Silence floods the kitchen.
“I think…” I swallow hard. “I think Gray was the last person to see Julien alive.”
forty
Throbs of irritationracket my temples. A pair of little hands reach around to massage my scalp, and I melt into her touch. “Fuck, baby. Right there.”
“Grayson Umbridge,” she says, but when I peek one eye open and stare at the screen again, I correct her. “And he’s a student?”
“Scholarship. Not affiliated with a house.”
The stool scrapes on the hardwood as she settles next to me and plucks an apple from the acacia wood bowl. Crunching through a bite, she contemplates something for a long minute.
“Remember what he said once aboutextracting organsfrom me. That was weird.”
I huff a laugh. “Soweird.”
“Scout is asking Rowan if he found anything at the scene, and then she’ll text me.”
One of my eyebrows raises as I slip my arm around her waist to tug her closer. Pressing my lips to her forehead, I ask, “You two becomingfriends?”
She shrugs. “I wouldn’t say that. The onlyfriend I’ve had was murdered. And I wouldn’t wish that on your best friend’s sister.”
I squeeze her tighter. “I’m your friend.”
With a sad smile, she sighs, like remembering old times. “Youdidalways sneak me the best treats.” Her gaze turns heated as she finishes her apple. “But I don’t let my friends fuck me in the ass.”
I tap my finger to the end of her nose. “Good.”
A deeper thought strikes me suddenly. “Him and Scout are both pre-med…” I swallow hard. “Do you thinkRowanhad anything to do with Julien?”
Her chewing slows, eyes fixed on the polished concrete countertop.
My mom brought over a ton of edible foods, stocked the kitchen, organized it, and then made Dad cook us a week’s worth of meals. I told them about the place because we were desperate for real food. But I can trust them to keep quiet about it and protect us.
“I don’t think so, but he’d know a lot about what happened to the body. He’s in a perfect position to cover up things and appear innocent.” Mainly to herself, she mutters, “Maybe his tears were guilt or an act.”
“You said the body had a small puncture through the ribs. But the organs themselves weren’t, uh,harvested.”
“Not an incision big enough for that. Thank the gods.”
A phone buzzes, rattling the still silence. A flash of a notification from Ace pops up on her screen. She glances at it, but doesn’t respond…
I asked her to let him know she’s safe with me the day after she arrived here, so she did. That didn’t stop him from showing up at the gate last night. Found us through his men, I suppose. But Ashlyn wouldn’t let him in.
I think she feels betrayed that he’d put her with Talon. And she’s worried she’d still have to go through with it.
Only she has no idea how I would kill everyone who tried to make her. Including Moretti, who hasn’t been seen since New Year’s Eve.
I stretch my neck. Since last night, we’ve been digging into who the mysterious Gray was. And it was easy to grab his school records from Valen Von Dovish, my sister’s appointed, and a talented hacker.
“I think you broke my pussy,” she says, rounding the island while sliding my protein shake toward me.
I catch it in one hand and smirk, taking a long drink. “Then I’ll switch to that tight little asshole again.”
She tosses her apple core into the compost bin and tilts her head. “Sure, okay.”
“Fuck! I love you.”