Page 190 of The Unravelings

“Even if it’s fucking questionable?” I grit out.

On one hand, he has a point. If he had to bargain with the unbargainable, then so be it. But Malic? I want to punch that asshole in the throat and never come back. Too bad I can’t. He deserves it. I still can’t believe that dirtbag drugged me. Thankfully, I don’t think he did anything to me besides let me sleep. But still. It’s the principle of it all. I should have known better when he tried to put a tracker in my damn jeans the first night I met him.

He’s truly unstable and now knows all my secrets.

Wonderful.

“They swear your secret is safe,” he mutters as we pass more students. “I won’t let anything happen to you. Not again,” he vows in a deep voice. “Even if they spill your secret to everyone. We’ll make sure no one touches you. Ever. You are 100 percent protected. I cross my heart.” His fingers trace an X over his heart as he sends me puppy-dog eyes, begging for me to believe him. Again.

Fuck. I’m putting a lot of faith in someone who could be lying his ass off, but my gut tells me otherwise. She’s stupid, though. She says that JJ would never let anything happen to me again. Because he didn’t kill me, and neither did the other two.

“And you trust them to keep their word?” I ask, keeping my gaze straight. “You really trust your sworn enemies to zip their lips and not use my existence as some sort of gotcha moment?”

Because I’m not convinced that they’ll keep their word. Malic obviously went through a lot of trouble to lure me to his house for a nice, long talk. Even if I wanted to end up there to get my glasses back. I mean, mission accomplished, I guess. I got my glasses back. But my dignity? I think she’s still buried six feet deep in the graveyard with my non-existent corpse.

Malic seems sincere when he says he’ll keep his lips zipped. But my stomach hurts at the thought of Wilder and Malic having an edge over me. And fuck, the back of my neck hurts like a mother fucker, too. That man needs to invest in some new pillows, because those were not it. I rub the back of my neck as JJ and I cross the street together and walk onto campus together.

“Oddly enough, I think I do,” JJ mutters under his breath as we walk through campus together. “Do you not see the soft spot Malic seems to have for you?”

I peek over at him. “A soft spot? Is that what you call someone who basically kidnaps you until you reveal everything?” I scoff. “He’s an obsessive weirdo.”

JJ puts a hand on my arm and pulls me in between two buildings on campus, hiding us from prying eyes. He looks up and down, finally nodding with satisfaction. “It’s in his eyes,” he says softly, standing opposite me. “He really does seem to want the best for you. Which is weird, because I’ve known the man since we started here. He only looks out for himself. Not even Wilder can contain him sometimes. He’s ruthless and reckless. But he seems to…” He stammers slightly. “Malic wants what is best for you.”

“Right. Is that why he blackmailed me?” I raise a brow.

“It’s not really blackmail anymore, is it? He’s not going to expose your identity to anyone. In fact…I think he wants you. Again.” He seems almost pained to have those words falling from his lips. “And without that threat hanging over your head, you’re still going to help him, aren’t you?”

My jaw tics and tightens. “Fuck. Yes,” I groan, tossing my arms. “Of course I am! Why wouldn’t I?”

Of course, I’m going to find out who murdered Meredith and track all the clues. It’s now ingrained in me to seek justice for the innocent who can’t do so themselves. And from what I can tell, she’s innocent. She had nothing to do with Malic and Wilder’s gang. She was simply a nurse trying to live her life and happened to have a brother who was in the thick of illegal things.

Someone got to her. Someone hurt her. And in my gut, I think it’s all connected to Malic and who he associates with. Only, I need to prove it now. I have to gather all the evidence buried under red tape and unravel everything without getting caught.

“I’ll help you. I can hack into whatever you need me to.” Stepping forward, JJ lifts my chin so I’m staring straight into his eyes. “I’ll never get used to the contacts,” he whispers with a humorless laugh. “Green eyes? You’re my brown-eyed girl,” he murmurs, shaking his head. “Let me help you with this. Let me take some burdens from you, Spitfire. Because it feels like things are piling up.”

I swallow hard. They are piling up. Everything around me is stacking up against me. Over and over again. So much is happening in this town; my head is nearly spinning. The bodies. The gangs. Dead roommates. Injured roommates. Corruption. Franco’s entire operation. Hell, even my attempted murder is still on the table. Because, despite my head screaming at me, I’m still unsure of the real culprits, and I won’t know until Carter calls me back and tells me what he’s found.

“Okay,” I say, nodding. “You can hack into whatever you want.”

Because lord knows, I can’t. “I’m glad you agree. I’ll look into everything I can. I’ve been keeping tabs on important doctors and everything that’s happened. But Meredith’s autopsy is under heavy lock and key.” He shakes his head. “I didn’t want to tell Malic that I’ve already tried to find out what happened. Whoever did it has an in with the cops. They’re keeping her death quiet and the details even quieter.”

“Franco,” I blurt, tilting my head. “Doesn’t he have them all in his pocket?” At least, he used to.

JJ slowly licks his lips and nods. “Yeah. But I-I have a feeling that it isn’t him. I don’t know why, but it’s not his usual game. He’s more into the political angle of things now.” JJ makes a face.

“Well, he’s not above killing innocent people,” I say. “Look at my mom and sister. Look at me. Franco will do anything to get money. Although I don’t know what he gained from killing us. My father? Now, that asshole deserved to burn.” If only he did. That’s the biggest mystery of all for me.

Somewhere out there, Raphael Viotto is lurking in the shadows, doing shady business beneath everyone’s noses. I know my uncles would never take him back, that’s for sure. My father is like a cockroach, waiting in the trash. He’ll come out one day, but I hope he never does. I hope he’s dead in a ditch where no one mourned him. Ever. Maybe my uncles finally took him out. They wanted him dead, anyway. Only a few in the family decided he should serve out his sentence here in Greenwood. Instead, they forced us to move here, where my life only got worse living under my dad’s roof. The abuse got worse. The only ray of sunshine was the three boys whom I swore tried to kill me.

Funny how that all works out.

JJ rubs at his chest. “I’m not sure what he gained. Sympathy, maybe? He’s been revered as a cornerstone of this town since it happened. People respect him. Look up to him for loans and business investments. Your family’s death cemented him in a way that I’ve never seen before. The community rallies around him. Hell, even your uncles reached out after it happened and became quiet allies. It’s why we have more casinos, too. He greased the commissioner’s palms and bonded over the tragedy.” JJ visibly recoils and shudders.

“So, what you’re saying is that asshole has benefited greatly since we all died a fiery death.” I can’t get over his words, though. When he stood over me with the knife as three men held me down and made me watch my mother and sister die. “He said that we were paying for our crimes, though. When it happened…” I trail off, looking deep into JJ’s brown eyes as they glisten with moisture.

“I’m sorry, Spitfire,” he whispers, running his thumb down my cheek. “I will continue to get to the bottom of what happened that night. I won’t rest until the people who actually hurt you and killed them meet their fucking maker.”

I nod, rolling my lips in. “It’s this town. It’s nothing but trouble.”