Page 98 of The Forbidden Note

“Yeah, I’m seeing that.”

“You didn’t have to come.”

I laugh, but it sounds brittle. Even I can hear it. “I didn’t. I was on my way to a party. I just happened to pass by.”

“You wearthatto parties?” She eyes my hoodie.

“What am I supposed to wear?”

She shrugs.

“We’re not likeyourgeneration. No one dresses up to go to parties. Everything’s chill.”

“My generation?” There’s laughter in her voice.

That’s good. Real good. If she kept frowning worriedly like that, I would have lost my mind and turned this car around, just so I could see if Hall was still lying where I left him.

And then I would have run him over with my car.

“My generation was definitely the superior one,” she muses.

“Did you even have internet back when the dinosaurs were roaming?”

She scrunches her nose. “Very funny.”

I flick the indicator and take a left. The smell of Hall’s sweat and the copper scent of his blood still clings to me. The first thing I’m going to do when I get home is burn this hoodie.

“Zane,” Grey says, going serious again.

“What?”

She backs off. “Nothing.”

“I hate when people do that.” I flick her an annoyed glance. “Drives me crazy.”

“To be fair, you seem to live on the edge of crazy. So it doesn’t surprise me that such a little thing would set you off.”

I chuckle. “Miss Jamieson, did you just insult me?”

“I’m calling it like I see it.” When she turns her face to the window, she’s smiling.

I grin too.

Suddenly, she sits straight up. “Zane, this isn’t the way home.”

Her words startle me and I glance around. The houses are familiar. The driveways. The gated yards.

A growing awareness fills my chest.

I brought her to the place I used to share with my brothers.

This villa has always been home.

And it still feels that way even though I changed addresses.

I start to turn the car around. “My bad.”

“Don’t.” She stops me.

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