Page 30 of The Silent Note

I blink once.

Twice.

She’s still there, smirking at me.

Perfectly preserved at sixteen years old.

“Sloane?” I whisper.

“What?” Zane says, glancing over at me.

“Huh?” I startle.

His eyes narrow slightly. “Are you okay?”

I nod and look through the window at the city roaring by. When Zane returns his attention to his phone, I peek at the front seat.

It’s empty.

But it was empty since the car arrived, so why did I think Sloane was there?

I rub under my stitches, breathing hard.

I’ve always thought of Sloane. There hasn’t been a single day when I haven’t.

Since she was murdered, my life changed for the worst. I got panic attacks when I climbed into small spaces, imagining how Sloane must have felt when we buried her. I’d sometimes see blood on my hands and it would make me puke.

But most of those reactions stopped when I decided to investigate, to dedicate my life to finding her true killers.

Why are the hallucinations back now?

A side effect of the medicine? Head trauma? Stress?

Should I tell Zane to turn this car around and go back to the hospital so I can take some brain scans?

I lick my lips nervously, wondering if he’d agree. But what’s the alternative? If I’m seeing hallucinations, I’m pretty sure it’s a warning that I might pass out in bed later. Even if he’s eager to get our night started, he won’t be able to do anything to an unconscious body.

I hope.

Would he?

This side of Zane, this dangerous, rough side isn’t one I’m familiar with. I don’t really know what he’s capable of.

You do know what he’s capable of.

Oh my go?—

Sloane grins at me, the smile that makes her blue eyes crinkle at the corners. She used to hate those wrinkles, bawling about how her face was sagging before she turned twenty years old.

But I loved those laugh lines. Joy had etched itself into her face. It was a gift, so everyone could acknowledge that she was pure sunshine.

I wished I laughed as much as her.

Sloane laughs at me now.You should see your face.

We’re talking about sex with my step-brother.

Don’t play innocent. This isn’t the first time you’ve slept together. And this time, it’ll be so much better because you actually know each other.

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