Page 178 of The Unravelings

Maybe stabbing Malic with my fork would be a good solution. I'm not ruling it out. Because there's a sinking feeling sitting heavy like lead in my stomach. A foreboding that something bad is about to happen or be asked. Something I can't weasel my way out of.

"What's Veritas?" Malic asks, tilting his head and never taking his gaze off me.

49

Olivia

Okay. So, something bad happened. Great. I’ll pretend he didn’t say the name of my agency so loud and proud. I mean, it wouldn’t be the first time a stranger has asked about the word. All I have to do is pretend the word means nothing to me. I don’t even swallow hard or twitch my nose at his question. I let it slide over me and don’t react.

“Umm, no clue,” I say, shrugging. “I’m sure Google could help you.” I stare Malic in the eyes as they twinkle, and he nods.

“Hmmm. And this?” he asks, setting my badge on the counter.

The same badge that should be in my fucking panty drawer, beneath my boxers, and hiding with my vibrators. Fucking hell! Has he been snooping around my room? That’s the only way he could have gotten this. But how? There’s been no damn evidence of someone coming into my room. My door is always locked for my protection and my stuff.

Panic swarms my insides as I look down at the shiny, metal badge. Even Wilder watches the two of us with a furrowed brow and confusion etched across his face. That means he had no idea this was happening. Is this why Malic sought me out at the fights, too? Was he hunting, as well? Fuck. Me.

I need to retire and throw in the towel.

I’m done.

I run my finger over the metal engraved with Veritas and Agent Seven, trying to calm my racing heart. When I used to touch this badge, it felt like home. Safety. A family. A place I finally belonged after so many years of belonging to no one but myself. Oh, and the three boys I thought were my safe space.

Veritas was my new start in life. It was a home to go to when I had no one else.

“Never seen it before in my life.” I shrug, peel my eyes away from my badge, and rip my hand away, too.

You know when you watch a car crash, and it happens in slow motion? But you can’t look away or run away from the scene? That’s what this feels like. Like I can’t move. I’m frozen with adrenaline roaring through my veins, and my heart aching to break through my chest. On the inside, I’m freaking the fuck out. On the outside? Yeah, I’m trying to keep my cool. No sudden flinches. No weird facial expressions. A blank slate while I pretend he’s not about to blow apart the entire world I’ve built in Greenwood since I came back to campus.

“And these?” Malic asks, setting my fucking glasses on the counter.

So, that’s where they were. He hid them purposely. Great. The entire world is melting away around me as I try to keep the overwhelming feeling of panic from taking me over.

Breathe, Liv. He doesn’t know anything until you tell him. He’s bluffing. Doesn’t know a thing about you. Or Veritas, that’s why he’s asking.

“They look like glasses,” I state nonchalantly, pushing them away so I don’t have to look at the evidence I left behind when I stupidly got drunk and blacked out.

Wilder stares at the glasses for longer than necessary, narrowing his eyes like he’s seen them before. Poor Wilder. Fuck. He has seen them before. He’s my friend. He’s looked me in the eyes. We’ve grappled together. Studied together. He’s a good guy. Something twists inside me for the first time. I’ve duped him since I stepped onto campus as Oliver.

And I kind of feel bad for it.

“Why do you have these?” Wilder finally asks Malic, gesturing to the glasses. His expression strains. “I think Oliver has been looking for these.”

Malic grins again, humming under his breath. “So, are you going to fess up, Little Ghost? Or should I spill all the delicious beans?” Malic asks me with a grin. “I think it’s something Wilder would love to hear.”

“I’m going to go now,” I say, standing quickly from the chair. “I want my shit,” I demand, holding out my hand. “And then, I’m leaving. This conversation is over.”

“Olivia,” Malic says, coming toward me, and I step back until my back hits the wall.

My ears ring at the sound of my name. No one uses it here. It sounds foreign coming from him. It shouldn’t exist on his tongue. Not at all. Sweat breaks out over my flesh. Stupid brain. We’re better than this. We’ve trained before under false interrogations. Don’t give anything away. He could use it against you.

“Shut up,” I growl, pushing him away the closer he gets to me. Denial is my best bet. Even though I can tell by the look in his eyes that he knows something.

Fuck. I’m so fucked. Jonathan is going to kill me. Not only for losing my glasses in this fucking house at a party, but for letting Malic find my badge, which should have been hidden. This is the second person on campus who has figured out my identity. But not only that, he knows about Veritas. Not enough, from what I can tell. He still has no idea what we do or why. I need to keep it that way. Protect the agency at all costs. Protect myself, too. But how? How can I get out of this? Use your stupid brain, Olivia.

“You’re making this whole blackmail bit a lot harder than it needs to be,” Malic grumbles, cupping my face. That same softness returns to his eyes, and his face relaxes. “You thought you could continue to hide from me?” He cocks his head. “Oliver was a clever disguise.”

“What?” Wilder asks slowly from somewhere behind Malic. “Malic, what the hell are you talking about now? I think you need a nap.” He says more, but I tune him out. I can’t look at him right now.