Crazy In Love (Secrets of Suburbia #3) - Ivy Smoak Page 0,95
it had right after I’d done it. The shock. The repulsion. But I didn’t feel anything but relief. Even though I’d assaulted a detective and was going to be wanted for murder, my life seemed a lot less hellish now than it had while Noah was still alive. And I didn’t think that made me a monster. The world was a better place without Noah in it. I knew that. I’m not a monster.
I took a deep breath and was glad I didn’t smell anything too repulsive. “He’s not really rotting that much,” I said.
Aiden nodded, but he didn’t turn back. “I think we have to take him with us,” he said. “We’ll find somewhere to drop the body. Maybe we can bury it somewhere.” He finally turned back around to look at me.
“We?” I asked. “You still want to run away with me? I…I murdered my husband.” I gestured to the container of body parts.
“You said it was an accident. Like when I slipped down the stairs?”
“Yeah. He just…slipped.” But I knew that wasn’t true. I remembered it, just like I remembered how I’d “slipped” down the stairs a few months ago. My husband had wanted me to fall. He’d smiled. And on Tuesday, I’d wanted to make sure that he knew that I knew the truth. I wanted to get even. I pushed Noah down the stairs on purpose. Shoved him really hard, actually. But I didn’t think he’d die. So in that sense, it kind of was an accident.
With Aiden’s fall though? I thought it was an accident. He was my last chance at answers. All his sexy muscles made him extra heavy. I hadn’t wanted to hurt him. I knew it in my gut. I bit the inside of my lip as I stared at him. He could be my future. All I had to do was think of a better plan then the one rolling around in my head. The only problem was that it was a really solid plan. It had been my plan since the beginning. All the question marks at the end of my list were just for show. I’d always planned on framing Aiden for the murder of my husband. I’d just gotten a little lost along the way.
Aiden nodded slowly. “Okay. You grab one end, I’ll grab the other.” He started to pick up the container.
I touched his arm, trying not to smile at the warmth our connection always gave me. The last thing I needed was to scare Aiden off by smiling at my husband’s dead body. “It doesn’t matter if we take him,” I said. “His blood is everywhere. We just have to go. Put as much distance between this and us as possible. I have a place already set up in Mexico. We can leave now. We can go together.”
He looked down at the blood on the floor and shook his head. “Okay. But we have to hurry. Detective Torres is going to wake up. We have to get out of here now.”
I nodded. We were still a we. He still wanted to come.
“I’ll go pull the car into the garage,” he said. “Let’s get the hell out of here.” He started down the ladder while I hung back to grab Snuggle Muffins.
I almost screamed when I saw blood dripping from Snuggle Muffins’ chin. But after pulling him into my arms and inspecting him, I realized it was just one of Noah’s fingers in his mouth. “Where’d you get that?” I grabbed the finger out of Snuggle Muffins’ mouth.
He blinked up at me.
“No, I don’t want to frame Aiden anymore.”
He sighed.
“I know you’re right, boy. I know it. But I really like him.”
Snuggle Muffins sighed again.
“He didn’t look at me like I was crazy when I told him.” Maybe he looked a little scared. “Yes, he was surprised. But…he got over it. He just said he wanted us to get out of here together.”
I swore he shook his head.
I looked down at the finger in my hand. “Framing Aiden won’t necessarily get me out of this mess.”
Snuggle Muffins eyes gravitated back to the finger.
“Okay, fine. I’ll prepare a few things just in case. We have a long ride ahead of us to think everything through. We shouldn’t make any rash decisions.” I kissed the top of his head and then shoved Noah’s finger down the front of my Mrs. Claus costume. Just in case. Just to make Snuggle Muffins happy.