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“Son, I—” But the senator can’t even finish the sentence. He squeezes his eyes shut as Tiberius presses the muzzle of the pistol in the middle of his forehead. I catch a whiff of something acrid in the air. The senator has pissed himself.
Oh, this is too much fun.
An idea occurs to me. I place my hand over Tiberius’ fingers. He drops the gun into my hand.
“Today’s your lucky day, Senator.” Noah’s eyes widen. I slap the senator’s cheek with the pistol until he opens his eyes. He’s trembling all over, and the smell of urine is getting worse. “Don’t look so glum. I’m feeling generous, and I know your wife had a scare recently. I wouldn’t want her to be the one to discover your brains decorating the wallpaper. So you and I are going to strike a deal.”
“I’m listening.”
I love this guy. Even with a gun pointed to his head, he still pretends like I’m the one bowing down to him.
“Call off your hired guns. Brentwood was the best in the business – no one else will get as close to me as he did, and look where that got him. You don’t know how many copies of this paper I’ve made or who I’ve left them with. As soon as my people hear I’m dead, this gets released to the media. Your political career is over and you’ll be looking at time for the perjury your ass committed in the original trial against my father. All I’m asking, in exchange for your continued existence and a flourishing career unhindered by scandal, is that you leave me, and the people close to me, in peace.”
He narrows his eyes. He doesn’t believe me. “And that’s all?”
“Not quite.”
Noah’s mouth quirks. He looks amused.
“I’ve done you a favor tonight. Now you owe me one in return.” I press my finger to my lips as I step back, keeping the gun pointed at his forehead. “I can’t tell you when I’ll call on you, but know that you must be ready at any time.”
His mouth twists. He hates the idea of owing me. Yes, I like this plan very much.
Finally, the senator nods. I smile and turn to leave. Noah and Tiberius fall into step behind me.
“Oh, and Senator?” I glance back over my shoulder. “One last thing.”
His fingernails dig into the fabric of the chair.
BOOM.
The pistol jerks in my hands as I squeeze the trigger. Noah leaps backward, falling over a table. The senator lets out a strangled cry as he jerks his gaze to the portrait of his son, now marred by a single bullet hole placed neatly between Felix’s eyes.
“No more living in the past, Senator Marlowe. I’ll be calling on you soon.” As I turn away I can’t help the wild smile playing across my lips. I’d forgotten how good it felt to squeeze a trigger, to feel all that power reverberating through my body as the bullet left the chamber.
I forgot how good it is to see a grown man tremble.
I hand the gun back to Tiberius. He slips it back into his jacket, and we walk out. My knees wobble, but I know Marlowe can’t see in the darkness.
We walk down the halls, back through this mausoleum to Marlowe’s indifference, and into the garage. We pile into the car and tuck Tiberius under the blanket. My veins throb with heat. That was fucking hot.
Noah remains silent as he drives. I watch him as he makes each turn precisely, perfectly obeying every road rule. We are opposites in so many ways – he is control, and I am chaos.
“You didn’t tell me you were going to ask for a favor.” He doesn’t look at me.
“I didn’t plan it.” I shrug. “But a lot of things need to go right for me to get out of this year alive and away from the Triumvirate. He might be able to help me when the time comes. But this isn’t about me. Tonight was for you. Tell me what you’re thinking.”
Noah’s hands tighten on the wheel. “I never stood up to him before. Tonight I drew a line in the sand and stomped all over it.”
“Are you okay with that?” Are you okay with me?
Are you okay with what you will become beside me?
“I’m better than okay. I don’t believe for a second he’s going to accept owing a Malloy a favor, or seeing his son.” Noah’s dark eyes blaze with hate. “I’ve made an enemy of my father. He’ll see me buried for this.”
Claudia
I strut into school on Wednesday like I’m head witch bitch in a teen horror film before the bloodshed starts.
