Page 61 of Ash and Poison

It took a lot to finish my breakfast, but I had to. Once I was done, I took another Tylenol, and applied ointment along my bruised skin. I chose a silk scarf to hide the faded marks, before strolling toward Hollowhaven.

When I was finally in my office, I video-called Layne.

“Shit. What happened to you? Did Asher…”

I shook my head. “Declan found me.”

She gasped, eyes wide. “Fuck, babe, no. Shit. This is a disaster. I’m coming there.”

“No, I’m alright. Asher saved me.”

She gasped again, letting out a string of curses. “He helped you? What the hell’s going on, Dee? Didn’t he try to kill you? Wait, I need to sit down for this. My head’s spinning.”

I sighed. “I’m fine. Dex is not going to leave. Damn, Lay, I don’t want to kill Dex. He is… Dex.” I rubbed the heel of my palm against my eye.

“That bastard deserves to die,” Layne snarled.

I wiped my face with a long sigh. “I don’t know… he almost killed me, Layne,” I said, tugging at my hair. “But when Asher shot him, all I could think was… please, don’t be dead.”

“Do you like him? Still?”

“No.”

“No?”

“I don’t like him. He’s…”

“No way in hell am I staying here after this. Trina is busy, but I’m heading over as soon as the exhibit is over.”

“Where are you now?”

“I’m in Florence. Give me a day or two.”

It didn’t surprise me at all to hear that Layne was in Italy. She had always been the type to chase new experiences, and nothing thrilled her more than combining her love for travel with her macabre art.

I was surprised they still hadn’t connected her murders from Delhi to Dallas—after all, her signature was unique, and it wasn’t like she was hiding her MO and keeping it subtle.

“You don’t need to be here,” I said, tapping a finger against the keyboard. “Just take care of yourself.”

She nodded. “But I want to take care of you. If I don’t, who will?”

I laughed.

“Bye now. I’ll call you later. Stay safe until I get there.”

Nodding, I hung up and stared at the empty screen with a frown. Now that Asher was not here to distract me, and short-circuit my brain, I could properly think about my situation and Declan.

Declan was not one to give up, and when he promised something, he kept it. He had brought dying patients back to life and sent living ones to hell—he was that good, and now he was hell-bent on sending me along with the Grim Reaper. Fun.

My phone rang. Blocked number, but I already knew who it was.

“Hello, Dex. You’re still alive.”

“Who is he? Another one of your victims?”

“Him? Oh, he’s no victim,” I said with a sigh. “So, what do you want now? Are you going to keep up with this?”

“Your life, Dee. Your pain. Your heart so that I can break it into pieces just as you’ve done to me,” Declan said.