Rage and Ruin by Jennifer L. Armentrout Page 0,112

walked past us. The man stopped, frowning, and then walked out, shaking his head. “I know what you are. The moment I realized you could see me, I knew what you are, and I knew if you were with Zayne, it had to mean something, but I didn’t know if you were...if you were one of the good ones.”

“What?” I gaped at him. “Okay. You need to tell me everything, and you need to make time—”

“Trinity?”

My head jerked up at the sound of Stacey’s voice. She was staring in my direction, starting to rise. Crap.

“Look.” Sam grabbed for my arm, but his hand went through it. “She’s seen you.”

Every instinct was telling me this was going to end badly, but it was too late to duck and run. Mentally cursing myself and Sam up and down the street, I shuffled over to the booth. As I drew closer, I saw Stacey’s fingers flying over the screen of her phone. I drew in a shallow breath as I glanced over the table—

Was that a...pack of Twizzlers next to the ice cream in front of Stacey?

It was.

Oh my God, who ate Twizzlers with ice cream? That was the grossest thing ever.

“I didn’t expect to see you here.” A thick fringe of bangs fell over her forehead as she placed her phone down and looked around the parlor.

“Same,” I murmured, and Stacey’s brows disappeared under her bangs.

Exhaling loudly, I glanced at Sam, who was sitting next to Stacey. “This is going to sound really random, but—”

“I’m used to random. Are...are you okay? You look a little pale...” She trailed off, frowning as she looked at where Sam sat.

Their faces were inches apart, his thigh pressing against hers, but she couldn’t see him and that...that killed Sam. As ticked off as I was at the spirit, I could see raw pain as he stared at her.

“She felt me, didn’t she?” The pinch eased from Sam’s features. “Wow. She felt me.”

I couldn’t answer him. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah.” Stacey’s frown smoothed out as she rubbed her hands over her arms. “Just... I don’t know. I’m sorry? You were saying something about this being random?”

“It’s okay.” I forced an easy smile I hoped didn’t come off as weird as it felt. I started to speak...and felt warmth flare in my chest.

Zayne.

He was nearby. Dammit. If I felt him, then he was feeling me and probably wondering what in the world I was doing out in the city. Despite the way things were between us right now, I so planned on telling him about this development. I just hoped he didn’t freak out.

“Trinity?” Stacey’s brows lifted when I focused on her.

I took a deep breath. “I have something to tell you. It’s going to sound really out there, and you’re probably not going to believe me.”

A half smile appeared. “Okay.”

“I...” This was always the most awkward part. “I see...spirits.”

Stacey’s mouth opened, but she said nothing, which caused Sam to grin. “That’s her she-doesn’t-know-how-to-respond face. I know that face pretty well.”

“Yeah, I figured that,” I muttered, and Stacey’s nose wrinkled. “I know this sounds completely bizarre, but there’s someone here who wants to talk to you. He’s apparently been hanging around, trying to get your attention.”

She looked at me and then around like she was waiting for someone to intervene, which was a common reaction and also meant it was time to bite the bullet.

“It’s...it’s Sam,” I told her. “And he wants to talk to you.”

Blood drained so rapidly from her face I was afraid she might faint. All she did was stare at me.

“You...you know a Sam, right?” I asked, startled when I felt the pulse in my chest intensify.

“Yeah. I knew a Sam. Did Zayne tell you about him?”

“No, he didn’t.” I glanced at the spirit. “He’s actually sitting right next to you.”

Her head swung to her left so quickly I wondered if she pulled a muscle.

“I’m right here,” Sam said, and I repeated what he said.

Stacey didn’t respond. She stared at where Sam sat for so long I started to really worry she’d passed out sitting up with her eyes open.

Was that even possible?

Adding it to my list of things to google later.

Stacey’s cheeks flushed a mottled red, and my stomach sank. Her gaze lifted to me. “Is this some kind of joke?”

“Tell her it’s not a joke,” Sam said needlessly.

“It’s not a joke. I know it may seem like that, but Sam is here. He’s actually been around for a while,” I repeated. “And he