“Let’s go,” I say to Hunter as Asa disappears. We catch up to him at the elevator because he doesn’t have a key card to open it.

“Havalin, you need to back the fuck off my cousin right now. I think I understand what the hell just happened, and if Karma’s telling the truth, Cricket needs some space.”

“I didn’t know. I didn’t fucking know. Karma played me. She fucking played me.”

“You think I’m going to believe—”

“She did it to me too, Gable, and you fucking know it.”

Asa’s gaze meets mine, and I know he remembers just as well as I do the beating he gave me when Karma pretended to be Cricket and took the letter I wrote to Whitney.

He swears under his breath. “What a goddamn goat fuck.”

We all step into the elevator, and I swipe my card across the key reader before hitting the button for the VIP floor. We ride up in silence, but Asa speaks when it opens.

“If Cricket doesn’t want to see you, you’re not forcing your way in. I don’t give a damn what you have to say.”

Hunter clenches his jaw so hard, I’m surprised his teeth don’t crack. “You can’t keep me away from her.”

Asa glances at me and then back to Hunter. “I can and I will.”

Thirty-Three

Whitney

When the knock comes on the door, I already know it has to be Hunter.

“I don’t want to see anyone,” Cricket says on a sob. “Not Hunter, not Karma, not Mom. No one. I can’t do this right now.”

“Okay, honey. I promise you don’t have to see anyone you don’t want to see. I’ll keep them all out.”

Cricket sniffles into the pillows. “I just want to run away. I don’t want this to be real. How could she ruin this too?”

I have absolutely no answers for my cousin, but I squeeze her hand. “I’m so sorry, Cricket.”

“She’s my sister!”

I walk to the door of the suite and open it to find my brother, Lincoln, and Hunter all waiting outside.

Hunter’s Adam’s apple works as he swallows. He looks absolutely destroyed and completely frantic to get to Cricket. But I also don’t blame my cousin for the instructions she just gave me. Still, I feel bad for how Hunter is going to react when I break it to him.

“Cricket just wants to be left alone for a while.”

“Please, Whitney. I love her so fucking much. I didn’t know. All this time, I thought . . .”

“I know, and I’m sorry. She just needs some time to figure out what this means.”

My brother steps forward, and I put up a hand. “She really doesn’t want to see anyone.”

“Fuck. How are we supposed to fix this then?” Asa asks, and Hunter looks like he’s about to rip his hair out.

“Just give her time.” I look up at Lincoln. “She wants to run away for a little while.”