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“Why the fuck does everyone keep saying itlike I forgot? Hewasmy friend. Now, he’s food for thecoyotes. And that’s better than he deserves.”
Sawyer fixed his eyes on the road, but hisjaw twitched. “You sure that’s all you got?”
“I’m going to say this once,” Dane snarled.“So fucking pay attention. I don’t give one single shit that Ben isdead. Whatever our friendship was, I buried it years ago.”Four, to be specific.“But you want feelings? Fine. Daddrowned in his own blood because Ben couldn’t go five minuteswithout stirring shit up. All I can feel is fucking thrilled thatBen suffered a lot more than that.”
Sawyer’s chest puffed out, his fingerstightening on the steering wheel. “And Zara? You blaming that onhim, too?”
“Shut the fuck up and drive.” Dane clenchedhis jaw and faced the window. Gravel crunched under the car’stires, and Dane rolled the glass down, just to hear the coyoteshowling again.
Sawyer turned the car out onto an emptyrural highway and rolled the windows up from the driver’s console.“Maybe with the little bastard’s head, things will change,” heoffered in a tentative voice. “This De Lucca bullshit doesn’t haveto happen anymore and—”
“Stop. Even if she didn’t have to marry thatasshole…” Dane let the sentence hang. No way things went back tohow they were.Not after that fight. I did my job too fuckingwell.He bit his lip hard enough to taste blood. He’d had tendays to replay the moment her heart broke, and the tears in hereyes were clearer now than they’d been falling. He shook himselfand fixed his eyes on the shadowy countryside rolling by outside.“Wake me up when we get to Chicago. I’m fucking tired.”
****
ZARA
Chicago, Illinois, September 28
“I can’t believe you’re doingthis.”
“I can’t believe you drove through a flood.”Zara stared out the window instead of looking at her sister. Therains beating down on Chicago and the surrounding area hadn’t letup for days, turning manholes into geysers and sending half thecity running for rubber boots and sandbags. And yet, the ominousgray haze outside was bright as sunshine compared to Hannah’sirritation.
“What else am I supposed to do when I findout you’re getting married in a freaking month! Gia’s in apermanent meltdown. But here you are, picking out place settings.”She whipped a pressed linen napkin edged in gold silk off thedining room table and snapped it in front of Zara’s face.
“Hey!” Zara swiped at the napkin. “Don’t youhave a husband to piss off? Why are you being weird atme?”
“Because you can still tell Dad to stuffthis farce up his backside.” Hannah smoothed her flawless, chestnuthair behind her headband and dropped the napkin on itscorresponding cream-and-gold plate with a look of disgust. “Tell meyou aren’t doing Versace plates.”
“These are just samples, Han.” Zara tapped asimpler Wedgwood plate to her left. “I’ll probably go with thatone. I’ve been texting pics to Gia, but she’s in class.”
“How about texting Dad to fuckoff?”
“No. He didn’t tell me to do this, Hannah.Heasked.”
“Well, that’s weird.”
Zara nodded. “Things are bad, and this makesthings easier. Safer, maybe.”
“Easier forhim. Safer forhim.” Hannah’s deep blue eyes fixed on Zara’s.
“I’m fine. Joe’s nice. We’ll beokay.”
Hannah snorted. “Oh, that’s one hell of abasis for marriage: He’s nice.”
“More than I can say for your husband,” Zarasnapped, rising to her feet to glare at her sister. “And he didn’ttwist your arm to marry Karl. That was all you and those Van derLinde Swiss bank accounts.”
Hannah’s perfect face paled beneath hermakeup, and she stood. She had eight inches on Zara’s height,thanks to four-inch Manolo heels and Zara’s ballet flats. “So, thekitten’s getting claws?”
“Shut up.” Zara stormed off across themarble floor and Oriental carpets. “You don’t get to be a bitch toavoid helping with wedding prep. Keep it up, and I’ll have Cathypick your assignments.”
“Zara, wait!” Hannah caught up with her onthe main stairs. Her heels clicked on the stone, sending faintechoes all around them. Zara, padding silently, shot her a look.“Hey! Seriously. I’m sorry. I’m not good at sisterly advice. Youand Gia always have this covered between you. I’m rusty.”
“Because you only pay attention to Ethan,Derek, and Ben. Just like everyone else,” Zara hissed.
“That’s not fair. You two always have oneanother and don’t like outside interference.”
Zara’s eyes rolled. “And since when do youcare what other people like? Maybe that’s exactly what we needed,but nobody noticed. Ever consider that?”
