Mackenzie Malloy draws the line at Metallica fans.”
George tries to smile, but it’s not happening.
“We’ve been friends for a couple of months and I already have you lying to your mother.”
George tries to crack a smile, but she clutches her stomach, and I realize she’s barely holding down the junk food we ate earlier. “Sorry. You develop a bit of a gallows humor about this sort of thing.”
“Is my mom in any danger?”
“I doubt it.” Antony hacks off a large slice of cake and shoves it into an organic, reusable lunchbag. “There’s an honor code, even among scoundrels like us. Brutus may intend to gut you and leave bits of you all over your house, but he won’t hurt your mother unless she gets in his way.”
Except we all know Brutus has no honor.
The ghost of his voice rasps in my ear. “Let me show you a man, baby girl…”
My fingers touch the knife in my sleeve.
I need to find him. And deal with him. Before it’s too late.
37
Claudia
“Wow.” George breathes as I lead her through the garage door into the lofty foyer of Malloy Manor. She turns in a slow circle to take in the sweeping staircases, gaudy chandelier, and the eldritch blown-glass and ceramic statuary the Malloys seemed particularly fond of. “I always wanted to see inside this place.”
I lead her into the kitchen, where Noah is banging pots with his uninjured arm and cursing. He’s tied a flowery apron over his clothes and it’s adorable. I roll my eyes at George. “Don’t tell me – you were one of the sickos creeping around the perimeter, peering in the gates hoping for a glimpse of the Malloy ghost.”
A faint flush creeps across her cheeks. “Maaaaybe. I wasn’t being morbid, I promise. It was for research purposes. I am Emerald Beach’s favorite true-crime podcaster, you know.”
“I know. And I’m going to need to see every piece of research you have on my family and the Malloys. We need to find Brutus and—”
“Claaaaaws, I didn’t expect you to be here. I come bearing dinner. Noah says he’s cooking again, so I figure we needed supplies.” Gabriel wanders in, pointedly ignoring Noah’s coal-eyed death glare. He clutches a stack of gourmet food containers that smell divine. He’s followed by Queen Boudica, who must smell something fishy because she has her tail up in the air and a hungry look in her eyes. When Gabe sees George, he drops his booty and throws his arm around her. “I knew Claws would drag you here eventually. Welcome to Castle Clawstein. You must see the sound system in the media room. It’s out of this world.”
I am so fucking grateful to Gabe, who fully doesn’t give a shit that George is social pariah number one at Stonehurst Prep. He may appear superficial, but he’s also an artist – he sees beyond the masks people wear. And what he sees inside George is all the things that make her an amazing friend. Her kindness. Her loyalty. Her badass taste in music.
“Is Eli here?” George’s eyes light up.
Noah and I exchange a glance. I shake my head. “He hasn’t taken my news as well as you. He wants to be left alone.”
“No, he doesn’t. That’s the whole reason he started this research project,” George says. “He wants to protect you. I don’t think he knows you can kill a man from across a room with a cake knife.”
“Hang on, what?” Noah’s eyes narrow, but George and I ignore him.
George’s lip quivers. “You shouldn’t let Eli be alone if he’s in danger.”
“I’m working on it. But it’s complicated, as you’ll learn in a moment.” I whip Antony’s cake sack from his hands and shove it toward her. “Eat up. This is going to take a while. And you’ll need chocolate.”
Gabriel passes me a plate of scrimp carbonara. Excellent – carbs. I’ll need them to get through this.
As George chews her way through an impressive chunk of cake, I lay the story out for her the same as I told the guys. I leave out the bits I’m not ready to talk about – the coffin, and the man without a face who I now know is Brutus. I’ve held on to my secrets for so long I feel naked without them, and I need to keep some close.
When I finish, she’s practically bouncing with excitement. “Okay, you’re definitely the topic of my next podcast.”
Noah frowns. “Didn’t you just hear what she said? No one can know she’s