Page 198 of Good Boys Don’t Bite

Elliot’s eyes sharpened. Ronan knew he’d hit something.

“The phone.”

“Stop.”

“The fucking mask—”

“I said stop.”

The force in Elliot’s voice silenced him. Ronan stared. Elliot’s chest rose and fell. Then the anger disappeared behind control. Too quickly.

“I am scared,” Elliot said.

Ronan went still. The admission was quiet. Real enough that it cut through everything else.

“I don’t know who is doing this. I don’t know what they know. I don’t know how they got something from inside our house. And every time I try to think, you look at me like I’m the fucking answer.”

Ronan’s anger weakened. Not gone. Shifted. He looked toward the black box beyond the door. Then back.

“I’m trying to understand.”

“I know.”

“I don’t want it to be you.”

Elliot’s face changed. The sentence had come out wrong. Ronan heard it. So did Elliot. Silence.

“I didn’t mean—”

“Yes, you did.”

“No.”

“You keep doing this.”

Ronan’s chest tightened.

“Doing what?”

“Putting the possibility in the room, then apologizing for noticing it.”

Elliot stepped backward.

“Maybe you should stop apologizing.”

Ronan watched him.

“What does that mean?”

“Maybe you should just ask what you actually want to ask.”

The room became very quiet. Ronan felt his pulse in his throat.

“Fine.”

Elliot’s expression remained unreadable.

“Did you kill Mason?”