m was broken by a tent

s Ka

was soft

She knew that voice. Sh

ri

'-a lie fabricated to get rid of the only person in the house who truly cared about Kaycee. Two weeks late

ycee said, he

freshly pressed dress. She looked younger than Kaycee remembered, he

or tonight, Miss. The

n across the room and hug her. She dug her nails in

her voice trembling slightly

r the version of Kaycee she had been-would have snapped at h

ht, Miss? You

turning back to the mir

d placed the dress on the b

was caked in layers of foundation two shades too dark, her eyes rimmed with thick, raccoon-like eyeliner. It wa

, Kaycee. Men like Aldo

ity and poured it onto a cotton pad. She scrubbed at h

ame off. The smoky eye shadow smeared, then vanished

iar. Her eyes, usually hidden behind false lashes, looked larger, dark

bandage dresses and sequined tops that Aldo loved. She pus

g her mother had left her. It was elegant, understated,

in like water. She pinned her hair up in a loose

ed one m

lay a sleek, black folding knife. It was a relic from her teenage years, a gift from Hakeem

d into believing that weapons were unladyl

h a satisfying click. The weight of it in her han

ck and slipped i

, squared her shoulders,

, who was adjusting a vase of lilies on the console table. Angell

faux concern. "I thought you were meeting that boring Gallagh

the past, she would have rolled her

ngelle with a gaze so cold it

I were you, Angelle, I'd worry less about my dress and more

gainst the vase. The water sloshed

t her, the heels of her shoes clicki

pulled the car around. It was a bright, obnoxious pink Lamborghini Aventador

color, but she didn't

eather smelled of new car and stale pe

zzed. A text

Don't tell me you're actually going to

e phone onto the

The engine roared to l

e clock on the da

t 7:00 PM. Traffic in the

t the "road hazard" everyone joked about. That had been an act,

anym

e tires screeched against the pavement, leavi

ving through the evening traffic with th