Page 24 of Under the Bed

“Don’t. Tell Marina I’m okay.” The pressure between my legs is too intense to ignore. I need this call to end. Need to go to my closet, where I keep the most valuable item I own. That’s where I’m headed. “We’ll talk in the morning. They’ll catch him by then.”

“Yes. Yes, of course they will.” She isn’t convinced. Neither of us are. “Call me if you need me?”

“I will.”Won’t.

I’ve only ever needed one person.

And that person is a murderer.

3

SHILOH

Iend the call and set the phone on silent mode.

To hell with Dad’s lawyers. The news. The entire world. I leave the useless device on the bed and walk into my closet.

Where I hide my secret. The one I’ve managed to keep from Dad for over a decade.

I swore to him that I threw Kaleb’s mask away.

I’m a horrible liar. I stutter and flush. My words come out jumbled.

But I refused to get rid of it. Couldn’t bear the thought of losing Kaleb for good.

I did what I had to. I imagined Kaleb’s mask in the dumpster and told Dad I threw it out. For a second, I thought he wouldn't believe me. Dad was quiet, then he relented. He couldn’t go through my stuff when I was at boarding school. Sending someone to do it for him would mean a scandal.

That’s how I got to hold on to it.

Rising on my tiptoes, I stretch out my hand. Swipe it once over the top shelf, deeper.

Got it.

My secret shoebox. Greedily, I grab it with both hands and bring it down.

My heart swoops as I look at it. Butterflies assault my stomach.

My panties are wet, and the lid is still closed. I don’t have to see it for the emotions to rise.

I’m holding on to a memory of a man who used to be my friend. A man who might be on his way to kill me.

Wanting him is a risk.

He could actually show up here, and who knows? I might welcome him into my home.

He could hurt me, then.

Kill me as payback for not standing up for him.

Fearing him turns me on even more. My body is begging for things that would horrify most people.

The smart, sensible thing would be to throw the mask away. It’s not right, the way it’s making me feel. For my stepbrother. A murderer.

So wrong.

I tear off the lid and toss it aside.

A sliver of light from the window filters into my bedroom and closet, illuminating Kaleb’s second face.

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