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I peer through the opening of the door, but Jane’s room is dark. She’s silhouetted against the slit of sunlight filtering in through her curtained window, sitting rigid atop her bed. I keep my voice low, hoping she has average hearing for a human. “I fucked up, Matt.Fucking code red.I need you to send a cleanup crew to my apartment. Someone you trust. They’ll find a hole in my wall leading to the neighbors, and then they’ll find a body. It needs to disappear, and thenwe allneed to disappear.” I speak so quickly the words blur together.
The noise on the other end of the phone shuffles as Matthew repositions himself, probably walking away from whichever woman he’s hosting. “Whoa, back up. You killed your neighbor?”
I grit my teeth, glaring at my reflection so hard I fear Jane’s mirror will shatter. “No. Isavedmy neighbor. Saved her by killing a manin front of her.”
Matthew gulps. “O-okay, man. We can handle this. Kill the neighbor, seal the bodies in your suitcases, and then we’ll get someone trustworthy to repair the wall. We all have a lapse of judgment sometimes, Sam. Don’t beat yours-“
“You don’t understand.“ My voice rises, and I pause, forcing it to a hushed level again. “I saved her and I’mnotgoing to kill her. Don’t tell me I’m fucking up because I know. I knew it before I ripped through her wall. Just,” I pause, rubbing my hand over my eyes. “Will you help me? I know it isn’t fair to ask, but-“
Matthew cuts me off. “I’m in.”
My hand falls from my eyes. “You are?”
“Is she cute, at least? I mean, you’re going to die for her, so she better be worth it.”
My lip ticks up just an inch. “I need someone to scrub this place clean. Rune won’t miss me for a few days, so I’m leaving with her in the next twenty-four hours. Maybe we’ll get a head start. I’ll call you before dusk with my next destination.”
Matthew murmurs in agreement. “Right. Buy a burner phone and wear a hoodie when you’re in public. The Order has goons everywhere, including human watchers.” He shakes his head, jostling the phone as he clucks his tongue. “Francis is going to be pissed he missed this conversation. Ahuman?” He chuckles.
Asshole.
“We’ll talk soon.”
I end the call and return my phone to my pocket. When I exit the bathroom, I flip the light switch off and reposition the door so that it’s leaning against the frame, blocking the grizzly scene from view.
Jane’s studio room is lit with red, twinkling lights, some strung around the wall, others glowing from various lamps. Most of the sunlight is tucked away behind the curtains, so the room is low and moody. Fake ivy climbs the corners of the wall, dancing across the ceiling and over the untidy bed where she sits. She’s shaking, arms clenched as she hugs her knees to her chest.
The towel is at the foot of the bed, and she’s changed into a pair of loose pajama pants and an oversized gray t-shirt. Her wet hair strings down to her shoulders, turning the shirt a darker shade. Those deep, mossy eyes train on me, unyielding.
“What are you?” she whispers.
8
Jane
Samuelfixesmewithan intense stare, not responding for what feels like an eternity. I keep my eyes on him, counting the beats of my heart as they quicken.
Finally, he speaks. “Did you know him?” His head jerks backward, gesturing to my destroyed bathroom door.
Another silent tear skates down my cheek, betraying the terror I’m trying to conceal.Yes.I nod my head.
Samuel takes a step closer, stopping when he’s in the center of my room. My eyes fixate on the way his shoes look against the mandala design of my rug. How dark and edgy those combat boots look, and how perfectlysoftthe shag carpet is in comparison.Strange.
“Was he the man who followed you home the other night?” Samuel’s voice is soft, too, like the rug.
I nod again. “I got him banned from the coffee shop. He said it was his favorite.” My voice is dry, cracking.
Samuel’s sharp eyes scan my room, pausing over the few decorations I have as if they interest him. Can plants and tiny crocheted animals interest someone likehim? He continues to look away as he asks his next question. “How didyouget him banned, Jane?”
I squeeze my legs, hugging myself tightly. “He reached around the counter and touched my backside while I was pouring his drink.”
Samuel’s eyes dart toward mine, their irises flashing a dangerous crimson color. “Then it sounds like he got himself banned.” He steps toward the built in countertop beneath my mounted television, his finger skirting over an old tea kettle I bought. A synthetic rose is stuck in the spout, the velvety maroon petals in full bloom. “Do you know how he found your room?”
I shrug. “Desperate people have a way offindingthings, I guess. He was texting me. Don’t know how he got my number, either.”
He touches the edge of my framed vision board with his gloved finger before turning to me, staring openly. His scrutiny winds up my spine, alighting every molecule in my body. Still, I don’t look away. “Do you know where he worked?”
I shake my head.
