Total pages in book: 131
Estimated words: 125121 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 626(@200wpm)___ 500(@250wpm)___ 417(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 125121 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 626(@200wpm)___ 500(@250wpm)___ 417(@300wpm)
Black crept into my vision as two figures ran from me.
“—CLAIR? SINCLAIR!”
My eyes fluttered open, pain flooding in ahead of consciousness.
“Luna!”
I pushed myself up. A resting marble lion came into blurred focus. It came back to me—Giovanni following me, our conversation, and...
Reaching to massage my temple, I struck my cheek with a hard object. Looking down, I found the stun gun clutched in my hand. How...?
“Luna, holy shit.”
Katie ran in. Rafael right behind her. Over their heads, half the wet and naked partiers crept inside, gasping and clapping their hands over their mouth.
“What’s... going on?” I rasped.
“That’s my fucking question,” Katie cried. “Luna, what did you do?”
I had no idea what she was talking about until Rafael picked me up, and turned toward the pool.
Floating facedown in the water was Giovanni Natale.
Chapter One
Rafael pulled the blanket tighter around me, drawing me closer. I buried my face in his chest, but didn’t block my sight. The stretcher wheeled Giovanni past—a sheet covering his face.
“They were right there,” I whispered. “I was so close.”
“That’s the problem.” His grave voice curdled my insides. “You were that close.”
“Miss Sinclair.” I turned, facing the officer... and the crowd of people on Katie’s steps watching us. “Please come with me. We need to talk.”
“Okay.”
I made to go and Rafael held me tighter. “She’s not speaking to anyone without her lawyer present. I’ve spoken to her stepfather. She’s on her way. But the decent thing to do is let Luna get checked out by the paramedics, and speak to her after. She was attacked, electrocuted, and has a head injury.”
Rafael smiled a smile I had only seen one time. We weren’t dealing with my handsome, fun-loving boyfriend. This was the Rogue. “I’m sure you wouldn’t want it to come out that you denied her basic right to medical treatment in a rush to judgement. Something like that doesn’t play well at trial.”
“Whoa, slow down,” the officer gruffed. “No one said anything about trials or denying medical treatment. We’ll wait for your lawyer. In the meantime...” He flagged down his partner. “Officer Yang stays with you the whole time.”
All I could do was nod. My head was spinning. When did Rafael talk to my stepdad? Was it while Katie was talking at me, pelting rapid-fire questions that I couldn’t keep up with let alone answer? Was it while I walked through the deadly silent party, feeling the weight of condemning eyes like needles through the skin?
Or was it while I played and replayed everything Giovanni told me in my head... before someone shut him up for good.
It was them. The person who prompted Giovanni to chase me down in the middle of the night—high, paranoid, and frightened. The person he wanted me to protect him from—
—but we were both too late.
I was in a daze as Rafael led me to the paramedics. Everything she said went in one ear and out the other.
T.O.D. Club. Truth or dare. Some club where bored rich kids got off on cheap thrills and dirty secrets. I understood that just from the name, but everything else he said didn’t make any sense. He got a dare for Winter with a suspiciously high price attached, but he didn’t know at the time from who. Do the members of this disgusting club not know each other? Is it anonymous and that’s why those bastards banded together afterward to find out who was behind it?
But not to do the right thing. Anger pierced the fog, shaking my limbs. It was to find out this big secret and blackmail them for more.
Why, Winter? What did you know? What could drive someone to do these horrible things? More money? More status? If that’s the reason, I swear on my life... I will burn this whole town down.
“—Miss Sinclair? Miss Sinclair? What’s wrong with her?”
The snap brought me back to reality. My vision cleared on a tall, middle-aged woman in a sharp suit with long dreads piled in a bun.
“Did you check her for concussion?” she asked the medic. “The poor girl is in shock.”
“Hi, I’m sorry,” I said, shaking my head. “Did Jack send you?”
“He did and you’re not answering any questions until your parents are here, and I have the full story.”
“Okay.” I’d never been so agreeable in my life. I was attacked, Giovanni was murdered, and the stun gun placed in my hand left no doubt who the killer wanted to take the fall.
My gaze drifted over her head to the whispering, watching crowd. I helped Katie plan this party. I’ve stayed at her place many times, and I knew her security. She didn’t have cameras in her home, but she did have them set up around the property and monitored. A random person didn’t hop the fence and come for Giovanni. They had to be let in. They had to see the moment he followed me into the pool house.