Her lie was so obvious it almost made me laugh. Instead, my tone turned sharp, slicing through her panic. “He killed someone, didn’t he?”
She went completely still, her face frozen in shock. I let out a bitter laugh.
So, everything was playing out just like it had before.
Last time, Jeremy got hammered that night and stumbled into the alley behind the school. He ran into some drunk guy, and things escalated fast.
Jeremy, fueled by rage, grabbed a brick and smashed it down. The guy hit the ground, blood pooling under him.
When the adrenaline faded, Jeremy realized what he’d done Freaking out, he called me–demanded I help him. bury the body.
I was terrified. I ran.
What he did after, I never found out. It poured that night, though, and the rain washed away any trace of evidence.
1/2
+25 BONUS
Chapter 4
Jeremy swore he’d kill me if I ever told anyone.
I was 17. Staying alive was all I could think about.
But I didn’t realize just how bad the fallout would be.
Turns out, the guy Jeremy killed was the son of a casino owner.
Rumors spread, and one night Jeremy came home, face beaten to a pulp, fingers broken.
He survived by throwing me under the bus.
Jeremy told them I was the one who provoked the guy and killed him. Said he only hid the body to protect me.
The casino owner didn’t buy it completely, but he was sure of one thing–loose ends had to go.
He put a hit on me.
In this life, Jeremy’s sober, careful streak could’ve kept him out of that mess.
But Ruth’s greed wrecked it all. I just gave her a little nudge
Her eyes flared with fury, and she hissed, “It was you! You planned all this, didn’t you? You set me up! You’re so vicious!”
Her grip on my throat tightened, cutting off my air.
I wheezed out, “But… I… did let Jeremy… get rich… with me…”
Her hands slackened just enough for me to collapse to my knees, coughing like crazy.
She stumbled back, looking totally unhinged, her face twisting with desperation.
“Yes! Yes! That’s what happened last time too!” she shrieked. “Jeremy got arrested, but when he got out, he was rich and powerful!”
She grabbed my arm. “Tell me! What did he do? How did he get rich?”
I managed a faint smile, my voice raspy. “It wasn’t what he did that made him rich…” I coughed, struggling to finish. “It’s what you’ll do…”
Today’s Bonus Offer
