Page 114 of Please Hate Me

“Who do you work for?”

Sebastian’s hand moved from my cheeks to trace my features, analyzing them as if he were looking for something that would definitively link me to the cult he was after. Fortunately for me, that proof was hidden among the scars on my chest.

“If I told you, I’d have to kill you.”

From anyone else’s mouth, that phrase would’ve sounded like a bad joke... but Sebastian’s words carried an eerie conviction. His words should have scared me, but instead of fear, an odd sense of relief washed over me. Sebastian was fucking crazy, that much was becoming clear.

Crazy, in my experience, wasn’t always a bad thing.

“Would you kill for Mason?” I asked.

Sebastian’s breathing deepened, and his pupils constricted as his tactile exploration of my face stopped at my lips. He tickled my bottom lip with his thumb as he considered his answer. After a beat, he closed in, and I was afraid he’d kiss me. Instead, his lips lingered at my ear, his breath infesting my hair.

“I already have.”

He pulled away, and my heart stopped. I tried to maintain what remained of my composure as questions swirled in my mind: Who the fuck could he have killed? How did he hide it? Did he even have to hide it?

Did his employer clean up the messes he left behind?

“Does that scare you, Cameron Cole?” Sebastian’s taunt was slow, as if he were savoring the idea of terrifying me.

But I shook my head. If things kept going like they were, Mason might need someone willing to kill for her.

I just hoped Sebastian was as smart as he claimed to be. If he were, it would take him no time at all to realize I was nothing but another casualty of Dale’s twisted gospel, lucky enough to live to hide from the tale.

Chapter 31

Mason

The golden light of midday spilled through the open curtains as I crept down the hallway, hoping to catch fragmented bits of Sebastian and Cameron’s conversation. When Seb and Cam asked me to leave, they didn’t tell me I had to goquickly. I knew eavesdropping was wrong, but I needed to know how it was going. If things went well for him and Cameron, maybe everyone would be okay with me sticking around.

In spite of myself, I was starting to like it here. But I couldn’t stay without Sebastian; he and I were kind of a package deal. He was probably the only person on Earth crazy enough to hang out with me all day and still enjoy himself.

As the remnants of Cam and Seb’s conversation faded, I began to notice a new sound. Faint chords from an acoustic guitar echoed off the high ceilings, making the halls lined with family photos feel even more homey. I recognized the song—soft and melodic, resonating somewhere between blues and soul—but I couldn’t quite place it. Following the sound, I found myself with my ear pressed against Lucian’s door.

A shiver overtook me in response to his muffled voice. I could never shake the feeling that Lucian should’ve been the one to become a musician, not me. He couldn’t play as many instruments as I could, but the velvety timbre of his voice was to die for.

I started to softly hum along before realizing he was playing “Cherry Wine” by Hozier. A beautiful song in its own right, andfuckwas he doing it justice. I waited for the last chord to fade, then knocked gently on his door.

“Give me a minute!” he called, his guitar audibly sounding as he put it down. I could have been patient, but I liked the feeling of annoying Lucian. So, I knocked again, this time with force.

“I said to give me a fucking minute!” Irritation crept into his words.

My lips twitched into a smirk, and as I knocked a third time, the door fell away under my knuckles. Lucian glared at me, but the venom in his gaze was diluted by the glasses he’d told me were broken. His face reddened as his hand inched toward his face. For a moment I thought he might try to rip them off and hide them; instead, he slowly pushed the thick black rim up the bridge of his nose.

“Two weeks went by quickly,” I commented, trying to make light of the fact that he had lied to me. What could he possibly have gained from forcing me to drive him to work?

“Time flies when you’re having fun.” His breathing slowed, and he crossed his arms.

Yesterday had been so hectic that I barely had time to marvel over Lucian’s physique. Now, though, it felt like we were frozen in time. He was thin, built almost like a figure skater. His long-sleeve crop top showed off his delicately-muscled, mostly hairless torso. My gaze trickled down, meeting the eyes of the crudely-drawn smiley face poking out of the top of his low-rise jeans.

“I’m guessing you’d like to come in?” The smooth tone of his voice wrapped around me like a blanket. This was Lucian’s roundabout way of inviting me in, and the idea of hanging out in his room felt cozy.

So, I nodded.

“Ah-ah-ah,” he tsked, and a sly smile slipped across his lips. “Use your words.”

My chest shuddered with a breath as I looked up. His hair was loose, leaving long, vine-like curls to cascade over his shoulders. Why did Lucian have to be so pretty? I swallowed, trying to find an excuse that would allow me to maintain the upper hand in this power struggle of his. I certainly couldn’t tell him I just wanted to be around him.

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