Page 31 of The Golden Hour

I shrug. “I still love it.”

She sighs. “You kill me, you really do. What’s your endgame, huh?”

“Vivian and my uncles behind bars.”

“How?”

“Evidence.”

“What evidence?”

“I don’t know yet.”

“Wow. Solid plan.”

I smile at the familiar, acerbic tone. “You missed me.”

“Like a limb I severed that suddenly grew back.”

I bite my lips to keep from laughing. “What have you been up to? Tell me everything.”

“Same old same old.”

“Did you finish your degree?” I ask wistfully.

“Yeah,” she says, voice subdued. “It sucked after you fake-died, though. I was the chick whose best friend was probably murdered.”

“I thought you hated Los Angeles and were never coming back.”

She shrugs. “Feelings change. After four years on the East Coast, I missed it. Things are cool now, though. I work for a boutique design agency downtown. I like it. Pay is great.”

“What else? Any serious relationships? You’re not married, are you?” I gasp. “Are you a mom?”

I see a flash of teeth as she grins. “No, but the idea isn’t as horrifying as it used to be. I have a boyfriend—he’s a total jock. I have no idea how we started dating, but somehow it’s been almost four years.”

“He treats you right?”

She nods. “Like the goddess I am.”

I can’t resist giving her another quick hug. “I’m so happy for you. I’ve missed you so much. There are so many things I never got a chance to tell you, like thank you for—”

“Save it for later,” she interjects softly. “Callie, what can I do to help? Time’s almost up.”

I glance warily at the house. At exactly twelve twenty-five, the main alarm is set and all the doors auto-locked.

“Can you get me a burner phone?”

“I’ll leave it under the bench tomorrow night. What else?”

I shake my head. “Nothing.” When she starts to protest, I lift a hand. “Seriously.”

“Are you Lone Rangering me? For real? After everything we’ve been through?”

“I don’t want you anywhere near this, Rabbit. I love you, and I’m so happy you’re happy. I won’t risk screwing up your life, too.”

She pulls me in for a hard, final hug. “Be safe,” she whispers. “I love you, too.”

She jogs back to the stone wall, scaling it easily using the footholds we installed in high school and the muscle memory of having made the climb countless times. Draped as the wall is with vines, it looks like magic as her lithe body zigzags to the top. Then she’s gone.

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