Hideaway (Devil's Night, #2)

by Penelope Douglas

A man cannot destroy the savage in him by denying its impulses. The only way to get rid of a temptation is to yield to it. –Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

Rain was like night. You could be different in the dark and under the clouds.

But every morning, when the sun rose, the coils in my stomach wound tighter in anticipation. Nightfall was coming again.

But I had to keep everything inside or risk the wrong things slipping out. It was better this way. And it was worse lately. Everything was fucked. She and Michael were so consumed with each other, and Will was sober only a few hours a day anymore. I’d been on my own more than ever.

“Forgive me, Father, for I have sinned,” I said in a quiet voice. “It’s been a month since my last confession.”

“I like your secrets.” She sounded breathless. “And who are you really hurting by keeping them? Right?” The wind and water surrounded me, and I realized that’s where the scent had come from. I’d smelled her as soon as I stepped into the confessional. She was already here.

It’s Devil’s Night, she’d said. She knew what we got up to. She knew me. If she didn’t find me, I’d find her.

I pulled my mask on like a helmet. I closed my eyes, savoring it. In here, I was invisible. I could be whomever I wanted. In here, I wasn’t hiding. Pulling out my phone, I texted Kylie Halpern in the front office, cueing her to play the music. Within ten seconds, Sister Machine Gun started beating out of the speakers down the halls and all around, and I slipped my phone in my back pocket, taking a deep breath. Michael stepped forward, looking left, then right. “Now,” he said.

But my hands knew how beautiful she was. They remembered.

The darkness. The confessional. The trunk. The Bell Tower. The grave. Small spaces with him. Always small, dark spaces.

“Keep looking at me like that,” Kai spoke up, “and we’re going to have problems.”

“Besides, I’m going to Thunder Bay,” she added. “I need to take care of a couple things.” “Awesome. I’m heading there, as well.” And I turned, walking for my car and unlocking it. I wasn’t planning on going to Thunder Bay, but I guess now I was.

“I am important,” I whispered to myself.

Confusion wracked my brain. He wasn’t really my enemy. Not really.

“Alex?” I called. “Get her some clothes, too. Just everyday, average clothes.” “And if she puts up a fight?” I turned off the desk lamp and made my way toward the door. “Then buy whatever you want for her to wear. She’ll have some options if she ever decides to remove the stick in her ass.” I opened the door wider, both of us walking out. “How much can I spend?” she asked. “I’ll call you when the text alerts start scaring me.”