Page 84 of There is No Devil

“I don’t even know his name,” Randall grunts. “Tori never said shit about him.”

Damn it.

“Well, I need pictures for the article. Any old photographs, yearbooks, letters …”

“I didn’t keep any a that shit,” Randal scoffs.

“Too bad.” I pretend to give up on the idea.

Randall can’t let go of the prize. He’s licking his lips, clenching that beer like a grenade. Then he thinks of something.

“I got a picture of her mom fuckin’ some Nazi.”

I grin. “That sounds like a trade. Bring it to my hotel room.”

“Nah.” Randall shakes his head. “I can’t drive that far. I got a cabin fifteen minutes from here. You can follow me up.”

“Even better.”

* * *

15

Mara

Cole wakes me up nice and early, already looking bright-eyed and freshly showered. He doesn’t seem tired at all, but invigorated.

“Get up, sleepyhead,” he says. “Time for your TV debut.”

He’s already got blueberry scones and a latte waiting for me, both warm and fresh.

“What time did you wake up?” I say, stumbling out of bed.

I’m still a little groggy from the Ambien, though my body feels warm and relaxed.

“I didn’t sleep at all,” Cole says.

“What? Why not?”

“No point when we had to get up this early. I’ll catch a nap later if I feel like it.”

I guess that makes sense. Cole rarely goes to sleep before midnight, so it would only have been a few hours’ rest at most.

I wouldn’t be that chipper on zero sleep, but good for him.

I climb into the shower, luxuriating in the hot, pounding spray, which feels particularly sensual after my hibernation.

“What do you think I should wear?” I crack the glass door to call out to Cole.

“What did you bring?”

“The blue dress and the velvet jumpsuit.”

“Wear the jumpsuit. It’s sexier.”

“Do I want to be sexy, though?”

I’m shampooing my hair, eyes closed, trying to picture both outfits. I do love the jumpsuit, but I don’t want to give the wrong impression. The world is so much harder on women than on men when it comes to our looks and our clothing. Especially when you’re competing in a male-dominated field.

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