck at this if you plan on becoming part of the business here.”

“I justsaidI didn’t want to be part of the Forsaken Fucks.”

Ramsey just watches me with the same look he’s been wearing for the last two minutes. “Cute.” He turns his body to face the party and steers his concentration back to something. “So, you wouldn’t mind if I play mine?”

“By all means, do you.”

Ramsey lifts his suited arm and at the end of it is a silver Beretta that glistens exquisitely against the sun.

I don’t even get to think or act, back off or tell him to put it down. The sound that resonates off it cracking through my semi-calm persona while a disturbing sense of dread filling through the crack.

My curiosity wins out over the reality of what Ramsey may have done and splayed heedlessly on the beige patio bricks is the man who offered the drink in my hand over ten minutes ago.

Dead.

Warnings and neon red flags wave in my face as I maneuver back to the future of what I’m walking into and trying to annihilate.

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