Play Me Hard (Play Me 3)

But he’s not paying attention to me at all. Instead, he’s staring at Janet like he’s seen a ghost. Or the Antichrist. I can’t tell which.

“Sebastian?” I ask, stopping dead. “What’s wrong?”

He doesn’t seem to hear. Instead he keeps walking and I have two choices—to let go of his arm or to let him pull me along.

I let him pull me along, watching him carefully as he stops in front of my neighbor. “Janet.” His voice is harsh, broken, nearly unrecognizable in its intensity.

My neighbor grins at him for a second, looking back and forth between us like she wants to be in on the joke. “Thanks for the food this morning, Aria. I appreciate it.”

“Anytime,” I tell her.

“Are you going to introduce me to your friend here?”

I’m not sure. Not when Sebastian is pale and shaky and looking like he just got hit by a semi. But I know he’s following the question because he answers for me. “We’ve already met.”

“Have we?” Janet asks, climbing shakily to her feet. “Well, let me get a look—”

She freezes then, her voice breaking apart. “Sebastian? Sebastian Caine?”

“Yes. Janet—”

He reaches a hand out to her but she’s fast, faster than I’ve ever seen her. She ducks away from him and then her hand flashes out and slaps him hard across the face. Once, twice. And he does nothing to stop her.

“Murderer!” she screams at him. “Murderer, murderer, murderer!”