them to the lawyers to discredit me. They made up insane stories about me.”
“Even Eli?”
She shakes her head. “No. Eli was amazing. He tried to get them to stop. He stood up for me when Alec…”
“What?”
She shook her head.
“George, I know that bastard did something to you. It’s safe it you want to tell me.”
George won’t look at me. “I’ve never told anyone before. But I know what you did to his forehead, and I think you had something to do with gym class, too, and I…”
“Just say the words and I’ll make you your own brand.” I point to one of her tattoos. “We could put a cat on it. That’d look great – Alec walking around with a grinning cat-face burned into his forehead.”
“You’re terrifying, Mackenzie Malloy.” George slaps my knee. “I have an idea. Can I make it the topic of my next podcast to figure out what happened to your parents?”
Here it is.
Her question hangs in the air between us. I watch George’s lip quiver, and I see this is what’s she’s been angling for all along.
That’s what she and Eli are doing together. They’re digging into me, into my family. They’re trying to find every one of my filthy secrets so they can stop me from keeping Malloy Manor.
After homecoming night, after the diary entry, after the kiss, after everything, Eli is still holding on to his hate.
If George starts digging into my life, she’s clever enough to uncover my secrets. And I need to hold them close.
But on the other hand… the entire world believes Mackenzie Malloy has returned, which means the weird stuff that’s happened could be related to her, not the Julian family feud. It would be useful to know what happened to the Malloys – did Brentwood kill Howard and Ainsley? If he didn’t kill Mackenzie, like he said, and Senator Marlowe believed they were dead until now, then where is my doppelganger?
If I can convince George to trust me again, even after all the lies, will she still keep digging into the Malloys? But that would put George in the middle of the firing line. And I can’t do that to her…
I fucking hate this. She’s the only friend I’ve ever had and I’m still lying to her. Grow some ovaries and get this done. We’re running out of time.
I shrug. “Can I think about it?”
“Sure. Want to think about it over a chocolate cake appetizer while I order the pizza?”
I make a face. “As long as there’s no cauliflower.”
“I promise.” George hands me an enormous knife, and I cut into the cake. The knife slides easily – it’s nice and sharp. Anne-Maree Fisher takes good care of her knives. I appreciate that. Maybe we will get along okay after all.
George places an order for enough pizza and french fries and garlic bread to feed a Roman legion. She sets her phone down and takes the plate I offer her. I sink my teeth into the moist cake, letting the sugar rush bolster me.
Now, you coward. Do it now.
I set down my cake and pause the movie. “George, we need to talk. I know you said you’re helping Eli with a school project, but I know that’s not true. I saw you at—”
There’s a sharp rap at the door.
“Pizza delivery,” a guy calls.
My stomach growls.
“Hold that thought. I’ll just get the pizza.” George sets down her plate and moves across the kitchen. Her shoulders tense. She’s afraid of what I’m going to say, what I’ll do.
My best friend is afraid of me. She—
Hang on a second.
We only ordered the pizza like five minutes ago. There is no way an Emerald Beach pizza parlor – especially a shitty one in Lethe – will cook a pizza and get it through traffic in that amount of time.
My stomach sinks. “George, wait—”
I’m too late. George’s hand hasn’t even turned the knob before the kitchen door slams open, sending her flying backward. A guy in a black balaclava shoves his way inside, grabbing George by the neck and slamming her against the wall. The twinkling fairy lights over the sink glint off the gun in his hand as he aims it at George’s forehead.
36
Claudia
George.
Fuck.
No.
George’s eyes widen as the muzzle touches her skin. The intruder rams the gun into her flesh. She whimpers, her whole body collapsing in on itself, like a hedgehog curling up into a ball. Tears stream down her face, and I can see he’s cutting off her airway.
“Listen to me, girl,”