Page 189 of The Unravelings

“Yeah,” I say slowly. “I’m sitting right here. I’ll help, too.” No clue as to why I’m throwing that out there, but so be it. If it helps to keep Olivia safe from Malic and everyone else, then I’m on board.

“Wonderful news,” Malic says, clapping his hands. “Now, we’re getting somewhere.” He pushes back from his chair and stands, holding out his hand. “Let’s shake on it, and then, you can get to work.”

Olivia and I stand together opposite Malic. She’s quick to shake his hand with a sigh, looking more resigned than I’ve seen her since she came back to town. And I do the same with slight hesitation.

“Well, if that’s all you wanted to chat about, I need to take Oliver back to his dorm now,” I say, giving the backpack I carried in to Olivia, who stares at it with furrowed brows. “Couldn’t have you walking around campus in your old clothes. People might get suspicious.”

“And here are these,” Malic says, handing her a pile of clothes with her phone on top. “Thanks for staying to chat, Little Ghost.” Gently, he kisses her cheek and pulls back after lingering for longer than necessary. “It will be wonderful having this out in the open,” he says, giddy. “Now, no more secrets between us.” He points between himself and Olivia. “As for you…” He trails off, narrowing his eyes at me.

“As a sign of good faith, you can have Olivia every Sunday once she’s initiated into the Syndicate,” I blurt out after careful consideration.

“Jasper,” Olivia growls, smacking me in the arm. Hard. “I’m not a goddamn possession!”

No. She’s most definitely not a possession. She’s a precious jewel I need to keep safe. And if it means handing her over to the enemy to settle whatever obsession he has over her, then so be it.

“I’m aware, Liv,” I whisper to her. “Trust me, please? Go get dressed so he and I can have a talk?”

Her eyes narrow. “Oh, wonderful. You’re already throwing out the boy club bullshit. Yeah, sure. Let me go get dressed,” she hisses while walking out of the room, stomping her feet all the way up the stairs. From somewhere in their home, a door slams, and my shoulders sag.

“We won’t say a word,” Wilder says, side-eyeing Malic, who frowns in the direction she left. “Her identity and everything is safe. We promise. That’d be bullshit to throw her under the bus like this. Especially if she can help with Mere’s murder and the other bullshit happening around town.”

“It had better be,” I say, rubbing my chin. “I’ll help her keep up her end of the bargain and look into your sister. I knew her once, too.” Malic nods as he tells me in great detail about when they found Meredith dead and the circumstances surrounding it. We also discuss the video Meredith showed us, and I forward it to him. By the look in his eyes, I know he’ll have the other doctors strapped to his chair in no time. I’m not sure if that’s reassuring or not. Not too long ago, Hux was the one in his hot seat about to be tortured for information.

Malic grins when a sound overhead echoes through the house. “I’d say our beautiful captive has had enough of our shit.” He grins, looking toward the ceiling and then following a shadow as it lands outside the kitchen window.

Through the blinds, two middle fingers greet us before she walks away and disappears from sight.

Fuck! I needed to actually talk to her.

“Fuck,” I grunt, taking a step toward the stairs, but I turn around, staring between the two of them. “It seems we have some sort of alliance now. But I’m holding you to keep her secret. If anyone else on campus finds out, she’s as good as dead. And then, I’ll make sure you’re dead, too.”

“Not on my watch, lad,” Malic says, puffing out his chest. “Besides, I could offer you the same kind of deal. Let my future wife’s identity out to the masses, and I’ll make sure you’re scattered in pieces across the country. No one will ever find you.”

Wilder rolls his eyes. “Her secret is safe, and we have an agreement.”

51

Olivia

Quickly, I rush out of Malic’s house like my ass is on fire. Because it is. For some stupid fucking reason, I told three people who had no business knowing my secrets, my goddamn secrets. Panic swims through my veins, nearly taking my vision. And JJ, the fucking traitor. Siding with Malic and treating me like a commodity to trade. I mean, what the absolute fuck?

Oxygen seems to evade me with every step I put between them and me. Or maybe it’s the binder digging into my ribs again. Fuck. I try to dig through my loose shirt to get it out of my ribs, but it doesn’t work. Whatever. I’ll be back at my dorm soon, and I can take it off before throwing myself into bed and never getting out. How could I throw all my cards on the table? Why didn’t I run away the second things got fishy?

Right. Because I’m a terrible agent. A terrible, no-good, why am I even here, kind of agent. Fuck my life. Jonathan should have pulled me from campus the moment I was discovered. But noooooo, he decided I should use it to my advantage. You know what? How about he shove that advantage up his ass and let me leave.

Actually, you know what? I’m not a terrible agent. I’m a damn good one. I’ve broken up fraud at a nursing home. Exposed a Mafia lord for corruption and murder. I’ve taken down high-up executives and forced them to their knees for their crimes. Every time I’ve gone up against the impossible, I’ve succeeded.

You know what it is? It’s this stupid town. It’s out to get me like before, when it burned my house to the ground and left me to die. It wants to kill me. Again. The more time I spend here, the more likely I am to die here. Who else wants to stab me? Shoot me? Throw me off a cliff?

Ugh.

“Send me a sign, big guy in the fucking sky,” I grumble, throwing my arms out and leaning back to look at the white puffy clouds looming overhead. “Or take me out already.”

“Oli!” JJ’s desperate voice rings out as his heavy footsteps pound into the pavement. They get closer and closer until I feel his traitorous body heat beside me.

“That’s not the sign I asked for,” I say to the sky again before righting myself and side-eyeing the traitor walking in sync with me. “Traitor,” I discreetly hiss as we pass a few students on the sidewalk near Syndicate Row. The quicker I get out of the vicinity of these houses, the better I’ll feel. Especially with the looks they give JJ and then me. “Siding with that fucking lunatic, JJ? Really?” I hiss again, really showing him my disdain for him at the moment.

“I’m trying to protect you,” he says softly. “And if bargaining with a psychopath is what I have to do, then so be it. If it keeps you safe and alive, then I’ll do anything.”