Page 61 of Kill, Sleep, Repeat: Vol II

“Do you want to argue your point, or do we get this over with? I’ve got two law degrees, dearest Charlotte. We could be here a while.”

“It’s rare I kill such an overachiever.”

“Really?”

“No,” I say, a flicker of a smile tugging at my lips. “That was a lie.”

53

CHARLOTTE

Icheck my watch, feigning regret. “I’m terribly sorry, but you’re right. I don’t have time for chitchat. It’s almost time. I’m a sucker for wedding cake.”

“My new bride is going to be very disappointed.”

“This is what? Number three? Surely, she’s aware of your track record when it comes to cutting and running.”

“Number four, actually.”

My bottom lip juts out. “Impressive.”

“What can I say? Like you, I’m a sucker for wedding cake.”

“I’m sorry you’ll be missing this one. It looks very good. They can be so dry sometimes.”

“You are not so bad, Charlotte. I mean, if you have to be the last person I see. It really could be worse.”

“I get that a lot,” I say. He swings at me, and I duck just in time. Without missing a beat, I lift the knife above my head and drive it into his eye. For all the lives he’s ruined. For all the footage he’s traded. And because I can.

He screams and then swings again, but his reflexes are slower this time, sluggish—thanks to the little somethingHayley slipped into his drink. “This is worse than I thought it would be,” he chokes out as I twist the blade deeper.

“Interesting,” I say, “it’s exactly as I imagined it.” Then I slide the knife free and slit his throat.

As his body crumples to the floor, the silence in the room feels deafening, almost too loud. I wipe the blade clean, slipping it back into my clutch, my pulse steady—controlled, as though nothing has happened. When we exit the elevator and round the corner to our hotel room, I’m not surprised to see a familiar face waiting for us, though I wish I were. He leans against the wall, arms crossed, his expression one of practiced irritation.

“It was supposed to be quick and easy,” he says with a sigh, his voice laced with annoyance. “Clean. But leave it to you to take it to a whole new level. I’ve been waiting here forever.”

I offer a nonchalant shrug. “It was a great party. The cake was to die for.”

He eyes me, the familiar frustration flaring in his gaze. He wasn’t supposed to be in Vegas, but he’s the overbearing, protective type. Safe to say, we haven’t quite sorted that out yet.

Finally, he shakes his head. “You always did love a crowd.”

My stomach tightens at the words. Henry used to say that. Carlo said it just once.

“Dad?” Hayley says, her voice full of surprise. “I didn’t know you were going to be here.”

He smiles a little, the warmth never quite reaching his eyes. “You know how much I love this place.”

She rolls her eyes. “You hate Vegas.”

“Not today I don’t.”

She rolls her eyes again. “Can we go now? You said you just needed to grab something and then we could leave.”

He turns his gaze to me, raising an eyebrow. “She’s been this waythe whole time?”

“She’s mad I made her toss the dress and the shoes.”

---