Page 160 of Lady Killer

“You don’t leave until it’s time, Luz.”

Alister stepped out of the car.

“We’ll see you soon,” he said, closing the door with more force than required.

Nixon turned around in his seat to look at me. For a moment, he seemed at a loss. “Don’t get yourself killed, pet,” he finally said before slamming his door closed.

“Capricious creatures, those two. Don’t let them get to you, my love.” Ever placed his palms on my cheeks and turned me to face him. “Everything will be all right, Starbright.”

“How can you know that?”

“Because you are here, and I am here, and we exist together,” he said. “And any world where we exist together is the right one.”

It didn’t quite make sense to me, but I accepted it.

Reaching forward, I was rewarded with his lips on mine. The kiss was gentle, yet confident. As assured as Everest was of our success.

We were interrupted by a harsh knock on the window.

“Ah, time to go, love. Let’s go catch a killer,” he said with a sparkle in his eyes before slinking out of the car.

I opened my door to find an agitated-looking Alister pacing. Nixon and Everest were nowhere to be seen.

“Get in the car, Luz.”

“I was in the car!”

“No, the driver’s seat,” Alister said, throwing up his hands.

I frowned at him but listened, confused by his sudden explosion of emotions.

Sliding into the leather seat, I began searching for the controls to adjust the position.

“Stop it, let me.” His face was pinched as he kneeled to push a couple of buttons, sliding me up and forward.

“Alister . . .”

Before I could finish what I was saying, he was on his knees, and his arms were around me, dragging me half off the seat and forcing me to swing my legs to the side to wrap around him. Crushing me close, he buried himself in my neck. “You’re mine.”

“I—‍”

“No.” He lifted his head and brought his forehead to meet mine. “I don’t need to hear anything else. You’re mine, and after this, you’re not hiding from it anymore.”

His lips brushed against mine, and I closed my eyes.

When I opened them, Alister was gone too.

The light rain turned to mist in the woods, and the wipers of the Rover worked back and forth as I navigated the vehicle down the narrow road.

As promised, after a short drive, the trees split to reveal a large overgrown field populated by a single, sad-looking McMansion.

Pulling over to park the car, I hopped out and noticed a large sign knocked over on the ground. Squinting my eyes, I could just make out “The future home of Oak Ridge Heights.”

Palming my phone, I turned it over to see the time.

Three minutes.

The boys should be approaching soon, through the woods, if they weren’t hiding there already. I couldn’t make out any sign of them in the surrounding trees, but that didn’t mean anything.

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