Page 225 of Chaos Kills

“Good.” I take a bite of my peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

“You, uh…excited for California?”

Of course, I needed to tell Trav. Since Levi left Nessa to me, I gave him Travis, but it sounds like he hasn’t gotten around to it, and here we are.

However, I don’t want to talk about it.

“I don’t know if excited would be the word I was lookin’ to use,” I reply honestly. “More like necessary.”

If we end up going. Who the hell knows?

“A lot has changed since I haven’t been around.” He sounds upset, and I crane my head around. Travis was at some nerdy convention thing for one of his physics classes, so we haven’t had much time to talk.

“You better start researching college,” I mutter. “You’ll need to transfer if it ends up going down.”

His blueish-green eyes gawk at me a bit through his gray-rimmed glasses. “You’d want me to come?”

“I always promised I’d take you with me if I left.” In fact, he’d be easier to bring along on the initial trip than Nessa, as asshole as that is to say. “Unless you want to wait until the end of the semester. Get things sorted.” I shove my peanut butter and jelly in his face, I force him to take a bite. “You need to eat, Muncy. You haven’t since you came here.”

He does what I ask and is silent for a moment before he blurts out, “You’re married.”

I inwardly cringe at the way he says it. As if I was marked a whore and people will find out to promptly stone me to death.

And, honestly, even if Travis had been here, things would’ve still ended up the same. I still would’ve fallen for Torin and Reeve’s charm.

“In name only,” I deadpan.

“Bay—”

“I promise you I’m good, Trav. What you’re doing for us is going to get more income coming in, and it’s definitely what we need.”

“Yeah, of course,” he mutters. “Anything for you guys.”

“Don’t sweat me, okay?” I push his glasses up by the bridge of his nose and behind the medium brown hair that curls at the ends. “I’m doing fine. And Levi and I are making small and cautious moves.”

“I don’t want you to make any moves at all,” he retorts softly. “This is all a dangerous game, Bay. I know you’re doing this for the town and your family, but…the revenge, it’s going to eat you alive. It may make you do things you can’t take back.”

“I didn’t say I was less stupid. I know I have the girls to take care of.”

“But who’s taking care of you?”

“Levi, Hot Rod?—”

“But what do we know about Levi’s cousin? Your husband. Is he going to hurt you? Do you know why he married you?”

I shake my head and steer my focus back to the TV. “No. However, he’s been solid.”

“Do the girls know?”

“That I’m married?”

“That you’re leaving South Shore?”

“We’re leaving South Shore?” I freeze at the sweet and anguished sound of Ellie’s voice and the broken question behind it.

My head snaps in her direction, and I find nothing but apprehension and sheer shock at what she just discovered. What Levi and I weren’t going to tell her until we were good and ready.

“Shit,” I mutter as I rise from the couch, but Ellie takes a step back as if she’s scared of my answer. “Ellie, let’s talk?—”

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