AERIN STEPPED OUT of the hotel lobby and under the porte cochere. Thomas had told her that he was grabbing his belongings from a motel outside town where he’d been staying ever since he’d come to Avignon to track her down, and then would swing back here at 2:00 p.m. It was a little after two now, but she didn’t see his car in the drive yet. She jiggled her leg nervously. Thomas’s grandmother meant so much to him. He hadn’t had time to explain what had happened to her, but Aerin hoped she’d pull through.

The sun was out, and tourists were trickling out to the streets, beach bags in hand. Aerin leaned against the wall to the hotel, regretting that she hadn’t been here to relax on the beach. Maybe she and Thomas could take a trip to Cape Cod once this was all over.

Then again, would it ever be over? She waited for the predictable clench in her stomach. It was there, of course, but so was a steady feeling of determination. This quest to get Brett was no longer just a lark, a what the hell am I doing? She was all in. She could almost imagine Helena standing behind her, seeing all of this, urging her on.

Her phone beeped, and she peered at it. Mom, read the caller ID. Aerin raised an eyebrow. It had been forever since she’d seen that name on her screen. Sometimes it seemed like her mom barely noticed she was away.

Miss you, honey, was all it said.

A tiny knot unloosened in Aerin’s chest. Maybe her mom noticed their distance, too. How fucked-up it was. How none of them were really recovered. She grasped the phone, trying to decide what to type. There’s so much I need to tell you. There’s so much evil in the world. But I’m going to make it right. For all of us.

But instead, she just settled on Me too. See you soon.

A reply came in right away. Definitely. Have a great time in LA!

Aerin frowned. Since when was she going to LA? She didn’t even know anyone there.

A growl broke her concentration. Thomas’s white Ford had pulled up to the curb just beyond the overhang. Aerin hefted her bag on her shoulder and hurried toward it. She waved at Thomas through the windshield, but his head was down, his blue Yankees baseball cap obscuring his eyes. He seemed to be typing something on his phone. Her heart lurched. Something about his grandmother? Maybe things were even worse than they thought.

The trunk was open, so she dropped her suitcase in. Then she swung around to the front and climbed in. The air inside was cool and smelled like mint—much better, in fact, than the car had smelled earlier today, when they’d gone to the shack. Thomas must have had it quickly cleaned. She started to buckle her seat belt as the car reversed and pulled onto the street. “What are the doctors saying? Is she okay?”

“She’s fine, Aerin. Just fine.”

The world tunneled around Aerin. Instantly, her heart jumped to her throat. The voice wasn’t Thomas’s…but it sure was familiar. Really familiar. As he gunned the engine, cruising through a yellow light, the man in the driver’s seat glanced over at her, and their gazes locked. Aerin took in his thick eyebrows, mischievous grin, and gleaming eyes. It felt like every cell in her body, every bone in her skeleton, might spontaneously combust. She knew. She just instantly, instantly knew.

It was Brett.