Page 54 of Risky Passion

Nearly every day, after we’d finished our schoolwork and chores, she would sit by that fountain, trailing her fingers through the water and giggling like she was feeling the liquid for the first time in her life. It was one of the things I loved about Alice; the simple things brought her so much pleasure. She used to say she wanted to be free like the angel. That she wanted wings.

I’ll set you free again, Alice. I swear it.

A sharp sucking sound snapped me out of my thoughts.

Cooper stood by the open grave, smoke curling from his nose and lips as he stared down at the body sprawled at his feet.

Alice. My beautiful Alice.

Rage ignited in my chest as I barged through the weeds. “What the fuck are you doing?”

Cooper raised his head slowly, exhaling smoke, as if he weren’t standing over her like she was trash.

“Finally, we meet, B.” Cooper’s voice sliced through the haze, smug and taunting, and all too knowing. The bastard finally knew what I looked like. But had he figured outwhoI really was?

I didn’t care anymore. He couldn’t hurt me. Not now. Not when I was already drowning in pain so deep that nothing he did could compare.

For twenty years I have led a double life . . . B, and the office manager everyone else knew. Two decades of secrets, careful manipulation, and a façade so tightly constructed it had become second nature. Now, withthe truth teetering on the brink of exposure, I felt something unexpected: relief.

Let my real name carry the weight of everything I’d built. And everything I’d destroyed.

I had nothing left to give but my legacy.

He took another drag of his cigarette, yanking me from my thoughts.

“Put that out,” I snarled, my voice cracking like thunder. “Don’t smoke over her, you inconsiderate asshole.”

He shrugged, flicking the cigarette to the ground. “She’s not gonna mind, is she?”

The world tilted. Fury took over, and I charged at him, grabbed him by the shirt, and yanked his head down to me.

“Don’t. Ever. Disrespect her again,” I hissed, my face inches from his.

The smirk didn’t leave his lips, but his eyes betrayed him, showing a flicker of fear.

Good.

“All right, all right, calm down.” He raised his hands in mock surrender.

I shoved him back, and my heart clenched as I turned away, my vision blurring as I looked at Alice. She was still on the ground, next to the resting place I’d dug out with my own hands. The tarp I’d wrapped her in was intact, but the ropes I’d tied to keep her safe had been pulled free.

Around the grave, the ground was a mess: scuff marks, paw prints, and scattered trash. Plastic bags. Dirty swabs. Used tissues. Face wipes. Even an upturned table stolen from the hall. The desecration burned into me, raw and unrelenting as I squatted beside her.

She’s dead. She’s gone. But she’s still my Alice.

My throat constricted as I brushed dirt from the tarp with trembling fingers.

“Okay, now that you’re finally here, I’m out,” Cooper said, dusting his hands on his pants.

I straightened, fixing him with a glare sharp enough to draw blood. “No, you’re not, dickhead. You’re helping me get her into the car.”

He froze, then spun back to plant an evil gaze on me. “What? Fuck no. That wasn’t part of the deal.”

“The deal is that you do whatever I say.” My voice cracked, and I hated myself for it. Weakness wasn’t an option. Not here, not now.

“Or what?” Cooper hitched his pants, and the smug grin crawled back onto his face like a cockroach.

“Or I no longer have a use for you.” I let the threat hang in the air, heavy and deliberate.

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