I leaned down, grabbing her jaw and forcing her
face up. “The car accident… did you do it?”
Her coughing stopped. Her eyes went wide, like
she was looking at a stranger.
“Josh… are you crazy?” she croaked. “That
was your plan, to get her parents to talk!”
Her words hit me like a lightning bolt.
The oil on Josh’s suit the day of the accident.
It wasn’t from a routine oil change!
He’d disabled the brakes!
And I had believed him.
While I was reeling, Lacey crawled towards the door.
<
As she reached the threshold, I grabbed her
ankle and dragged her back onto the bed.
“Ah!” Her stomach scraped against the carpet, leaving a bloody streak.
I gently touched her swollen stomach, feeling the baby kick wildly. Even the unborn child seemed to be trembling.
I wiped her tears. “You were in on the accident, weren’t you?”
Lacey was shaking. She shrieked: “You’re not Josh! Who are you?!”
Her outburst made the fetus kick even more violently.
I could even see the shape through her skin.
I looked down at my long, strong fingers. It’s nice being a man. Strength coursed through
<
- me. “I am your Josh… and the baby’s father.” I
smiled gently as my fingers tightened.
This time, I wouldn’t give her a chance to
speak.
She had to die.
Lacey’s eyes widened, her hands clawing at my
arms. Then, they fell limp.
Tsk.
Killing was too easy.
The light flickered, casting shadows that made me look like a demon.
I gave Lacey one last look. Her eyes were wide with horror.
I knocked over the scented candle on the bedside table. The flames engulfed the bed.
<
Old Dave was waiting in the car out back. He
raised an eyebrow, but knew better than to ask.
I turned back for a final look. Lacey’s villa was
surrounded by smoke.
“Home, Dave.”
I got into the back of the car.
At the house, the nanny, Jenny, rushed out.
“Mr. Baker, you’re home! Mrs. Baker, she-”
Before she could finish, there was a crash from inside, along with Liv’s scream.
I went inside to chaos.
“Josh! You’re home.” Someone came stumbling towards me.
It was Josh. Or, the Josh currently wearing my
<
skin. His hair was a mess, his eyes full of panic.
“Liv, what’s happening? Our bodies switched! I need to get back! This is insane!”
I stepped back. “Why bother? I like being a man.”
His eyes went to my collar. Something seemed to occur to him. “Liv, where did you go?”
A smirk played on my lips. “Why don’t you take a guess?”
Josh’s face drained of color, beads of cold sweat forming on his forehead. “Liv, let me explain…” He sounded almost like he was begging.
“Then talk!” I said, staring him down. Let’s see
what kind of lies you can spin.
“I…I…” Josh’s lips trembled, but he couldn’t
seem to force out any words. Like he was
<
choking. Finally, he threw his hands up and dropped the act.
89
“Liv, you did this!” he yelled, almost screaming. “How many times did I ask you nicely? If you’d just handed over the formula, we could have…”
I watched his histrionics. “I’ve told you a million times. There’s no secret formula! Why won’t you believe me?”
Josh scoffed, his face twisted with manic obsession. “Here we go again, Liv, still trying to hide it! Your family built their fortune on that damn formula! I just wanted a promotion. A better life for you! What’s wrong with that?”
He grabbed my hands, his eyes burning with crazed desperation. “It’s not too late, if you sign everything, Baker Pharmaceuticals will be mine! Liv, let’s start over.”
I threw my head back and laughed, the sound
L
echoing through the room. I laughed until I
shook, until tears streamed down my face.
“Start over?” I yanked my hands away. “When
you were screwing Lacey, did you think about
starting over? When you were poisoning me, did
you think about starting over? When you killed
my parents, did you think about starting over?”
He avoided my gaze, a flicker of fear in his
eyes. “You… you found out?”
