LOGIN“I thought it was you,” he repeats, genuine pain flashing across his face. “Within seconds, I knew. I knew it wasn't you. I almost put a bullet in her brain.” He lets out a heavy breath, running a hand through his hair. “I kicked her out. She was naked when she left, and I'm pretty sure Liam took pictures of her walking out of my room.” His jaw clenches so tightly I can see the muscle jumping. “I almost killed him.”His eyes drift away from mine for a moment before returning. “But then Nick came back and told us what happened with you. Everything else just... disappeared. You were all that mattered after that.”“Why didn't you tell me?” I ask quietly. “Before we got back to your house? Before I saw?”A humorless laugh escapes him. “After you found out I murdered your mother?” he asks, raising an eyebrow. “How do you think that conversation would've gone?”I don't answer. “I shoved the entire situation to the back of my mind,” he continues. “You were with me. You were alive. You were
A slow smirk spreads across Wesley's face. It isn't friendly.“I've been here for nine months,” he says. He leans back in his chair, stretching his one arm as though he's discussing the weather instead of his imprisonment. “Did you know the maximum stay here is six days?”His fingers of his other hand tap lazily against the table. “I've spent nine months in this facility. Every day. Every night. No lawyer. No phone calls. No sunlight.” He tilts his head, a dangerous dark glossing over his eyes. “Nothing.”“Do you think that's unfair?” I ask.A scoff escapes him. For the first time since walking in, the mask slips. Only slightly. Only for a heartbeat. But I see it. The slip of control. The quiet rage.“I think everyone deserves a fair trial,” he says straight at me. He looks at me like he's testing me. I nod, seemingly agreeing with him. “Then why are you still here?” I ask.Like someone slammed a door shut, his expression changes. His smile returns. Wider this time. Crueler.“Because
The man folds up his paper and looks at us like everything is right in the world. “Guards will be stationed outside the rooms. Knock on the table if you want out. We’ll be watching, and we’ll make sure it doesn’t go too far.”Too far. What exactly do they consider too far?“Come with me.”He turns on his heel, whistling under his breath as if he’s leading us to afternoon tea instead of a hallway lined with violent offenders. The students nearest to him begin to follow, though the excitement that had buzzed through the room only minutes ago has completely dissolved. Fear has settled in its place, thick and unmistakable.As the crowd shuffles forward, Tristan’s hand closes around my arm once more. Firm. Possessive.I try to move with everyone else, but he pulls me back.“You don’t have to do this,” he says, the words almost a hiss against my ear.“I want to do this.” I yank my arm free before he can tighten his grip and hurry after Tessa.A frustrated sigh follows me. Within seconds T
“Girlies.”We walk into a quiet coffee corner and I turn to Sam's voice. He is leaning against one of the high tables, a coffee balanced lazily in his hand. His blond hair is a complete mess, his shirt is wrinkled, and his eyes are bloodshot enough to suggest he drank way too much last night. Tessa gives him a once-over before raising an eyebrow. “You look terrible.”He snorts. “I feel wonderful.” He lifts his coffee in a mock toast. “I spent all night talking to Raven’s man.”“I don’t want to hear about it,” I grumble, turning my attention to the coffee machine instead. I jab the espresso button with more force than necessary.“Oh, he’s so nice,” Sam continues, completely ignoring me as he looks at Tessa. “We were drinking all evening. And he laughed.” He shakes his head, almost in disbelief. “I’d never heard him laugh before. I totally get the horniness now.”Tessa’s expression remains perfectly flat. “What did you talk about?”Unlike Sam, she isn’t charmed. She knows exactly why I
“Don’t be ridiculous,” he replies, voice smooth with that infuriating ease. “I’m just warning you. I’m here to keep an eye on you—make sure you get home safe in case Tristan gets too drunk.” His gaze flicks over me, sharp and amused, before he leans back just enough. “I am not, however,” he lowers his voice, a mischievous glint catching in his eyes, “allowed to touch you. Apparently, you’re Tristan’s little thing now. Tristan’s responsibility.”“Tristan’s little thing?” I repeat slowly, disbelief curdling into something sharper. “I am not property.”“Ah,” he sings softly, almost delighted by my reaction. “We’ll see about that. My family thinks you are. Your father, however…” He clicks his tongue as if savoring the memory. “Well. He’s an absolute ray of sunshine to be around. Demanded either your freedom or marriage to Tristan. Tricky choice, aye?”“Raven!”I instantly turn without commenting on him. I grind my teeth together and slap Tom's order on the bar. I grab the next tray, forci
Sam falls into step beside me as we make our way towards the table in the back of the diner. The table.His table.The one where Tristan used to sit every single evening, watching me skate around the restaurant while pretending not to. Back when he was simply my mysterious stranger. Before I knew his name. Before everything became so hopelessly complicated.The bell above the entrance chimes again.I don't turn. Sam suddenly lets out a strange choking sound. Frowning, I stop beside the table and look at him. His face has gone pale, his eyes growing wider by the second as they remain fixed on something over my shoulder.He isn't looking at me. He's looking behind me.Shit. The familiar sensation crawls over my skin before I even turn around. It starts between my shoulder blades, the unmistakable awareness that someone is watching me.That he is watching me.Slowly, I turn on my heel.Tristan stands just inside the entrance, one hand wrapped around his phone, his car keys dangling loo
Someone is watching me.Again.I sigh quietly at my own paranoia.This is what happens when you watch too many horror TikToks before bed. Suddenly every creaking floorboard becomes a ghost and every shadow turns into a lurking spirit waiting to drag you into the darkness.Still…The feeling won’t g
“Hey, pretty,” my sister says with an appraising smile as she tugs a strand of my long brown hair.“Hey,” I reply, stifling a yawn.The long nights are finally starting to catch up with me. It’s only a diner, but this place is known for staying open deep into the night. We get the late crowd. The a
I can’t prove that he’s watching me.But I can feel it.The sensation crawls along the back of my neck like a whisper I can’t quite hear, like a pair of eyes lingering just a second too long.The dark stranger in the corner of the diner has become a strangely permanent figure in my life. At first,
He clicks on a button of his laptop and the grading rubric appears on the board.“You’ll start with the case summary,” Mr. Madden says. “The victims, the location and time frames of the murders, key characteristics of the offender’s behavior, and the known details about the social and economic envi







