Chapter 27
Evie
The Alliance
I stared at Bryce, my mouth hanging open.
He tipped his cowboy hat at us before hurrying to his car, snickering.
“Bryce, wait—” I called after him.
“I’ve had a long day. How about dinner Friday?”
Friday was five days away.
I bit back a protest and nodded.
“Sure, sounds good.”
If it were anyone else, the prolonged wait would’ve eaten at me, but I knew that whatever Bryce knew, or thought he knew, was safe with him.
When we were younger, he was always the first person to help us on set.
He would even go toe-to-toe with my mom on occasion, when he felt she was being too harsh.
He’d known many a secret of mine during my childhood. He was the brother I’d never had.
I got into the car, and Sebastian drove me home, where I crashed the moment my head hit the pillow.
THE WEEK WENT fast, just like the interest in Glenn’s death. By Wednesday, they were officially looking to replace his position.
Friday came, and after we wrapped for the day, Skye asked if she could come over and watch movies.
“Reptilicus on the big screen? Fresh popcorn, Buncha Crunches? Just you and me?” she pleaded. She loved my mini theater.
“Ooh, I do love Reptilicus. It’s tempting, but I can’t tonight. I have a...date.”
“A date?” she hissed, eyes growing wide. “With Sebastian?”
She and I had only briefly talked about the dressing room incident. She wanted more details, but I wasn’t much of a kiss-and-tell person.
“No—well, he might be there. I don’t know.”
I didn’t think her eyes could get any larger, but somehow, they did.
“Evelyn Reyes, are you in a triad?”
“What? No. It’s nothing. Just some friends. Sorry. I’ll catch up with you a different night.”
She pouted her lip and crossed her arms, but I promised to make it up to her later.
I hurried home to shower and change. I put on a pair of ripped jeans and my black hoodie I’d gotten from a movie festival I’d gone to last year.
They’d given them out with the early screening ticket I’d purchased.
On the front, the title of the movie, Slash or Pass 2: More Blood More Titties, was written on it in a creepy font. It was my favorite.
I hurried out the door, off to Bryce’s bar.
This was the first time I’d been to my friend’s business.
He talked about it often, but usually when we went out after work, we visited other places.
I was excited to see it all, so I was the first one there.
Sebastian sauntered in moments later. Bryce came out from the back after we’d already had our first drinks.
He was carrying a small pink box with a red bow. He set it on the side of the table.
It looked like something my mother would have put under the Christmas tree.
“Sorry I’m tardy. I had to run home, and when I tried to leave, I had some lady fans that needed my attention.” He gave us a knowing smile, and I shook my head. “They love Simon Says.”
“That they do.” Sebastian snickered.
I wondered for a moment if he too used his fame to pursue sex. I had to stop myself from rolling my eyes. He absolutely did. I’d seen the tabloids. He’d been featured with many men and women in rather intimate, candid photos.
“Let’s get some menus over here.” Bryce waved our waitress down and ordered some appetizers and a round of beer for the table. Once she was gone, he turned back to us. “Now, let’s talk.”
“Right,” I started, then paused to look around the bar. It was quite full, but the backs of the booths were high, and no one seemed to be paying us any mind. “You said, ‘Sounds like they bought it.’ What did you mean?”
Sebastian reached for my hand under the table, reassuring me.
“Oh, just that we all know he didn’t die being eaten by buzzards.” He cackled. “Or whatever else is out there.”
“Do we?” Sebastian asked.
“Oh, we do.” Bryce leaned forward. “How’d you do it?”
“What do you mean?” I feigned innocence.
He looked between us and rolled his eyes. “I know it was you. The day he went missing, you both came to set with dust all over your clothes and tangles in your hair. You smelled like dirt and iron and—” he paused, leaning in “—desert.”
“I had to bury my cat,” Sebastian said smoothly.
“Oh, you buried something. Although not that well since they found the pieces.” Bryce snickered and fell back against the booth.
“I didn’t think you two had it in you. Killing in cold blood.
Like I said, good for you. Since you couldn’t get his daddy, it was nice to hear his little bloodsucking asshole of a son got his comeuppance. ”
I sat there, watching him go on. The waitress brought us soft pretzels and beer, and we waited patiently for her to disappear before continuing. Bryce reached for the food and dipped a bite into the cheese. “Now, curiosity has gotten the best of me. How’d you do it exactly?”
“Bryce…” I sighed.
“Come on. I’m not telling anyone. I know what they did to your mom.
If I wasn’t afraid for my own life, I would have killed them a long time ago.
I can’t tell you how hard I laughed when I heard about Mike Thornton.
