Page 204 of Evil Boys

She opens her eyes and blinks as she looks around.

Lana’s blood-smeared face strikes fear into her eyes.

“Don’t be afraid,” Lana says, holding out her hand. “I’m still me. I won’t hurt you. I promise.”

She rubs her lips together but still lets Lana touch her shoulder. Rory begins to smile. “You saved me.”

Rory jumps into her arms, and Lana stays frozen to her seat for a moment like she doesn’t know what to do with all that love.

“Cute,” Blaine muses. “If we forget all the dead bodies she left.”

“Hey,” Nathan warns, making a gesture near his lips. “Zip it.”

“I’m just saying.” Blaine shrugs. “She’s a force to be reckoned with.”

“True,” I say, glancing at them through the rearview mirror.

“I heard so many bangs. I was so scared,” Rory mutters.

“But you got through it,” Lana replies. “You’re a big girl.”

“Because I had you,” Rory replies. “Will you be my new Auntie?”

Nathan bursts out into laughter. “Whoa, hold your horses, Ro.”

“What? Can’t she be? Can I have more than one?”

“If you want to call me Auntie, I’ll be Auntie for you,” Lana says. “But my name is Lana. Lana Rivera.”

“That’s a beautiful name,” Rory says, making Lana blush as she tucks her bloodied hair behind her ear.

But something gnaws in the back of my mind that I just can’t let go.

“That guy back there … he said it too.” I look at them all through the rearview mirror, but in particular Lana. “He knew who you were.”

She swallows. “We all knew the risks when we came here.”

“You should’ve run with Rory when you could,” I say.

“And leave you all to die?” she retorts, her eyes as stern as her voice.

My lips part, but I don’t know how to respond.

Something about the idea alone that she killed all those people without a single scratch on her gives me chills.

“You killed all of them yourself?” I ask after a while, curious if she had any help.

She looks right back at me. “You’ve only seen me kill for sport. But this? This was personal. And I don’t take that lightly.”

Nathan glances at her, his neck turning red as his eyes slide over her bloodied clothes and face, inspecting every inch as though it’s the first time he’s really seeing her for the enthralling, powerful woman she is.

“But that guy … he saw your face,” I say.

Nathan glances at me through the mirror too now along with Lana.

“We destroyed their chance of getting more money,” I add. “And they’ll put the blame on her.”

“Let’s worry about that later,” Lana says, clearing her throat. “I just want to get home and have a nice, warm shower.”

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