Page 43 of Moth to a Flame

Impossible.

God, or whoever’s out there, I truly hope it isn’t him. The world can’t be that cruel, that unfair, to give me everything I’ve ever dreamed of just to rip it away from me.

Without giving another thought about what I might find outside, I flip the lock and open the door. The cool air of the hallway has goosebumps running up my arms. Or maybe it’s the velvet box on my doorstep.

Or the too-silent hallway.

Pointing my Ruger at the stairs, I whisper, “Hello? Anyone out there?”

Silence.

The box is in my hand in the next second. Fast as lightning, I’m back behind my closed door.

Safe. I’m safe.

But Landon could be dead. Oh God, oh God, oh God.

Jigsaw on the table, laptop swiped to the side.

Deep breath, and I flip the top open.

The note they left this time is placed neatly on top of the eyeballs. It’s easy to see the slightly smudgedNot good enough for younote. I toss it to the table since there’s a more pressing issue.

The eye color.

Not black.

Not.

Black.

The eyes are not black.

I almost cry in relief.

And I also know who’s their owner. Whousedto be their owner, of this one blue eye and one green.

“Callum? Caleb? It definitely starts with a C.” I tip my head up, wracking my brain.

Kind of hard to remember anyone else when I can’t seem to forget Landon’s hand between my legs. If I concentrate really hard enough, maybe I could…

“Right.” I snap my fingers. “Clayton.”

The man lost his life and eyeballs for blocking me. And he’s just what I needed. His eyeballs, that is.

The more I look at his blue and green eyeballs, the less power my nightmare has over me.

I feel even better once I get my hands on my second empty jar I have around here and fill it with ethyl alcohol.

Plop. Plop.

Both eyeballs land in there and then they’re secured next to Marshall’s in one of my cupboards.

As I wash my hands in the kitchen sink, I consider my options.

One, I could log on to Moth to a Flame to save Landon from being the next victim. To have my stalker set his eyes—haha—on another target. I received a lot of emails today, telling me I have messages waiting for me on the dating service.

I could message either of them and take the heat off Landon.

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