Faked Disappearance, Real Love's End

Holly Baxter's POV

Keegan's body tensed. He reached up and covered the phone's microphone.

"Just a girl I know," he said, keeping his voice as steady as possible. "You don't know her."

"She sounded like Holly," Beckham's muffled voice filtered through.

Keegan hung up.

He pulled me close again. "Don't worry about him. I won't get distracted anymore."

I pushed lightly against his chest. "Do you think he'll come here?"

Keegan blinked.

"He's staying at his cousin's place by the lake, right? About a thirty-minute drive."

He narrowed his eyes. "How do you know that?"

"I know a lot of things, Keegan. Like the fact that Beckham was never missing. I saw him at a bar the other day."

His expression cycled through shock, guilt, and sudden realization.

"So you've known all along," he whispered. "This whole time."

"Yes."

"Are you mad?"

"I was. Very briefly. Then I realized he wasn't worth my anger."

When I spotted Beckham at the bar, I didn't yell or confront him.

Since he could treat my genuine feelings like a joke, he didn't deserve my love.

"Keegan, is there anything else you want to tell me?"

He was the only one who had hesitated, opposing the fake disappearance.

So why did he agree to help Beckham with his little "missing" game?

"I owed him a favor. A debt from years ago. He held it over my head." He spilled everything—Beckham's manipulation and his own reluctance. "I shouldn't have lied to you, Holly. I'm truly sorry."

"Don't apologize. Actually, I'm glad you were part of it."

He looked utterly confused. "Glad?"

I cupped his chin. "Keegan, are you willing to betray them? Are you willing to be my partner in crime?"