“Mm-hm,” her sister mumbled without making eye contact. “Not sure anyone needs to see me in a swimsuit anytime soon.”
Eden, the runway model, now walked with a cane. And she had scars. Head to toe. Some visible, some not so much. But she was alive. Despite it making her seem conceited, Chloe thought her twin sister was the most beautiful woman in the world.
She was brave and smart and strong-willed. A survivor.
Chloe had some scars too, but she wore hers like a badge of honor. Particularly the ones across her knuckles from punching Detective Callahan with the LAPD directly in the face.
She’d almost been arrested for assaulting an officer, but it would’ve been worth it. Gage and the man had shared a look of understanding, and she’d walked right out of the station for the last time.
Now her sister had her very own LAPD officers patrolling regularly to ensure her safety. Not that Chloe ever left her side.
Eden had never been able to remain stationary or quiet for very long. It was why she’d always butted heads with their father. But now she sat very motionless and very quiet for long stretches of time. Chloe knew she was still in that basement. And she had no clue how to get her twin out of there once and for all.
“How about I fix us some sandwiches? I made chicken salad last night.”
Eden forced a smile. “I’m okay. Thank you though.”
“Fruit? I can cut up some fruit.”
“I’m good. Promise.”
Chloe sighed. “The therapist said—”
“I know what the therapist said,” Eden said softly. Interrupting, but not rudely. “I know what they all say. I need to focus on my recovery and returning to the version of normal that is my life now.”
“Right,” Chloe agreed. “And part of normal life is lunch. It’s after two and you haven’t eaten. So . . .”
Eden rolled her eyes.
It was the most normal thing Chloe had seen her sister do in three months.
“Fine.”
“Be right back.” Chloe hopped up and placed Eden’s feet gingerly on the couch.
“I’m not made of glass you know,” Eden told her.
Chloe made her way into the kitchen without comment. No, Eden wasn’t made of glass. She was made of shadows. Dark shadows behind scars where ugly memories and nightmares hid, waiting to jump out and devour them both day and night.
Chloe had decided not to return to Boston and had applied for a few positions in LA. Whether Eden liked it or not, she was never leaving her side again.
Eden didn’t seem to mind too much, but lately they were crowding each other a little. Chloe knew she’d have to get her own place soon, but it would be as close by as her sister would allow.
Her phone vibrated on the kitchen table. She glanced over and saw it was Gage Pierce calling.
“Answer him, for goodness’ sake,” Eden called from the couch. “Throw the man a bone already. Or bone him. Something.”
Chloe smile in spite of herself.
She’d been determined to focus on Eden and only Eden for the past three months, and Gage had respected that. But lately he’d been asking her out on actual dates. They’d had dinner a few times at the house, but she’d refused to be away from Eden for more than a few hours at a time.
“Hello, Special Agent Pierce,” she answered while toasting the bread for the sandwiches. “What can I do for you?”
“I quit,” he announced abruptly.
Chloe nearly dropped the spoon she was using to scoop chicken salad. “Quit what?”
Pursuing me, probably, she thought. Her heart sank in her chest. She didn’t blame him. Her life was anything but normal and at their age, he could find women ready to move in with him by now.
“My job,” he clarified. “And I wanted to talk to you about it. Open the door.”
It took a minute for her to register his words as she handed Eden the sandwiches and fruit she’d plated. When she did, she made her way to the front door and opened it. Gage stood there smiling.
She smiled back. Sunlight gleamed in from behind him.
He was her light in the darkness.
She needed to tell him that. Soon.
“Hey.”
“Hey,” he said back, lowering his phone as she did the same. “Hey, Eden.”
“Hey, Gage,” Eden said back, turning to look at them.
“Now that we’ve reached the quota for heys today, how about you tell me why you quit the FBI?” Chloe prompted.
Eden gaped at them. “You can quit the FBI? Like you told your boss to take that job and shove it or what?”
Gage chuckled. The warm sound was much needed in the cold house. Chloe wanted to wrap herself in it.
“Nah. I put in my notice a while back. I just didn’t know if I’d actually leave or not, so I didn’t say anything. I was waiting for confirmation from Holt, Elaina, and Alyson.”
“Now’s a good time to say something,” Chloe demanded, feeling slightly wounded that their friends knew of his decision before she did.
Gage stepped farther inside and glanced from one twin to the other. “The truth is, Eden’s case made me realize something. Doing my job the way the FBI dictates, following the rules and adhering to the red tape . . . it’s not for me. If I had done that, I would’ve been too late and Eden wouldn’t be here.”
He gave them a minute to let that sink in.
“They recruited me because of my abilities, because I could go above and beyond what they were capable of online and they didn’t like it. Between me, Alyson, Elaina, and Holt, we’re able to do so much more.”
“Not always within the confines of the law,” Chloe pointed out.
Gage nodded. “Not always. That’s why the four of us are going to work together, privately. Focusing on crimes that occur primarily on the Dark Net.”
Chloe was concerned and intrigued all at once. “Sounds mysterious . . . and dangerous.”
“Like me, right?” Gage winked. But the description was accurate.
“Can we help?” It was Eden who spoke up, but Chloe had been about to ask the same question.
Gage grinned. “I thought you’d never ask. How about I take you both out to lunch and we can talk about it?”
Eden recoiled, folding into herself and her blanket. “I’m not quite ready for venturing out yet. But you two go, and Chloe can fill me in when she gets home.”
Chloe frowned. “You sure, Edy? Might be nice to get some fresh air.”
