Page 84 of Burned

“And you killed him for it,” Bayne says. “Now sit down and get control so you can kill again.”

That’s enough to surface me. Rafe pulls out a chair, shoving my shoulder down till I’m sitting in it. Bayne moves to my side, a hand on my other shoulder. Gregory hovers by the laptop, ready to snatch it away.

Carlos’s voice continues. “I don’t talk till I see your girl on this screen.”

My blood reaches the boiling point.

Bayne’s hand is steady on my shoulder. His voice rumbles in my ear. “Breathe, Lucian.”

“I found out you bought a girl to replace Izzy. And this one, you kept.” A smile stretches out over his face. Then, Carlos says, “Erin is her name. Right? I only have one more question about her.” His face turns to pure malice. “I want to know what sets this little whore apart from all the others.”

My chair crashes behind me as I fly forward. Gregory slips the computer off the table before my swinging arm can clear it. Bayne grabs me from behind, wrapping his arms around my chest.

“When we find him,” my chest heaves, “I’m going to tear him apart.”

The screen goes blank.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

ERIN

My back pressesagainst the wall as I slide down to the floor, hugging my knees to my chest. I’m sitting across from Cass in her room. Just the two of us, Mack outside the door.

She’s staring at me. I’m staring down at my hands. I can’t look at her.

Not yet.

Cass just told me everything she got on her brownie delivery intel. Mack tried to lock her in her room the minute the call came through but she threatened him with death if Lucian didn’t get his brownies while they were still warm.

And Mack has a sweet tooth, especially for Cass.

So, she took her sweet time. Delivering them at the exact moment she heard his voice.

Caleb.

Are these fog-covered marshes where the dead come back to life?

I hate that.

I hate every tremor, every breath, every stupid tear that burns behind my eyes. I hate Caleb’s voice. I hate Carlos’s. I hate the photograph. I hate that there are files.

I hate that even dead men can still make my body feel like a room I want to escape.

Most of all, I hate that Cass heard.

Sweet little Erin.

Always so quiet when it matters.

My stomach twists.

No.

I am not going to be sick. And I need to get control of that story before it gets to Lucian. Our future is already dancing on a wire. Cass can’t ever know that story.

And he can’t know all of the truth, or I certainly will lose him.

I can’t. I can’t lose him… the thought of life without Lucian steals my breath away.