Page 32 of Secrets

Now, as I sit on the plane with nothing but my thoughts of her, and so much unsolved mystery, I can’t help but slip my computer from my backpack and open a new search tab in the database.

I’m not sure what I assumed I’d find, but it damn sure wasn’t what I do. Not only do I find Elena in the system, I find the Babin family attached to her.

There are twenty-two days left until I’m expected to have Jessica’s body on a cold slab in a morgue.

Until her, killing has simply been a task, like any other mundane thing I would mark from my to-do list, yet with this woman…well, she gives me pause. Be it her exuberant nature, the innocence surrounding her, or my budding minuscule attraction, I’m finding it harder than necessary to take her life.

This is dangerous for an insurmountable number of reasons, but most prevalent is that not taking hers will cost me my own.

There’s no doubt Alexi will use this as an excuse to finally kill me—no matter how much his brother may need me—and that in itself should be motivation enough.

Yet, I hesitated at the observatory.

I told myself I needed to get to know her better so perhaps she could show me the ugly side of her humanity and, in turn, make her death more palatable. At least, that was my reasoning when I agreed to yet another date. This one being a far cry from my comfort zone since I’m allowing her to pick me up.

My internal alarms have been flaring the duration I’ve gotten ready. To allow myself to be put in a situation where I don’t have quick access to flee is a nonnegotiable for my everyday life, but again, I tell myself it’s for a cause. A cause I repeat over and over no matter how many times it tastes bitter like the lie I know it is.

Checking my small satchel to ensure I have what I need, I head downstairs to the shop and make sure for the twelfth time it’s locked up and reset for tomorrow. My nerves have yet to settle, so I wipe the counters again, taking long and controlled breaths. When my heart finally finds a calm rhythm, the deep rumble of an engine pulling into the parking lot causes it to thrum harder all over again.

My eyes flash to the window at the same moment my core contracts. A sleek black sports car rounds the corner before a bright grin and blonde strands become visible behind the windshield.

A strange smile tugs at my lips as my feet propel me to the front, quickly unlocking the door before Jessica has a chance to exit her vehicle.

“Wait,” she calls, rushing from the car and up the small steps, her ponytail becoming a pendulum behind her. “I didn’t even get a chance to knock!”

I huff, turning the lock in place. “That isn’t necessary.”

Jessica shrugs. “That’s like…the number one rule in the handbook. Walk them to their door—both at the beginning and end—of every date.”

“How would you take metomy door at the beginning?” I ask, fully aware she meantmeetingme at the door.

Her supple lips part for a rebuttal but then squeeze together as she worries them back and forth over her teeth. Her nose becomes a small button, wiggling with the movement, and I’m fairly certain I’ve never seen anything more adorable.

After her brows join the fray and furrow, I hold up a hand. “It’s fine, really.”

“I’ll allow it this time.” She grumbles and pivots on her heels, the rubber of her tennis shoes making the faintest squeak from the friction of the pavement. “Shall we?”

I nod, smirking at her question before taking the first step. “We shall.”

We both walk to the passenger side of the hotrod and I pause, allowing her to slide in front of me to open the door, lest she has another fit. “Thank you.”

“Of course.”

After I’m seated, I watch her skip to the driver’s side, and become suddenly, and acutely aware that this is the first time I’ve ever been on a date. Though I’m sure one would consider our time at the observatory an outing of sorts, it wasn’t this…intimate. Being picked up, having doors open for me, knowing that she will walk me home at the end—likely with no expectations after—is strange.

It causes a small airiness to open in my stomach, a fluttering I’ve never experienced wreaking havoc on my intestines. I clear my throat twice and swallow hard to abate it, but to no avail, and decide to distract myself by turning to Jessica when she settles in her seat.

“Quite the vehicle choice. It fits.”

Her smile is absurd as she nods and starts the engine. It roars to life before quickly softening into a loud purr. “Sixty-Nine Chevrolet Stingray. First car me and my pops worked on when he trusted me enough not to blow up an engine.”

“So you’ve also been a mechanic?”

She lets out a laugh so sweet and infectious, my heart does an unusual twist in my chest. “Oh, I’m a jack of all trades. Because of my dad, I can fish, make a mean steak, rebuild an entire car and construct pretty much anything. My aunt is responsible for my knowing how to bake, sew a button, and not kill a houseplant.”

“Much appreciated to her,” I note as she reverses out of the parking lot and heads out of Noxus.

“Ha. Yeah.” Her cheeks take on a hint of pink before she continues. “Because of my uncle, I can read people better than I can Bram Stoker’s Dracula. And it’s from my mom that…”

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