Page 16 of The Unravelings

Wilder: No. You never do. Unless…

Malic: I’m keeping an eye on some very important people…

Wilder: Yeah… I’m coming to find you, fucker. If you get us into some major brawl on campus…we’re dead.

I shrug, putting my phone back into my pocket. Seems my keeper has gotten creative with his babysitting tactics, using some sort of tracker. How sweet. He really loves me and wants to keep me safe. Oh, well. It’ll take him some time to find me. Unless he truly knows my exact location. Traitorous phone. Maybe I should leave it at home next time. That means I only have so much time to keep my eyes on the prize. AKA Jasper Jeremiah Jones.

I lean against the tree I’m hiding behind and wait. For Wilder? For JJ? I guess it depends on who makes it out first. I’m still aching to know why JJ ran through campus so quickly. He’s usually the calm and calculated one. It’s odd.

If only I could be a fly on the wall, following him inside to see what he’s up to.

Hmm. What if Oli somehow made it into their stupid frat initiation? She did put her name into the little jar along with her roommate, Simon. Although the fuckwits don’t usually work this quickly to bring people into their frat. If they do at all. Maybe I should swoop in and invite Oli to join us instead.

Yes. That sounds like a fantastic idea.

Then, she could live in the room next to mine, and I could sneak in during the middle of the night and slip between her sheets. And legs. What a wake-up call that’d be. For her and me. I ache to have my tongue in her pussy and her cum on my tongue. One more time for old times’ sake.

Since having her in the bathroom of X Marks the Spot, she’s been on my mind every second of every day. And my dick? Well, the big fella has wanted a round two, three, four, and five. Greedy bastard.

I tilt my head, watching a group of mourners stand in front of a large picture of the dead guy. Dane, was it? Poor bastard. Never met him. Seen him around, though. Oddly enough, he was my little ghost’s roommate. Hmmm. Has my little ghost returned to be a mass murderer?

Nah.

This isn’t the first time this has happened, and probably won’t be the last. It’s why I have to find my fucking sister before someone rips out her goddamn heart and sells it to the highest bidder.

I move behind a tree again and further into the shadows, using the thick trunk to hide my massive frame. No one seems to notice I’m watching them from afar. And then, I settle in for the long haul. My keeper, be damned. He can find me right here, if he wants. But I won’t take my eyes off the entertainment. The need to know what JJ is doing and what he knows fills my being with curiosity.

And you know what they say? Curiosity killed the cat, but the satisfaction brought it back.

From a young age, after I was rescued from the hell my mother put me through, my boss taught me to become the best boy I could be—a nothing in society. Sure, I have a name, and some people know me. But they never see me coming through the darkness I surround myself with.

“Now, Malic,” he says patiently, stepping out of the shadows with a grin. “Are you ready to become somebody else?” He looks around the hotel room with disgust, then back at me, hunched in the cage I call home. “Something other than someone else’s punching bag who lives in a tiny cage. I can give you the world, Malic. I can take you from this to someone who holds great power.” He holds out his hand for the taking, looking down at me expectantly. “All I ask for is all of your loyalty.”

I eagerly nod, staying silent like I have for so long. There’s only so much a boy can take before he stops begging for mercy when no mercy has ever been shown. So, what’s the catch with him? Why is he standing here as my savior after running my mother and her lover off?

But now? I’m ready to emerge as the boy my mom would never see coming. One day, I’ll finish her off like she tried to do to me when I’m bigger and stronger.

Her life will be mine.

Perhaps I’ll confine her to a cage and force her to watch me for days on end without food and listen to her beg for a scrap of bread. Then, I throw a water bottle at her cage and laugh when she can’t get through the tiny metal bars.

I shake with the rage that has been consuming me for years now.

This is my opportunity. I’m not dumb enough to pass on this even if I’ve never met this man before. He stands tall. Brown hair. Beady brown eyes. With something lurking behind them. Something sinister, but it doesn’t scare me away. For so long, I’ve watched the men come and go from my mother’s room, observing them. Everyone. I’ve guarded myself while taking in their faces and names.

Now I know who to hunt in town when I get my strength.

“We have a lot of work to do.” He grins, keeping his hand still as I stare at it. With slight hesitation, I take it and firmly grip his hand. “But for tonight, you’re coming with me to my home for a nice dinner. I’ll introduce you to my family. Then, I’ll teach you the most important lesson of all. Invisibility.”

There’s something in his tone that I can’t identify. An emotion I can’t quite put my finger on. But questioning my savior? The man who helps to pull me from a rusting dog cage in the corner of a musty hotel room? Absolutely Not.

He steadies me as I stand on wobbly legs. My breath heaves as I take it all in.

My freedom.

I tilt my head, forcing myself from the confines of my past. Since my little ghost has emerged from the ether, so have my memories, sifting through my mind. Even the ones I locked away and swore to never think of again. But I attribute everything about my past to her.

Everything leads back to Olivia Viotto—even where my loyalties lie.