Rebellious.

And Ilikeit.

Tesla skips down the stairs ahead of me, announcing my arrival. “Youguuuys,” she calls, her voice sing-song. “Check her out!”

Goldie looks up from the couch, her jaw instantly dropping as she smiles. “Damn, girl,” she says, adding a whistle. “You looknice!”

And Logan?

He juststares.

Goldie waves a hand in front of his face. He takes too long to snap out of it. When he does, he clears his throat, brushes her hand away, and rises to his feet.

“I think he likes it,” Goldie teases, throwing me a wink.

Logan steps closer, his gaze never leaving me. “You look stunning,” he says.

Heat flutters through my chest. “Thanks.”

Goldie huffs impatiently. “Can we go now?” she asks.

Tesla shushes her with a slap to the arm. “Let me have this,” she whispers, her eyes locked on us.

“Yes, we can go,” Logan answers her, smirking as he offers me his hand. “Shall we?”

I stare at his palm, my stomach coiling around the point of no return.

It’s just one night of spooky fun. No big deal.

Just one night of bending the rules. Of stepping outside the lines.

Of being someone other than myself.

I take Logan’s hand.

“We shall,” I say.

25

KATRINA

There’s nothing quite like Halloween in Las Vegas.

Not my favorite holiday, of course. I vastly prefer the coziness of Christmas morning or the warmth of the Fourth of July. But I have to admit, Halloween has its charms.

Pumpkins with carved grins. Strings of flashing orange lights. The air thick with the scent of caramel and popcorn.

And the costumes.

I hop back as a parade of skeletons twirls past, their bones clicking together in a choreographed dance. Across the street, a woman dressed as a demon towers on stilts, exhaling a burst of fire into the air. Just behind her, a zombie Elvis throws up a peace sign, snapping a selfie with a group of drunk tourists in superhero suits.

“Hey.”

Logan appears beside me, his voice a low murmur beneath the thump of music. He takes my hand, gives it a light tug, his black-lined eyes smiling as he says, “Keep up.”

My stomach flutters with nerves as I scan the crowd for onlookers. But as Logan pulls me deeper into the festival, it becomes clear that no one is looking at me. No one notices the rockstars in their midst. I blend in with my black corset and jade green skirt, just another girl in a tight, sexy costume at the biggest party in town.

We catch up to Goldie and Tesla at the end of a row of vendor stalls. The scents hit all at once—roasting peanuts, fried dough, something savory I can’t place but immediately want. Goldie’s laughter cuts through the night, high and bright, rising above the pulsing music and the delighted screams spilling from the haunted mirror maze at the end of the street.