Page 20 of Veiled Vengeance

We’ve done this song and dance many times in the past. Even before Elena was in her residency here, she was always the one to put us back together. The number of wounds she has seen us with should be embarrassing.

The first time we came to her after we killed that guy in college, she didn’t blink. The only thing that’s changed is that she doesn’t ask us questions anymore. Which is probably good considering we’ve never answered anyway. We don’t want her to have to choose between the truth and lying for us in case we’re ever caught.

Once Amy is done, and Elena has finished giving me her instructions, they both leave the room to get us discharge papers.

“I called off the manhunt for you and Spencer, and I had to pull some serious strings to keep the FBI and NYPD from rushing through the ER doors and demanding statements from you and Spencer,” I inform him.

“Thanks for doing that.” He sighs. “The last thing I need is to answer questions that I don’t know how to answer right now.” Asher closes his eyes, but there’s more we need to discuss.

“You’re going to have to talk about it, you know.”

Asher swings his gaze to me. The turmoil in his eyes disappears as he speaks. “I’m fine. But we need to talk about Iris. She?—”

“Iris can wait. We need to talk about what you went through, whatSpencerwent through,” I interrupt.

Asher shakes his head. “No, I need to tell you?—”

“We’ll get to Iris, and why she was there, but the therapist Paloma made us all see after Rachel died said that we have to talk to each other—we have to get it out. We can’t let that shit fester.”

“Shut up about the damn therapist!” Asher erupts.

My eyes go wide. Out of the three of us, Asher is the one who has the hardest time sharing his feelings, but he usually does it.

Asher takes a deep breath. “Iris isn’t who she says she is.”

My brows scrunch together. “What are you talking about?”

“Did you do a background check on her?”

“Of course I did. But there weren’t any red flags, so I didn’t dig further.”

Asher sighs. “That means Anthony knows someone, or paid someone to make her alias rock solid.”

“Alias? Ash, what’s going on?”

Asher gives me a concerned look. “Iris isn’t her real name. It’s Dahlia.”

“What!”

CHAPTER 9

SPENCER

The drive back to my apartment is quiet. I shouldn’t expect anything else, but that doesn’t make the ride any less uncomfortable. We’re in the same SUV we stole, and everyone is in the same spots as before, but this time, Asher sits upright, with one arm around me and the other in a sling. This type of contact between us is new but somehow familiar.

One of the nurses was able to find a pair of scrubs for Asher and me, which was a miracle. I don’t know how Asher finds clothes that fit him.

Asher, Rio, and Zane all have their heads on a swivel, watching the traffic around us. We’re safe, but the tension is as thick as the heavy humidity outside.

“So how ‘bout them Astros?” I ask with a nervous chuckle.

Solid icebreaker. Good job.

Rio laughs from the passenger seat. “You’re in New York, remember? It’s the Yankees.”

Hayes perks up in the backseat. “You’re from Houston?”

Asher and Zane tense and my stomach hollows. I never told Hayes, or anyone else at the studio, where I’m from. Not even Iris—Dahlia.

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