Page 148 of Hide and Keep

“Sure. Okay. Yes, I would like that. Appreciate you, uh, doing so. Thank you.”

Jesus.

“Show me which room.”

I take my phone with me, just in case Ryan did wake up Ever and she gets any ideas. She has more energy than my parents’ golden retriever.

Who the hell is in Crue’s room? He pleasures me, then sneaks someone in here immediately after?

She’s short, shorter than me. And judging by her hair, which has some kind of knot at the top with strands sticking out all over, she just got fucked. Really fucked. The kind of fucked Crue was supposed to do to me but didn’t because… I don’t know why he refused to fuck me.

Maybe so he could come home—to my home—and fuckher.

Jealousy seizes me, overtaking every rational thought, even the ones reminding me to stay hidden, and I storm across Crue’s room and grab her by that ugly hair to—

Ah! Her head! It’s off her shoulders! Oh my fucking Goddess, I beheaded someone.

I wasn’t even trying to. I just wanted to pull her hair a little.A lot.But I didn’t grab herthathard, did I? Enough to rip her head off?

Oh shit. Oh shit. Oh shit. What do I do? I literally have someone’s head in my hand.

Why am I still holding it?

I release the wiry-feeling hair, letting the head fall to the floor with athump.

That’s weird. I thought it’d sound squishier.

Gross.

Now what? Should I slip back out like nothing happened? What will Crue think when he wakes up and finds a decapitated body, as well as its detached head, in the middle of his floor?

Hopefully he takes it as a lesson. Don’t sneak women into your room.

Not that I meant to remove her head from her body. Her body that was just—

Wait…her body. Where is it? There was only one thud. Shouldn’t her headless body have fallen, too?

I glance around, straining my eyes in the dark. It was easier to decipher outlines of things from the wall. This close it’s much harder to identify objects. Isn’t this his desk though? Was she sitting on it?

Ever so slowly I pivot toward Crue’s bed. No lump whatsoever, it’s clear he’s not even in it.

Okay, well, where is he? Every other night I’ve snuck in here he’s been asleep in his bed.

But now he’s missing and there’s a head on his…

If she was on his desk, she would’ve beenmuchshorter than I originally assumed. Too short to even have a torso…

That can’t be right. That’s…

What the hell am I talking about? It was just a head, already on the desk. I didn’t decapitate anyone.

Did Crue? I can’t really see him doing that, especially the leaving-the-head-on-his-desk-like-a-psychopath part.

But who else would’ve?

There’s only three other people currently in the manor—my father, his valet, and the chef.

Fear overtakes my body, burning up the jealousy in an instant. Where is Crue?

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