๐จ๐น๐ถ
Hawken Trent. So polite. So sweet. Such an upstanding young man.
A virgin, too, I hear. He never gets naughty with a girl. Probably because Jesus told him not to.
And now here he is, trying to be the hero by protecting another girl from me.
He calls me a bully. ๐๐ณ๐ณ๐ข๐ต๐ช๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ข๐ญ. ๐๐ฏ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ข๐ด๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ข๐ฃ๐ญ๐ฆ. ๐ ๐ค๐ณ๐ช๐ฎ๐ช๐ฏ๐ข๐ญ. He can call me anything he wants, Iโve heard worse.
And he can try to stand between me and my money, but heโs never had to fight for food. That rich, clean, school boy doesnโt have what it takes.
๐ฏ๐จ๐พ๐ฒ๐ฌ
I surprised her. You shouldโve seen her face.
๐๐ถ๐ด๐ต ๐ฃ๐ฆ๐ค๐ข๐ถ๐ด๐ฆ ๐ ๐ฅ๐ฐ๐ฏโ๐ต ๐ฉ๐ข๐ท๐ฆ ๐ข ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ค๐ฐ๐ณ๐ฅ, ๐ฉ๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ฆ๐บ, ๐ฅ๐ฐ๐ฆ๐ด๐ฏโ๐ต ๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ข๐ฏ ๐โ๐ฎ ๐ค๐ญ๐ฆ๐ข๐ฏ. ๐๐ต ๐ซ๐ถ๐ด๐ต ๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ข๐ฏ๐ด ๐โ๐ฎ ๐ฃ๐ฆ๐ต๐ต๐ฆ๐ณ ๐ข๐ต ๐ฏ๐ฐ๐ต ๐จ๐ฆ๐ต๐ต๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ค๐ข๐ถ๐จ๐ฉ๐ต.
That is until I realize I ๐ฎ๐ช๐จ๐ฉ๐ตโ๐ท๐ฆ actually gone too far this time.
Sheโs there. Iโm there. The scene of the crime.
Itโs dark. The police show up.
We have no choice. We run. Down High Street, into Quinnโs bake shop, and I pull her through the entrance to the old speakeasy that everyone forgot was here decades ago.
The door locks, the cops circle the building, never knowing weโre right here, and Iโm hidden in plain sight, indefinitely, with someone who's awful.
๐๐ฆ๐ข๐ฏ. ๐๐ฐ๐ถ๐จ๐ฉ. ๐๐ช๐ณ๐ต๐บ.
A thief. A delinquent.
Until one night, lost in all of these rooms together, I donโt see any of those things anymore.
Sheโs smart. Daring. Soft.
Hot...
Everythingโs changing. Itโs this place. It does something to people.
We have a silly urban legend in Shelburne Falls about mirrors. Theyโre a gateway. Donโt lean back into them.
But we came through front first.
I donโt care what the county records say. This was never a speakeasy.
Itโs Carnival Tower.
*๐น๐ด๐ฟ๐ฟ๐ ๐ต๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ ๐ ๐ก๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐, ๐๐๐ค ๐๐๐ข๐๐ก ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐ข๐๐ก๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ 18+. ๐ผ๐ก ๐๐๐๐ก๐๐๐๐ โ๐๐๐ โ ๐๐๐๐๐ข๐๐๐, ๐ฃ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐, ๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐ฅ๐ข๐๐ ๐ ๐๐ก๐ข๐๐ก๐๐๐๐ . ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐กโ๐ ๐น๐๐๐ ๐ด๐ค๐๐ฆ ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ก๐ ๐กโ๐๐ ๐๐ โ๐๐๐๐๐ข๐, ๐๐ข๐ก ๐๐๐ก ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐ฆ.
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EXCERPT FROM THE BOOK :
ARO
We sit in silence, me forcing my eyes closed when I really just want to watch the door of the garage. He taps away on his phone before turning on the music.
But after a few, heโs antsy. โThis doesnโt feel right,โ he murmurs.
โItโs only been three minutes.โ
โWe shouldnโt have sent her in there,โ he tells me. โAnother fucking mistake. All Iโm doing is making mistakes.โ
I open my eyes, staring ahead at the garage down the street. โIโm going to remind you one last time before I beat it into you,โ I grit out and then look at him. โNo one needs you. Reaction is still action, and you broke the law too. Donโt put this all on me. Iโll use you like youโre using me, but make no mistake, Iโd get it done without you.โ
โYouโd be in jail already or dead if I didnโt show up last night,โ he says, looking down at me.
