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I grit my teeth.
“My dad always used to say, hating someone is like burning down your house to get rid of a rat.” George watches me. Damn that girl – I know she’s smart, but she never misses a beat.
I laugh bitterly. “Clearly, your dad never met Mackenzie Malloy.”
“Actually, he did. At one of the parent/teacher interviews my parents set up with the school after she and Cleo…” George shakes her head. “You know what happened. Anyway, after we left the meeting, he said to me, ‘You know, when I sat down in the principal’s office today, I wanted to throttle that girl for hurting you. But now I just want to give her a hug.’ He pointed out all the things I missed because I was so busy hating her – the way she stared at the floor while her father talked over her, the way she flinched away from him when he touched her, the way her mother grabbed her as they left. I found it hard to hate her so much after that, even after all the horrible things she did.”
“That’s because you’re too nice.” George doesn’t know I’m saying those words to myself. I let Mackenzie walk all over me because I hurt for her. I wanted to be the boy who saved her, and all I am is the boy who let her down.
“I’m not sure about that. I am helping you track down her parents behind her back.” George bites her lip. “I don’t like lying to her. Whatever happened in the last four years, it’s changed her. She’s a completely different person.”
You can say that again.
I hate lying to George, especially since my lies are fueling her lies, but I hate Claudia for lying to her more. George has been through so much already because of Mackenzie, and she’s only helping me now because she cares about her friend. My motives aren’t nearly as pure.
I need to understand.
I need a battle plan.
I need every piece of ammunition I can get.
Claudia
Noah manages to get Gabriel’s lawyer on the phone. Apparently, my fallen angel is being held for questioning, and the police aren’t fucking around. Inspectors from the UK and the Emerald Beach homicide unit have grilled him non-stop for hours. I can’t even imagine what he’s going through.
“I can’t take this any longer,” I growl as Noah hangs up the phone. He pulls me close, pressing his lips to my forehead. If the gesture is meant to comfort me, it’s a complete failure. I can feel the tension in Noah’s body as he battles with his own helplessness.
“We need something to keep our mind off him.” Noah nods to my untouched schoolbooks stacked on the kitchen table. “How about your history assignment?”
I roll my eyes. Only Noah Marlowe could think about schoolwork right now. “How about we figure out how to get Eli back on our side so Antony doesn’t have him silenced?”
Just saying the words makes my chest ache. I can’t let this happen. If Eli’s caught in the crossfire of Nero’s megalomania and Antony’s protectiveness… a piece of me will die with him. Eli is everything that’s good in the world, and I won’t allow his spark to be snuffed out before he’s had the chance to burn bright.
Something else concerns me about Antony’s ultimatum. I know exactly what he’s doing, and it makes my chest ache to think of it. He’s thinking like a gangster, unconcerned if we leave a trail of bodies in our wake. But with blood on his hands, how will he ever be able to leave the protection of the family?
This is not happening.
“I can see one solution,” Noah growls. “We kill Antony.”
My heart thuds. “Don’t joke about that shit.”
“It’s no joke. He’s threatening to kill my best friend. I’m not going to pretend I’m okay with that.”
“You realize you’re sitting there talking about murder?” I study Noah’s face. “I don’t want this life for you. It might be too late for Antony and me, but you’re supposed to graduate high school, leave for some snooty Ivy League college, join a fraternity, and be awarded a giant gilded stick to shove up your ass.”
“It’s too late for me, too.” Noah’s dark eyes bore into mine. “I lost my future when Felix died.”
I hate that he believes that. I hate that he’s so willing to embrace my world. It might look like the perfect outlet for his rage, but before this is over Noah Marlowe will wish he’d never met me.
But right now I need his cold fury. “Antony has given us until Thanksgiving to bring Eli back to us. That’s significant. It means he has no intention of killing Eli.”
“How do you figure?”
“The Triumvirate runs their separate operations, but twice a year the leaders meet for two significant events – Saturnalia in December, and Lupercalia in March. These are wild parties – celebrations of the family achievements – but also a chance for the soldiers and tribunes to form alliances and build working relationships.”
Noah raises an eyebrow. “Like a mafia corporate retreat?”
“Exactly. At each event, the Triumvirate holds a secret meeting where they decide on rules, mete out punishments, and move the pieces around on the chessboard of their empire.”
