Page 65 of Her Nightshade

I stared at her, my heart pounding, every instinct screaming at me to protect her. “What if he sees through it? What if he figures out it’s an act?”

“He won’t,” she said with quiet certainty. “Not if we plan it right. Not if I play the part perfectly.”

My throat tightened as I considered her words. The idea of her being anywhere near Jake, much less pretending to want him, made me sick. But she was right—Jake was holding all the cards. And this…this could give us the upper hand we desperately needed.

“Fuck,” I said through gritted teeth. “You’re right. I can’t fucking believe this.”

I pulled her into my arms, holding her tightly, as if I could shield her from the nightmare we were about to walk into. “If he touches you, Ana—”

“He won’t,” she whispered, cutting me off. “Because I won’t let him.”

Her confidence was both reassuring and terrifying. I just hoped we weren’t making a mistake we couldn’t come back from.

And if he fucking touched her, I vowed that I’d kill him myself.

25

Ana

Iignored the text, hoping it was the wrong number, something that wasn’t meant for me.

But a call came the next morning as I sat in Charlie’s dressing room in the backstage of Madison Square Garden. The same number flashed across my screen and I hesitated before answering.

“Ana.” His voice was low, the same tone I knew so well when he was at his breaking point.

“Jake,” I whispered, and it suddenly all made sense.

“I’m glad you picked up. I didn’t want to leave this in a message.”

“What do you want?” I asked as I stood up, trying to calm the panic rising in my chest.

He chuckled softly, the sound as familiar as it was infuriating. “Still so defensive. Relax, Ana. I’m just here to offeryou a little advice. You might want to keep a closer eye on your boyfriend.”

My stomach churned. “What are you talking about?”

“Charlie,” he said, dragging the word out with disgust. “Do you really think you can stay with someone like him? With his track record? He’s a fucking trainwreck, Ana.”

“Don’t,” I snapped. “You don’t know him.”

“Oh, but I do,” Jake said smoothly. “And I know what he’s capable of. For example, I know he paid someone to intimidate Sarah in jail. Did he tell you that? Or did he conveniently forget?”

I froze, a lump forming in my throat.How did he know that?“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“So you did know,” he said casually. “But perhaps what you didn’t know ws that I handled it for him. I had them just do the fucking deed, something that should have been done a long time ago.”

A wave of nausea crashed over me. “You…youdid that?”

“You’re welcome,” he said, his tone light, almost playful. “And don’t worry. I’ve made sure Charlie’s involvement won’t come back to haunt him. For now.”

“For now?” I choked out, dread swirling in my chest.

“Here’s the thing,” he said, his voice going low. “Charlie’s…messy. His obvious obsession with you. The impulsiveness. The carelessness. I’m surprised you’ve stayed this long, actually. He’s one step away from ruining you, Ana. And when he does, I won’t be able to clean up the mess. In fact, I might be forced to make sure the mess sticks—to him, not me.”

“Why are you doing this?” I whispered, tears stinging my eyes.

“Because I’m the only one who knows how to protect you, to make you happy,” he said coldly. “You’ve let him into your life,into Sloane’s life, and he’s going to destroy everything. Look at Callan. Look at the damage already done.”

I froze. “WhataboutCallan?”

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