Page 168 of The Invite
CHAPTER – 42
Augustus
A shudder goes down her spine as soon as I mention Anonymous.
I bet she’s wishing she had just answered my earlier question.
I haven’t given up on my quest to learn about her to the depths of her soul. I’m just bidding my time before I bulldoze past her walls again.
Her gaze flits past my shoulder, her bottom lip curling between her teeth as she contemplates whether to run or face the conversation head-on. There’s no disguising the dark circles under her eyes indicating she’s taken Amber’s death hard. Or that Anonymous has left her scared and stressed.
It cements my vow to make his death as slow and painful as possible when I catch him.
Nessa shivers, gaze still unfocused. I take off my jacket and wrap it around her shoulders.
It jolts her out of her musings.
Some curls have come free from her high ponytail, which has filled my mind with all sorts of depraved fantasies ever since she got off my bike. Like deep throating her mouth while holding it like a leash. Or pulling her hair while I fuck her from behind.
It is mind-boggling how I can go from worrying about her to imagining all the wicked ways I’m going to take her in a flash.
I jump back to the first when she doesn’t protest at having my jacket touching her. Instead, she wraps it tighter around herself, and asks in a small voice, “You mean about what we’re going to do tomorrow?”
“Yeah.”
“But I have no secret to share, August.” A hint of panic creeps into her tone. “I don’t want to be the cause of someone else’s death.”
Rage blows up inside my chest at this timid version of her. I’m obsessed with the sharp-tongued and bold side of her. The real her. The one she hides. Pulling her closer, I swing her legs until they’re resting over my thighs with her sitting sideways. I hold her in the crook of my arm until the knot in my stomach dissolves with a soft sigh she lets loose.
“The only person dying next will be him,” I assure her confidently, caressing her jawline.
“Or her,” she corrects sheepishly. “We don’t know if it’s a man behind this.”
“Whoever it is, they’re on borrowed time.”
Her eyes search mine at the note of violence in my answer. Hesitantly, she questions, “You’d hurt a woman?”
“Not hurt. Kill. Gender became irrelevant the minute they came after you.” The brown in her irises becomes darker at myprotectiveness. It renders me stunned too. So, I drop my hand and quickly clarify, “And Scarlett.”
At the mention of my sister, the softness in Nessa’s expression clears.
It’s not a lie. I’ve killed for my sister before, and I’ll do it again in a heartbeat.
I had to say it because the line between who’s my first priority is blurring. They have from the start. It’s as much a reminder for Nessa as it is for me that nothing long term can happen between us.
I’ve already broken past all my rules and crossed every line. Something I can’t seem to put the brakes on. As of today, I’ve decided to stop trying.
Studying the freckles on her nose, and the puzzling expression in her eyes like she’s going through the same turmoil as me, I realize one truth with crystal clarity.
If it ever came down to choosing between her and Scarlett, Nessamayjust win.
This is exactly why I found not identifying feelings a blessing in disguise. Now, I’m being pulled in every direction, and I hate it.
So, the sooner the danger of Anonymous passes, the sooner we can go our separate ways. I’ll give myself until then to get Nessa out of my system. If I uncover everything about her, the fascination will end and my life will go back to the way it was.
Most of all, I’ll go back to being the old me.
“Maybe we could tell the police once we catch them,” Nessa suggests. “Or identify them.”
