Page 28 of Lush

I had to run my new plan by Noelle.

I had to get the hell out of this house.

Heading to my ensuite bathroom, I noticed the letters Serena brought earlier on the floor. Sighing, I bent to pick them up. I flipped through them again, getting ready to put them in the trash, but I noticed one with no return address, just my own name stamped on.

I hesitated, my thumb grazing the edge of the envelope before I ripped it open. Inside was a single sheet of paper, plain and simple, but when I read it, I felt the room shrink around me.

You know what you did. I spent six years miserable. Now it’s your turn. This time, there’s no escape, Murderer.

Photos fell from the paper. I stared, pulse racing, at the grainy but clear image.

Reese and me, stumbling out of the bathroom, disheveled,tangled in the aftershocks of a moment that should have never happened. His hand was on my arm, but the way he was looking at me—hungry, daring—made my pulse spike all over again.

And then, in the next photo, my engagement ring caught the light as Reese’s body pressed me against the wall, his lips just inches from mine.

Someone in Lush knew.

CHAPTER 7

Laurene

The black limoskidded to a halt on the gravel drive.

“Leave the engine on,” I said to my driver and jumped out before the car fully stopped.

Reese’s place. His home was a cold, towering villa on the edge of town, its sharp lines slicing through the fog rolling in from the cliffs.

Isolated. Defiant.

Just like him.

My palms were clammy, but the letter burned in my purse as I approached Reese’s door. The gossip mill in town was quick to tell me he bought this home right after theaccident. Nearly on the edge of town, up in the cliffs.

My fist slammed into the door—once, twice, over and over, until the sting in my knuckles matched the one burning in my gut.

No answer.

“Reese!”

I banged harder, my palm flat this time. Hehadto be here.

I knocked firmer on the door again.

“Reese, I swear to God, open this damn door!” My voice cracked; I hated that. I hated needing him so much right now.

I needed to keep calm. I needed to think clearly. Panic wouldn’t get us out of this.

Moments passed, then I heard the click of the dead bolt and the door swung open.

“What the hell do you want?”

His chest was bare, damp from a shower. I exhaled slowly, my eyes tracing the thick lines of his tattoos, some new and some familiar. The low light of the hallway hit him just right, casting shadows that danced and twisted, making him seem less like a man and more like something darker, like an incubus.

I didn’t say anything. His eyes burned into me with anger; he was waiting for me to say something.

“Get the fuck out of here, Laurene. I’m busy.”

He started to slam the door, and I shot my hand out. The sharp metal of the doorknob bit into my palm, but I didn’t flinch.

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