to this Valley girl to our advantage. I discovered Malloy Manor was unoccupied. A little digging revealed no relatives would be making a claim on the place. Dear Howard was the black sheep of the family, and there was a belief from media and authorities that he was involved in something shady—”
“He was,” Noah rasps, his fists clenching at his sides. “He released supplements into the market without adequate testing. He killed people.”
Antony nods. “Of course he did. He’s a rich asshole with no morals. But as your court loss attests, his crimes were perfectly legal. The authorities couldn’t get anything to stick to Howard Malloy, and you can’t put a man away for being a rich asshole with no morals or all of Harrington Hills would be behind bars. But you don’t build a house with bullet-resistant glass and the highest spec security system unless you expect to be invaded, and Howard’s family knew that. The Malloys are wealthy enough – they don’t need the trouble if the cops found anything untoward. A few quick calls to some of my associates around the country ensured they weren’t planning to take possession of the property, although they’re still scrapping over the money held in Malloy’s investments. That left the house free for us to claim.”
“How do you figure that?” Noah sounds genuinely interested.
“Squatter’s rights,” Antony drawls.
“What the fuck is that shit?” Eli splutters.
“In the state of California, if a squatter occupies a property for five years and the owners don’t return to evict them, they’re legally allowed to take possession of the property.”
“Antony was a law student,” I say. And soon he’ll get to be again. My cousin dangles his leg over the end of the sofa. I notice a bloodstain on the cuff of his jeans, no doubt from his time at the club. Brutus forced him to quit school to run the club, and Antony needed Brutus to trust him, so he obeyed. I can’t wait to get him out of there before he’s forced deeper into the family business. “He knows all about it.”
“That’s complete bullshit.” Eli’s hands ball into fists. “You can’t just take Mackenzie’s house.”
“Why not? She’s not using it. I’ve been here four years. I have to wait until I’m eighteen to apply for ownership, but since I ran away close to my thirteenth birthday, I don’t have long to wait now. It’s a crazy idea – hiding in plain sight – but it’s worked for four years. I had to get a shitty job at a diner and Antony dropped out of school to work for the August family so we could pay the property taxes. We sold a few of the antiques when we got desperate, but we didn’t want to risk anyone following up on their provenance. The city doesn’t give a shit about the house as long as they get their money. A few kids have scaled the fences, and I get the odd reporter snapping pictures or opportunistic thief consumed by a lust for shiny things. But I just wander past the windows in a white nightgown and stare them down, and they run away pretty fast. It’s easy to hide when the world thinks you’re a ghost.”
I dare a glance at Eli and see he’s pale as a ghost himself. I remember him from years ago, his soft fingers curled around the iron gate as he peered inside. I thought he was just another journalist intrigued by the story of the disappearing Malloys, but he was here to protect me, just like he promised.
No, not to protect you. You’re not her, and Eli owes you nothing.
I fooled myself into believing Eli cared about me. In my weakness, I forgot I was wearing the mask of Mackenzie Malloy. Eli’s fire still burns bright for her, and there’s no room for anyone else in those baby blue eyes.
I turn back to the other two. I can see the cogs turning in Noah’s head as he puts all the pieces into place – all the weird clues I’ve laid over the last few weeks that he hadn’t wanted to fit together. Gabriel finishes his drink and reaches for another, and my fallen angel’s true heart sinks into oblivion as the alcohol takes over.
I can’t see what Eli’s thinking anymore because I won’t look at him. If I look I will crumble.
I suck in a breath and continue. “This isn’t about turning Malloy Manor into the seat of my criminal empire. We’re