Page 30 of Until Death Parts Us

“Find everything you need?”

“Yes, thank you.”

She rings them up and tells me the cost. After I’ve paid, she says, “Thanks so much for shopping at Willie’s. Would you like to fill out an informational card for a chance to win a free trip to Las Vegas?”

“No thanks,” I reply immediately, just wanting her to give me the rods.

“Are you sure? It includes hotel accommodations just a block away from the Luxor Hotel.”

She slowly hands them over, and I grip them in my fist as a plan emerges. “Really?” The girl nods with a fake smile on her lips. “Well, in that case, maybe a little vacation would do us some good.”

I don’t know how I’ll even bring this up to Quin. He’s not been excited to plan another trip since we got back from Montana. Which I get. It didn’t exactly go as planned, but we’re both healed now, and my branding marks have been covered up as best they could be by new tattoos.

The case in Montana went cold after a few weeks. Turns out Tim and Larry—the guy who was going to kill me, were budding serial killers themselves. They had been at Trego for a few weeks and killed two people before we got there. Both of the victims were women, and evidence was found inside their cabin that linked them to the bodies that were found.

I know, from what I overheard while bound and blindfolded, that they only took me because I saw them disposing of evidence.

Daniel, the guy in the cabin, was simply someone Tim found on some hookup app and invited over for sex. He had no clue what they were up to. The man in the tent that Quin killed was just another person at the wrong place at the wrong time. Authorities assumed Tim and Larry killed both Daniel and the man in the tent. There’s no true evidence to prove who killed either one of them. The fire ruined anything that could possibly be used.

We’re in the clear, but Quin’s not in a rush to leave Alaska anytime soon. The Vegas trip wouldn’t be for a while anyway. I might as well give it a shot.

I hand her back the card, and her face contorts.

“Your name’s Grayson?”

“Yeah,” I reply with a nod.

“Oh. When you were by the fishing poles with your friend, I thought I heard him call you Kaspian.”

I glare up at her, my eyes narrow and full of fire. She heard too much and hopefully she knows better than to make this a bigger deal than it needs to be. Quin won’t be happy to hear that someone overheard us use our real names. She’ll have to go if she isn’t smart.

“No. It’s Grayson,” I state simply, leaving no room to ask any more questions.

It takes a few seconds, but she recovers. Her shocked face morphs into something else. Something akin to interest. “Okay.” Her lips form a devilish smirk. “Don’t worry. My name isn’t Shawna either.”

My eyes slide down to her name tag and then back up to her face. Her forced smile is gone. The expression she has now is more authentic. There’s a darkness behind those eyes. Alaska seems to have gained another person seeking a new start, running from a past they hope doesn’t catch up.

I tilt my head slightly and give her a smile. “Have a nice day.”

“You, too. Thanks for shopping at Willie’s.” The faux personality is back.

I turn around and walk out, passing a blonde woman who’s entering. Quin is leaning against the driver’s side door of our truck, staring out at the water.

“Got ‘em,” I say, holding up the rods.

“Good. What do you want to eat?”

I put them in the bed of the truck before I come to a stop in front of him. “Would it be annoying if I saidyou?”

He snorts, his lips lifting into a smirk. “You can do that later.”

“I kind of want pizza,” I say as I steal the keys from his pocket. “And I’m driving, so I’m in charge.”

“Is that so?”

I nod.

“Hmm. We’ll see if that changes later.”

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