” His gaze flicked to Sebastian. “You hear how he died? Face purple, hand gripping his cock—the same color. The hooker he’d been with robbed his ass on the way out. ”
“I’d heard,” Sebastian said, tone clipped.
I eyed him curiously. He’d told me that he’d killed Mike Thornton, but for some reason I hadn’t put two and two together. Was Sebastian the sex worker Bryce was talking about? Returning my attention to the table, I relented under Bryce’s poking about Glenn.
“He drank bleach out of Sebastian’s energy drink,” I said, ripping off the Band-Aid.
Bryce flinched, then laughed. “Jesus, I bet that burned like a motherfucker. Good. He was just as bad as his dad.” He gulped down his beer and raised his arm for another.
“When did you put things together?” I asked, reaching for a pretzel bite.
“Oh, I don’t know. About a week after he went missing? Someone on set mentioned Glenn, and you got all nervous, and Sebastian said”—he pushed out his chest and put on a serious face—“‘Isn’t he irrelevant now? Let’s talk about how good my line delivery was today.’”
I glared at Sebastian. His ego was the tell, not anything I did.
“Not to mention that little fight you had before the interview. Skye may not have given it two thoughts, but I did.” Bryce laughed again. “Really, don’t worry about it, guys. I don’t give two flying fucks about those bastards. After what they did to Lita? It’s all karma.”
I straightened. “What do you know about that?”
“Too much,” he muttered and took the drink the waitress set down. “They did her dirty. You too, by default.”
“I heard they...” I couldn’t say the words. Memories of Dourif’s last moments flashed in my mind.
“They sexually assaulted her. All of them,” Sebastian told him.
Bryce took his hat off and set it on the table, the smile falling from his face. “I wish I could say I’m surprised, but I’m not. Those men are depraved. They couldn’t just kill someone and walk away. Was it before or after?”
My jaw dropped, and my eyes widened at his question.
Anthony C. Hopkins.
The very idea that they could have raped her after they’d murdered her… I was going to be sick.
Bryce retracted his question quickly. “Evie, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to be crude. It just came out. I—”
I put my hand up to stop him as I closed my eyes, forcing the idea that men would rape a dead woman out of my mind. “It’s fine. Honestly, I wouldn’t put it past them, but I think it was before.”
“To use another man’s words, they wanted to teach her a lesson,” Sebastian said, taking my hand again. The warmth was comforting, and I relaxed.
“I see. I’d ask what lesson, but it doesn’t matter. No one deserves what they did to her.”
Silence followed briefly, but Bryce was good at pushing the darkness away.
“Anyway, I just wanted to talk to you guys and see what your plans were. Not too many people have heard—or care—but I got word that talent manager Jason Dourif was found in his house, face covered in cocaine, and he’d been stabbed to death.
Now, to anyone else, he’s just another dumb talent manager who didn’t pay his dealer.
But to me, knowing what I know…” He tapped his temple.
“I have a feeling you two made a guest appearance at his house that night. Didn’t you? ”
Sebastian and I looked at each other. His expression softened, his eyes comforting me. We turned back to Bryce. What was his endgame? This little cat-and-mouse situation wasn’t his MO. Finally, I just asked.
“What do you want? Money?”
“Money?” Bryce’s mouth fell open, as if truly shocked I’d ask such a thing.
Leaning over the table so that we had to do the same, a slow grin spread over our friend’s face.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him reach for the pink box with the red ribbon and slide it across to me.
“I’m not here to take. I’m here to give.
I’ve been waiting five long fucking years for this moment.
She gave this to me the day before she died. ”
I straightened and took it, lifting the lid. Right on top sat a note with handwriting I hadn’t seen in years. My breath caught in my throat as I lifted the small piece of paper.
James Dean once said, “Live fast, die young, and leave a good-looking corpse.” I have a strong feeling that I might be doing that tonight. If I didn’t come home and Bryce has given you my last parting gift, please, learn how to use them.
Don’t let them take you alive.
Love,
Mom
Tears flooded my vision as I read the words over and over again. The men at the table sat silently, letting me take things in. Setting the note down gently, I peered into the box.
Inside were two small push daggers. I lifted the one on the left and ran a finger along the sharp edge.
Slowly spinning it in my hands, I admired the short, smooth, four-inch light-pink blades with red handles that had Good For Her engraved in a pink cursive font.
A chill went down my spine, and I looked back up at Bryce.
Red and bubblegum pink were her signature colors. They matched the box they came in. She’d given them to him to give to me because she knew there was a chance I’d need them.
Don’t let them take you alive.
She’d known she wasn’t coming home.
Bryce reached for his beer, pulling my attention from the gift. “Evie, I don’t want money. I want to help.”