Eden’s answering smile was taut. Forced. “I have more than enough to eat right here.” She gestured to the two sandwich plates garnished with sliced fruit. “If I need air, I’ll open a window. Seriously. You two go on. Bring me something sweet home. Something chocolate from a fancy bakery.”
Chloe looked to Gage for help. He lifted his shoulders in a half shrug. “Come on, Chlo bug.”
She raised her eyebrows and Eden snickered. “Oh God. We’re doing that now? Nicknames?”
Gage grinned. “Thought I’d try it out.”
Chloe shook her head. “Next.”
Once they were outside, Chloe looked wistfully at the closed door.
“She’ll come around. She has to heal in her own time.” Gage placed an arm around her shoulders and led her to his truck. “In the meantime, let’s me and you find her dessert at a fancy bakery. I might even buy you dinner later.”
“Is this a date, former agent Pierce?”
“It’s former special agent Pierce, and yes. But I have to warn you, there probably won’t be any car chases or slashed tires or barroom brawls. Probably just a boring old dinner date with boring old me.”
Chloe smiled for what felt like the first time in months.
Ray Thomas Early might’ve been dead by all definitions of the word, but he was still very much alive in Eden’s memory. After just a few hours with him, Chloe could only imagine what the days she’d spent with him had been like for her sister.
Eden still didn’t talk about it. Not in detail.
<
br /> “Haven’t you heard? Boring is trending right now. It’s all the rage.”
Gage nodded as he opened the truck door for her. “Good news for me, then.”
Chloe watched as he walked around the front of the vehicle. Whatever he and Aly and Elaina and Holt were venturing into, she wanted to be a part of it. Their unorthodox tactics had saved her sister. She knew that together they could probably save countless others.
Gage Pierce was her happily-ever-after, but some people, people like Eden, needed him too. Needed his brand of unique expertise and unfailing determination.
It was a good thing she was a twin and was an expert at sharing.
“Gage,” she said once he’d climbed into the truck and cranked the engine. “Promise me something.”
He turned to her, the midday sun brightening his eyes. “Anything.”
“No matter how deep we dive into the darkness on the Internet, promise me we’ll always come up for air. For each other.”
He took her hand in his and placed his lips firmly on the top of it. “I promise. Cross my heart, Chloe. Always.”
“I think I’m going to start running again. Maybe Eden will run with me.”
Gage looked surprised. “I didn’t know you were a runner.”
She grinned. It was kind of nice knowing they still had a lot to learn about each other and that they’d actually get the time to learn it. “Yeah. I ran the Boston Marathon last year.”
“That explains your incredible endurance,” he teased.
“Uh-huh. So what explains yours?”
Gage flashed her his handsome smile. “You, sweetheart. I’ll never be able to get enough of you.” He gave her hand a squeeze and she returned it.
She looked out the window, at the road before them. With the California sun shining its light everywhere she could see, everything looked so bright and full of possibility.
Love and loss and pain and stolen moments of forbidden pleasure marred the dark path behind them.
She didn’t know what was coming, if there would be light or more darkness, but she knew whatever came she could face it because of who sat beside her.
“The feeling is mutual,” she said before kissing him gently on the cheek and resting her head against his shoulder. “I guess there’s still a lot we don’t know about each other, huh?”
He nodded. “We know everything that matters.”
She released a small sigh of relief. That was true. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d let herself lean on someone else. But this man, this strong, complex man, kept every promise he’d ever made her. And for now, that was everything that mattered.
Playlist
“In Cold Blood” by alt-J
“Break My Heart” by Hey Violet
“Don’t Wait Up” by Robert DeLong
“Control” by Halsey
“Believer” by Imagine Dragons
“Lights Down Low” by MAX featuring gnash
“Slow Hands” by Niall Horan
“Long Way Down” by Robert DeLong
“Hurricane” by Halsey
“The Devil Within” by Digital Daggers
“River” by Bishop Briggs
“Not About Angels” by Birdy
“Never Be Like You” by Flume featuring Kai
“Superficial Love” by Ruth B
About the Author
Trinity Scott lives in Franklin, Tennessee, with her son and daughter. A former high school English teacher, she writes fast-paced dark contemporary romance with a twist as Trinity Scott and stories on the slightly sweeter side as Caisey Quinn. You can find her online as both @TrinityScottBks and @CaiseyQuinn.
FOR MORE ON THIS AUTHOR:
Authors.SimonandSchuster.com/Trinity-Scott
MEET THE AUTHORS, WATCH VIDEOS AND MORE AT
SimonandSchuster.com
We hope you enjoyed reading this Simon & Schuster ebook.
* * *
Get a FREE ebook when you join our mailing list. Plus, get updates on new releases, deals, recommended reads, and more from Simon & Schuster. Click below to sign up and see terms and conditions.
CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP
Already a subscriber? Provide your email again so we can register this ebook and send you more of what you like to read. You will continue to receive exclusive offers in your inbox.
Pocket Star Books
An Imprint of Simon & Schuster, Inc.
1230 Avenue of the Americas
New York, NY 10020
www.SimonandSchuster.com
This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and events are products of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Copyright 2018 by Trinity Scott
All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever. For information address Pocket Books Subsidiary Rights Department, 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020.
First Pocket Star Books ebook edition March 2018
POCKET STAR BOOKS and colophon are registered trademarks of Simon & Schuster, Inc.
The Simon & Schuster Speakers Bureau can bring authors to your live event. For more information or to book an event contact the Simon & Schuster Speakers Bureau at 1-866-248-3049 or visit our website at www.simonspeakers.com.
Interior design by Alexis Minieri
Cover design by Retinal Graphics
Cover image by Shutterstock
ISBN 978-1-5011-7127-7
Blood & Lace Page 20