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Shelby pulled in a deep breath. She’d left the hospital—left Hunter—because she needed to be at the vigil.

A vigil. A dedication. A tribute.

She held a candle in her right hand. A long, slender candle. Shelby released a slow breath. Then nodded. “Margot Peterson. Kim Shih. Aisha Taylor. Tonya West. Jenna White. Kali Hail.” She could see their faces. Hear their laughter. Her heart ached. “Gone but never, ever forgotten.” The good memories—that was what she wanted for her friends. For them to live on with smiles on their faces.

Not blood on their bodies.

Another swallow. “Tiffany Blake.” Who’d died in this spot. “Harvey Wyle.” The local cops thought Kimber had killed him because she feared he’d known too much about her…and that he might have shared too much information with Tiffany. “Rochelle Kaper. Jesse Keith.” She didn’t know why Rochelle hadn’t told her about her nephew’s suicide. Maybe the pain of Mika’s death had been too much for the other woman. Sometimes, you just didn’t like to talk about the things that hurt you.

Or the people you’d lost.

But…

Sometimes, you needed to remember them.

Because they’d been good people. With good lives. And you needed those good times to make the darkness of the world not seem quite so overwhelming. “We will miss you. We will remember you.”

The fountain turned on with a gurgle of water. The fountain’s lights shone. The water poured in powerful, beautiful arcs.

The candles kept flickering.

Shelby cried. But…

She also smiled. Because for just a moment, she could almost hear the sweet laughter of her friends. The good memories, pushing back the darkness.

Epilogue - Two

“I don’t want to talk with you!” Nate shouted those words as soon as the guards escorted him into the little room at the penitentiary.

Hunter just shrugged as he sat at the table. The setup was the same as it had been before. A small table in the middle of the room, with a chair on each side of it.

Nate came in shackled, shuffling, his cuffed hands in front of him and a long chain running down to his bound ankles. He glared at Hunter. “I thought Shelby was here!”

“You won’t ever see Shelby again.” No point in that. “Just came myself to let you know…I appreciate your cooperation.”

A guard shoved Nate into the chair across from Hunter. The guard secured the chain and shackles.

“What cooperation? I’ve never cooperated with you!” Nate’s face mottled.

“When I was here last time, you all but admitted to working with Kimber. Didn’t realize it, but, in hindsight, it makes sense. So, thanks.”

“You bastard, I did not⁠—”

“Were you the dominant? Or was Kimber? My money is actually on it being Kimber. That would explain why you didn’t out her during your trial.” He nodded. “You kept her role secret, but then she moved on and found another guy to manipulate. This time, she went with a student and started sleeping with Shamus Quint.”

Nate’s face became even redder. “You took my drawings away!”

I’m taking everything away. “Shamus outgrew her. He wanted to use her in order to make a name for himself.” Hunter leaned forward. “She sent him to see you, didn’t she? He wasn’t here to interview you. He was here to give you messages from Kimber.”

Nate clamped his lips together.

“Fine. Keep protecting her. Even though she’s dead. Just do you, man. But I plan to share all of the information I’ve learned so that any appeals court will never side with you. You aren’t getting out. You will die here.”

“With a needle in my arm?” Nate’s lips twisted. “Not happening. Not!”

Hunter shrugged. “You told me that you shouldn’t underestimate a woman’s rage. You weren’t talking about Shelby. You were talking about Kimber.”

A smirk. “Was I?”