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Confusion tangled with it.

And somewhere deep down—far below where I was willing to look—was a growing sense of helplessness I didn’t yet have the words for.

But I wasn’t ready to face that.

Not yet.

Chapter Three

Three days since my call with Zarek.

Three days of drawing like my life depends on it—which, it turns out, it kind of does.

The apartment smelled faintly of ink, paper, and the spinach smoothie I forced myself to drink an hour before. My dining table was completely gone, buried under sketchpads, reference photos, and ink pens rolling wherever gravity sent them. I had panels taped to the wall, taped to the fridge, taped to the bathroom mirror like I might forget what I was doing if I blinked too long.

At some point, my phone started vibrating somewhere near my couch.

I ignored it.

It vibrated again.

I looked over my shoulder. I saw paper towels skittering across the wood, and then fall to the floor along with the phone. Only one person who could be moving my shit around like that.

My twin.

I stomped over and picked up my phone.

“What already?”

“I want to come over.”

“No. I’m busy.”

“You don’t let me come over, I’ll have Bruiser and Jiffy kick down your door.”

“Who are they?”

“A couple of biker friends of mine. Nice fellas, built like linebackers.”

Shit, she might be serious. I looked around at the mess. The dishes and pans were stacked high in the sink. At least I’d been cooking.

“Give me an hour.”

“Nope.”

“Come on, Zoe,” I whined at my twin sister. “Why do you even want to come over?”

“I want to catch you up on the doings of Jasper Creek. I want to tell you about Jared and Bonnie’s twin terrors. They’re worse than we ever were. I want to tell you how Miss Florence thinks she’s the world’s biggest badass since she helped take down Russian mobsters.”

“Russian mobsters? You’re kidding, right?”

“Plus I think that Piper might elope. We’ve got to think of a way to stop her.”

“You’re so full of shit. Drake has her so under his thumb, there isn’t a chance in hell that’ll ever happen.”

“Let me inside, it’s cold out here.”

Aw fuck. “Are you outside? Right now?”