Page 265 of The Invite
The others notice her too and we walk in her direction.
Her gaze slams into us and a scowl pursues her lips, studying each of us apprehensively. I don’t miss the way her eyes linger on Maverick for a second too long and the nervous bob of her throat.
“Did you miss the memo?” Scarlett mentions the lack of costume, looking her up and down.
“I’m not interested in all of this.”
“Allergic to fun, little liar?” taunts Maverick.
Smirking, she retorts, “Just you.”
A throaty chuckle escapes Maverick and he shakes his head, regarding her under hooded eyes.
“Will you be able to handle tonight, Capri?” I ask her cautiously. She’ll be confronting her sister’s killer tonight. On some level, I can relate to her. “If it’s too much—”
“I’m not sitting on the sidelines,” she cuts me off sharply. “If anyone’s going to make him pay for murdering Amber, it’ll be me.”
“Wolf on board with the plan?” demands Augustus.
Her chin lifts, gaze turning impassive. “He’ll do what’s necessary.”
“Good.”
Capri’s phone chimes and she pulls it out from her jeans. Quickly reading it, she types out a reply, and informs, “Kenny’s at the Ferris Wheel. I told him to come here.”
As seconds tick by, tension builds in my chest and laces around my shoulders. Augustus did a good job distracting me earlier. But now, my mind is plagued with all the worst-case scenarios where our plan backfires.
The truth is on our side but when have the good guys won?
What if today was the last time Augustus and I are happy? What if something happens to either one of us and I never got to tell him the truth about me? Or warn him that the cops are looking into his uncle’s death?
So many tumultuous what-ifs.
Twisting in his arms, I run my palm up his chest, vying for his attention. “August…”
“Hey!”
I turn my head, peering at Kenny. He’s dressed in a nerdy scientist costume with a white coat and black-rimmed glasses.
“Sorry I’m late,” he huffs. “I got lost in the haunted house.”
“Have you never come here in the past?” asks Maverick.
“No,” he answers sheepishly. Clearing his throat, he timidly questions, “So Kaid is Anonymous? You guys have proof?”
“He’s the only one without an alibi when Daisy was attacked,” shares Augustus. “He’s also someone Amber could’ve trusted enough to come to school to meet so early.”
“Yeah… you’re right!” Scrubbing a hand over his jaw, he mutters, “I can’t believe he’d hurt women. But why, though?”
“That’s what we’re here to find out,” coldly replies Capri.
“What if he denies it all?”
“He won’t have a choice,” Augustus says ominously.
Kenny swallows, fear skittering across his slim face. “What does it mean?”
“It means, sweet Kenny.” Scarlett invades his personal space, staring him down. “Will you confront him or run away scared?”
