Page 64 of After Our Kiss

He slumped against the front door. “You're kidding. Conway, that ship has sailed—no pun intended. We had one plan, one good plan. Now it's over with.”

“You were just like this years ago,” I said, gritting my molars. “I asked you to help me search for Emily and you acted like you didn't care.”

“Because I didn't. Why would I care where she'd gone?”

“Then why the hell did you step up to help out with all of this?”

His smile was sickening. “Seeing her in danger would be sobering for anyone.”

Puffing myself up, I held out my palm. “Give me your phone.”

“What? Why?”

“I don't want you notifying Dad about any of this.”

He laughed viciously. “First, thanks for the vote of trust. Secondly, Georgia escaping will matter whether he knows now or later.”

I curled my fingers, clutching the air. “No. If he comes here, expecting her, I can surprise him easier. I can get him to tell me where Emily is. By force, if I have to.”

My brother's eyes narrowed. “You'd go that far?”

“Yes.”

Every tooth of his shined at me. It was a grin fit for an alligator about to take a bite out of its prey. “Fine. I won't get in the way of your suicide mission. Attack dad; try to get him to tell you where Emily is. I won't stop you.” He tugged his phone out of his back pocket. As he did, something fluttered to the ground.

Spiders crawled in my veins. Bending, I pinched the purple ribbon and held it up.This was from my gift to Georgia.She'd worn it on her wrist last night. Clung to it like it meant the world to her. “Why the hell do you have this?” I asked.

“Easy now,” he said smoothly, his hands coming up in defense. “It's just some trash I found on the ground.”

Images flashed through my head; her shining eyes as she saw the cake. The way she asked if she could keep the ribbon. Her hand caressing mine shyly as we sat together.

Our first kiss.

Backing Lonnie against the wall, I pressed my switchblade close to his throat. I didn't remember drawing it. He was still smiling, but the edges trembled, his skin going sallow. “What did you do to her?”

“Conway...”

“Where is she?”

He was breathing in quick, shallow bursts. His pupils darted down to my weapon, then to me. Our staring contest never seemed to end. I'd have kept it up until we turned to dust if I had to.

Outside, the wind howled. Rain had been falling on and off since I'd woken up. The sound of it hammered on the pipes, sending metallic bells throughout the house. There wasn't a pattern to it. It was too loud, too random, to be just rain.

Lonnie swallowed. “She took the boat. You know she did.”

“She wouldn't have,” I said slowly. “You must have done something to it. Did you hide it, sink it?” The blade turned in my hands.

His eyes narrowed into slits. “You're insane. Sheabandoned you.”

“Georgia wouldn't have run away from me. I know it in my gut.”

“But she did!”

The clanging came again. That time, Lonnie glanced down at our feet. It was fast and if I hadn't been so focused on him, I would have missed it. I wouldn't have suspected a thing. “She's down there, isn't she?” I asked, torn between rage and wonderment. Not waiting for him to respond, I shoved him backwards into the wall.

He coughed, grasping the sea foam paint, holding himself there. If he moved, I didn't see it; I was already running outside. The rain soaked me fast. It had created long mires of muck around the house, the gravel vanishing under the thick brown water.

Puddles exploded under my feet.She's in the cellar!It made sense in a fucked up way. I was connected to this woman by a thread we'd formed over 187 days in the darkness. Iknewshe hadn't betrayed her promise.

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