Page 218 of Kissing the Villain

The wind whipped through my hair, blowing my curls in my face. My shoes kicked up sand as I jogged toward the wooded area at the end of the beach. I took a right at the giant boulder known as Finnegan’s Rock, where Luca and his friends partied in high school.

I power walked down the hiking trail, ignoring the hoots and howls, the crunching of twigs snapping. I could handle the animals with fur, but the ones with guns and a thirst for blood worried me more. Just in case someone followed me, I ran the rest of the way, pushing my body to the edge as I hauled ass through the streets of Beacon Bay.

Weaving through one dark alleyway after another, I found my way into The Hills. The house I’d shared with Aiden was up the steep incline, right at the center of Devil’s Creek. I stood outside the modest Colonial-style home with many windows and blue shutters. The outdoor lights cast a soft glow over the front lawn.

I knocked on the door and gulped down my fear.

No answer.

What if Madeline was wrong?

I knocked once more. As I walked away, the door swung open, and paint fumes floated through the air.

Aiden.

“Can I help you?”

His voice rolled down my spine, burrowing deep into my bones. I spun around to face him, tears falling from my eyes as I gazed at my missing brother. His blond curls were longer, perfect spirals like when we were children. Once he’d hit puberty, he trimmed his hair short. A long scar dipped beneath his hairline and ran down the right side of his face—a new injury.

Nothing had changed, and yet…

Everything had, including Aiden.

My mouth dropped at the sight of him. “You’re alive?”

He held open the door wider, revealing the large foyer with the same dark hardwood floors and a long staircase that led to the second floor.

“Lexie?” Aiden stepped onto the front porch. “What are you doing here?”

Hot tears slid down my cheeks. “I thought you were dead. And you’ve been here all along? Is this part of some sick game? Did Luca know?”

Of course, he did.

Aiden moved toward me, and I took a few steps back. “I know what you’re thinking.”

I shook my head. “Why would you let me think you were dead? The past year has been hell for me.”

“You don’t understand what it’s been like for me. Things are different now. I’m not the same person.”

“No, you’re not.” I wiped away the never-ending tears. “Because the Aiden I knew would never leave me without warning. He would never band with the Salvatores to play mind-fuck tricks on me.”

“Let me explain,” he said, deflated.

“You made a choice, Aiden.” I inched backward, preparing myself to run from this fucking place. “I never thought you would choose them over me. We’re done. I’m done with all of you.”

“Lexie, wait! Hear me out.”

I bolted across the front lawn. Aiden followed, his long legs closing the distance between us, but he wasn’t fast enough.

“Leave me alone, Aiden,” I shouted as I rushed down the hill, using the steep decline to pick up speed. “I can’t do this right now.”

Luca was right about me.

Whenever shit got tough, I ran.

“Lexie,” Aiden yelled, out of breath.

A black Mercedes van barreled up the hill toward us. My heart slammed into my chest, my pulse racing so fast I thought I would spill my guts on the pavement.

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