I just snicker. โThis isnโt my first adventure, Pirate. I got along before you, and Iโd still be kicking the shit out of your friends right now if you hadnโt come along and stuck your goddamn nose into everyone elseโs business, like Iโm quite sure you have a habit of doing because youโre a control freak who needs to insert himself to feel superior.โ
He just laughs, shaking his head. โThis conversation is tedious.โ
I tip my head back, staring up through the sunroof as I mock back. โThis conversation is tedious.โ
โStop acting like a child,โ he growls. โAnd Iโm not a control freak.โ
I turn my head, gazing over at him. โYou watch everyone in town. Like God.โ
He canโt argue that, can he?
โDo you get hard when you do it?โ I ask.
He goes still.
โKnowing where everyone is at any moment?โ I go on. โWhoโs skipping classes? Which spouses are cheating? Who stopped off at a liquor store, three sheets to the wind, before climbing behind the wheel of a car? Having the power to ruin a life whenever you want?โ
Heโs clearly smart if he knows how to gain access to that surveillance, but itโs still not clear what heโs doing with it. Or with that place. I searched the rooms. Thereโs only one bedroom with clothes, personal items, and a bed that looks like itโs been slept in. Heโs not sharing the hideout. He stays there alone.
โI wouldnโt blame you,โ I admit. โIt would feel good to have some power like that. But donโt worry. I know it doesnโt turn you on.โ I lay my head back again and close my eyes. โThatโs not why you do it.โ
It takes him a few moments, but eventually he speaks. โWhy do I do it?โ His voice is soft, like it was last night when he patched me up.
I smile, not sure Iโm ready to play that card yet. Or that heโs ready to hear it.
When I donโt answer, he exhales hard and then I hear him open his door. โShe hasnโt texted,โ he says. โSheโs supposed to text every five minutes.โ
I open my eyes, immediately spotting something ahead.
โIโm going in there.โ He starts to climb out of the car.
I grab his arm. โWait.โ
He looks back at me, but Iโm looking out the front windshield. โThere she is,โ I tell him, sitting up.
She taps away on her phone, looking at ease like I told her to, and then she passes Hawke and climbs into the backseat.
โWhatโs the matter?โ I ask her.
โAre you okay?โ Hawke slams the door and turns in his seat, looking back at her.
She just nods, pulling on her seatbelt. โYeah. Itโs done.โ
He and I exchange a look.
โAlready?โ I blurt out. โI told you to take your time. To relax. To blend in.โ
โAre you sure no one saw you?โ he questions.
She just laughs under her breath. โMost people donโt.โ
We both stare at her, but I glance behind me to make sure no oneโs following her. Hawke turns and loads the camera onto his laptop.
โDonโt worry,โ she tells me, relaxed. โWeโre good.โ
But Iโm still on the fence, looking behind me once again for any sign that she was followed. Just walking in and out like that is suspicious.
But then Hawke just laughs. โWell, shit.โ
I follow his gaze, seeing the workroom appear on his screen, the camera positioned just like we told her. Two guys play pool, but the flood of activity that usually happens at night has quieted. Itโs a pretty clear picture. I look up at Hawke. Where else does he have his own hidden cameras posted? I would post them everywhere. This is kind of fun.
Tommy clears her throat. โYouโre welcome,โ she sing-songs.
I smile, and Hawke flashes her a warm look in the rearview mirror. โThanks, Dietrich.โ
If that was this easy, we might use her again. One camera might not be enough.
โSo, what do I get?โ she chirps, doing an excited little bounce in her seat.
Hawke meets her eyes again, like he hadnโt expected her to demand anything other than the pleasure of hanging out with him today.
She looks at me. โI mean, I should get paid, right?โ
โYep.โ I cast a look at Hawke.
Like the Joker said, if youโre good at something, never do it for free.
She grins, gazing at Hawke again. โI want to go to the Loop.โ
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Penelope Douglas is a New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal bestselling author. Her books have been translated into fifteen languages and include The Fall Away Series, The Devil's Night Series, and the stand-alones, Misconduct, Punk 57, Birthday Girl, and Credence. Please look for Tryst Six Venom and Motel, as well as the Hellbent series, coming next!
She lives in Las Vegas with her husband and their daughter.
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