Page 119 of Dirty Princess

“What happened?” Maz asks. “Hand or mouth? Or chest? Or butt?”

“What?” I cry out. “Gross.”

“What’s gross?” Birdie asks.

I shake my head.

They’re both staring.

They won’t drop the subject…

So I swallow hard and raise my right hand.

I wiggle my fingers.

“It’s a start,” Maz says. “I’m going to go eat my soup and cry.”

Birdie lunges for my hand.

Her thumbs stroke my palm.

“This hand,” she whispers. “It touched…”

I pull my hand away. “Stop that.”

“Jaci, will you touch me with your hand?” Birdie asks with a sly grin.

“No.”

“Fine. Oh, by the way, there’s something in the hallway for you.”

“What?” I ask.

I turn and run to the door.

When I open it, I look down.

There’s an envelope again.

I pick it up and curl my lip.

“Fucking Archer,” I whisper.

I open the envelope and find something inside.

I gasp.

What if this is about my family? What if Archer is watching? What if he knows that I finally know the truth? Is he going to kill me then?

There’s a piece of paper in the envelope.

I don’t know what to do.

I bite my lip again.

Oh, fuck it.

I pull the piece of paper out of the envelope.

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