Page 94 of Forget Me Not

Alaric raises his hand, revealing another mask.“For you, my lady.”

My eyes shoot wide open when I see it. “It’s beautiful.” Matching his, mine has the same details, with diamonds around the right eye, and a pointed top that looks like the spikes on a crown.

“Turn around,” he quips, holding the mask out.

I do as I’m told and he slides it down on my face. I spin back around and this time, he’s the one taking me in. “This dress is stunning on you, Rhea.”

I grab the sides of the black velvet gown he surprised me with and I do a little curtsey. “Why, thank you. Someone pretty awesome picked it out.”

His tongue drags across his teeth and he jerks my body against his. “Well, he did a fine job.”

“He certainly did. And I must say, that mask looks much better on you than the ski mask you were wearing before.”

Alaric lifts the mask from his eyes and lets it rest on his forehead. “Ski mask?”

“Yeah. Well, I thought it was you because you wore it to the party I went to with Tyler a couple weeks ago. But then I realized it could have been anyone since it’s snowing so hard.”

“Rhea,” Alaric says sternly. “I’ve never once worn a ski mask. I was at that party, but I watched you from my car with no mask on my face.”

“That doesn’t make any sense. Someone was definitely watching me there. They stood in the woods, wearing all black, just like the person I saw today.”

Alaric brings his hands to his face and rubs his temples aggressively. “It wasn’t me, baby.”

“It’s fine.” I sweep my hand in the air. “It’s fall in Vermont. It’s cold as fuck. It’s probably nothing.”

“Probably isn’t good enough when it comes to your safety. If I had to guess, this was no coincidence. Especially after what I learned today.”

My eyes bug out and the noise behind us drowns out. “What do you mean?”

“Let’s get a drink and sit down. I have to tell you something. But from here on out, I’m not letting you out of my sight.” He takes my hand and leads me to the bar, where he orders each of us a drink. We find a small table at the back of the room and sit across from one another.

“So,” I begin, taking a long sip of my strawberry martini while willing my hands not to shake. “What’s going on? Is this about the business you had to handle today?”

“Actually, yes.” He takes a deep breath, looks around the room, then holds his gaze on something, or someone rather. I follow his line of sight and see Heather sitting at a table with a lady who is staying at Gladys’s for the week.

“Alaric,” I say, grabbing his attention. He looks back at me, eyebrows raised. “What is it?”

He leans into the table slightly and lowers his voice. “It’s about Heather.”

I tilt my head slightly toward where she’s sitting. “That Heather?”

“That’s the one.” He takes another sip of his drink then sets it back down, keeping his fingers wrapped around the glass. “I got a strange vibe from her when she first appeared at Gladys’s, so I was keeping a close eye on her. Last week I took her out for lunch because I wanted to see her reaction to some of my questions.”

“And,” I press for him to go on. “Did she pass your test?”

This is asinine to me. Heather is a little weird, but I highly doubt she’s the devious person Alaric has created her to be in his mind.

“Not at all. Which led me to digging deeper. Today I went to meet with my PI who’s been doing a search on our housemate, Heather. Turns out, her name isn’t Heather at all. It’s Chloe Blackburn, and she’s got herself in a world of trouble.”

“Oh my God,” I blurt out, remembering my conversation with Heather earlier. “She told me she did something bad. I tried to get her to talk about it, but she clammed up and ran out of my room. So what did she do?”

“Gambled herself into a six-figure debt. I’m still waiting for Arnold, my PI to find out who she’s indebted to, but we’ve got a pretty good idea who it is. Anyways, we’re certain she’s here to settle what she owes.”

My heart sinks deep in my stomach, connecting the pieces quickly. “Do you think it’s that Ian guy?”

Alaric shrugs his shoulders. “It’s hard to say. But Lockhaven, Rhea. I mean, seriously. Who the fuck comes here just to come here? No family connection. No friends. It has to be him.”

“Well,” I tilt my head from side to side, slapping my hands to my chest, “I sort of just came here.”

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