Page 37 of Pretty Poisoned

"Hazel, I'm disappointed," he says as she returns to the now-empty main room.

"I didn't let him touch her," she says.

He glares at Luca and River, who laugh quietly. "You two are fucking children," he says. Then, he turns to me and adds, "And you smell like cum. Layla!"

Layla looks over from the same chair I left her in with hopeful eyes. "Yeah?"

"Teagan is going to sleep with you. Show her where the room is. Alana, let's go."

I watch as whatever hope was there before dissipates, and her face falls.

"Good night, Teagan," River says as she ascends the staircase with Hazel.

Luca stalks off toward the kitchen, and Declan throws his arm around Alana.

"Declan!" Layla screams—actually screams—as they walk off together. It takes us all by surprise. "Please don't. Please…stop doing this to me. I'm so sorry. I love you so much—I'll do anything. Just…please talk to me. Please…tell me what to do."

He looks her up and down, emotionless. His eyes dart to me before he turns back around. "Make sure she takes a fucking shower, too," he says over his shoulder before he disappears down the hallway.

"Come on, Layla," I say, taking her hand. She stands and walks in that unnatural dead way again up the stairs with me at her side.

"It's the last room on the right side," she says.

We step inside the room, decorated in sage green and white. There's a queen-sized canopy bed at the center with a white down comforter and a teddy bear on the pillow.

"Is this really your room? Do you all have your own rooms?" I ask. "What's with the bear?"

"Declan got it for me," she says, looking at me through watery eyes.

Oh…shit.

"The first night we met. He won it; it was at the state fair. They weren't famous then."

I try to picture Declan as the kind of person who would win someone a teddy bear at the state fair. Even if this was a version of him that existed two years ago, it's difficult to imagine.

"Oh. Are you a local then?"

"I'm from a small town nearby called Post Falls," she says. "There's a bathroom there; I'll show you how to turn on the water. It's kind of confusing."

"Thanks," I tell her. "Um, do you have anything I can wear? I'm sorry to ask, but I don't have much, and I left my bag down in the kitchen."

"Yeah," she says. She walks over to the dresser and opens the bottom drawer. "Is this fine?"

She hands me a pair of black tights and a black Washington State Cougars hoodie.

"Yeah, that's perfect. Thank you," I tell her.

She forces a smile and steps into the bathroom.

"There are dual showerheads, but if you want to use them both, you have to turn this," she says, turning the water on. "If you don't like it, just turn it back. The floors and the towel rack are heated, too; I'll turn them both on for you."

She flips a couple of switches and starts to leave the room.

"Layla?"

"Yeah?"

"Are you okay?"

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