Page 147 of Wicked Promises (Fallen Royals 3)

Oh god.

I’m no better than my mother, shaking a child.

I jump to my feet, ready to bolt.

“T-the diner,” she says through her tears. “She’s always talking about hanging out with her future mom.”

Lydia.

The diner.

My mother.

I take a step forward—to hug her, to thank her—but she flinches away from me. It stops me dead in my tracks.

“I’m so sorry,” I whisper. “But Caleb…”

“Yeah.” She swipes at her face. “You and her are the same. Only focused on him.”

Only focused on him. How did I miss that about her?

I run out of the house, down the steps, and straight into Riley’s car. “You remember how to get to Lucky’s Diner?”

34

Caleb

Time is a tricky thing. Sometimes it moves slowly, like when I realized Margo had overheard my conversation with the Jenkinses, or walking into my parents’ room and finding Dad covered in blood. It inched along every second Margo was missing.

Other times, it moves too quickly: racing like the clock can’t withhold it anymore.

Time.

The only thing that could possibly save me is working against me.

I count down the seconds, eyes glued to the dash, and too soon, handfuls of minutes have passed.

Claire asked if I remembered her, and I didn’t have an answer. But the truth?

Yes. I did, and I wished I didn’t.

Past

Margo had just left for school. It had been a while since I was here. I had been trying for almost a year to scrub her from my brain. Since living with the Blacks, my mindset changed the slightest bit.

She wasn’t the boogieman I had to fear, like my uncle always pushed on me.

She was just a disease to be eradicated.

I watched her disappear down the sidewalk, into the mist. There was a bus stop around the corner. At the beginning of the year, I checked the Stone Ridge paper to see where she might take it. What time. I wondered at the commute length, if students on the bus would pick on her or leave her alone.

I climbed out of my car and crossed the street.

The door flew open before I could ring the bell, and a young girl stared up at me. Her mouth dropped open.

Another girl appeared. She was closer to Margo’s age.

I silently cursed myself for not waiting just another moment.

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