Page 60 of Deceit & Desire

Each step felt like a test, the air growing thinner the higher I went. When I reached the top, I paused, resting my forehead against the edge of the loft floor, willing my heart to slow.

“You’ve come this far,” I told myself. “Don’t turn back now.”

I pulled myself up into the loft, the familiar creak of the boards beneath me almost too much to bear. It was just as I remembered—dusty, cluttered with old boxes and tools. I dropped to my knees and began searching, my hands trembling as I pushed aside years of debris.

Minutes stretched into eternity as I scoured every inch of the space. My heart was pounding, my breaths coming in quick, shallow bursts. And then my fingers brushed against something odd—a loose board in the corner.

I pried it up with shaking hands, my pulse roaring in my ears. Beneath it, nestled in the shadows, was a small, worn book. Missy’s diary.

It was aged, the edges frayed, the cover warped slightly from moisture, but it was unmistakable. My hands trembled as I picked it up, the weight of it almost too much to bear. I flipped it open, the faint scent of old paper wafting up, and began to read.

The words blurred together at first, my mind struggling to process them. But as I read, the pieces started to fall into place, each entry peeling back a layer of the person Missy had been. My chest tightened, a lump forming in my throat as horror and anger twisted inside me, tangled with something unexpected: empathy.

Tears stung my eyes, but I didn’t let them fall. My hands gripped the diary tightly, my knuckles white.

“Oh, Missy,” I whispered, my voice barely audible. “Why didn’t you tell anyone?”

I closed the diary, holding it against my chest as if it might steady me. The truth was in my hands now, and it was heavier than I’d ever imagined.

I climbed down the ladder carefully, each step deliberate, my legs shaking beneath me. Outside the barn, I pulled my phone from my pocket, my fingers trembling as I typed out a text to Roman.

Zoe

Forget the trucks. Go get Landon from town and then meet me at the barn when you get back with him.

I turned the ringer off and switched all the sound settings to silent, my heart pounding as I set the phone on a bale of hay where it could film everything unobstructed. The lens was pointed toward the barn’s interior, capturing the loft and the area below.

If this worked, it would finally bring everything to light. If it didn’t… I couldn’t afford to think about that.

With shaking fingers, I typed another message, this one to the person I needed most—and feared most.

Zoe

I need some help with moving a few crates around in the barn. Can you come help me, please?

I hit send, the weight of the moment pressing down on me like a freight train. Switching to my phone’s video app, I hit record, positioning myself so the camera would have a clear view of me when my visitor arrived.

I just prayed Roman and Landon would get here in time. And that they wouldn’t arrive too soon—because if they did, I wouldn’t get the confession I needed. I took a deep breath, steadying myself as I prepared to confront the killer.

“Missy,” I whispered, clutching the diary close. “Let this end tonight.”

Chapter24

Day of Reckoning

PLAYLIST: “THE DEVIL WITHIN” BY DIGITAL DAGGERS

ZOE

I stareddown at the pages of Missy’s diary, unable to believe what I was reading as my eyes skimmed over the entries while I waited for her killer to arrive, preparing myself for what was coming.

Dear Diary,

A day of reckoning has finally come. The day I’ve been dreaming of, waiting for, and planning in secret. Today, I turned sixteen, and Ifinallymade my move. I’ve wanted him forsolong, and today Ifinallyconvinced him to kiss me.

The way his eyes lit up when he saw me dressed like a grown woman, the way his lips felt against mine, and the way my heart raced—it was all worth it.

He works at Twisted Creek Ranch now, like most guys around here, including my brother Michael, and every time I’ve gone to hang out with Zoe, I’ve been drawn tohimlike a moth to a flame.

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