Another laugh, softer this time. Enjoying herself.
“I’m known by many names, dear,” she says loftily. “But you can call me Caesar. All hail her reign.”
I blink.
That’s some narcissism right there.
“What can I do for you, Caesar?” I ask, my gaze flicking to Matthias. His thumbs are flying over his phone now, silent and lethal, no doubt trying to get Mark or Bridget to trace the call.
“Oh, dear,” she chimes. “It’s not about what you can do for me— not yet anyway. It’s about what I’ve done for you.”
My brow furrows. “And what have you done for me?”
There’s a pause. Just long enough to make my skin prickle.
“Why don’t you go look out your bedroom window, poppet,” she urges sweetly. “I’m sure you’ll be so grateful for my grand gesture.”
A chill slides down my spine.
I swing my legs over the side of the bed. The floor is cold beneath my feet, grounding and wrong all at once.
“Don’t be afraid,” she croons. “I won’t hurt you. You have nothing to be afraid of.”
Liar.
Swallowing hard, I reach for the curtain and yank it aside.
Then I scream.
The sound rips out of me—raw, animal, uncontrollable.
Matthias is there in less than a second, his body slamming into mine, shielding me as if bullets are already flying.
“Shit,” he mutters, but his voice is steady. Controlled. He’s seen worse.
I have not.
The moment he releases me, my knees buckle. I collapse to the floor and vomit violently onto the carpet, my entire body heaving as the image burns itself into my brain.
Nan is going to kill me.
“Did you like my surprise, poppet?” Caesar laughs. Dainty. Childlike.
“No,” I croak, bile burning my throat.
They hang just outside our window, on the opposite wall barely four feet away. Their bodies are split from chest to navel, skin peeled back, organs spilling out in grotesque display. Blood streaks the concrete beneath them like dark paint.
Their faces are untouched.
Except for their tongues.
Nailed to their foreheads.
They were meant to be recognized.
No wonder we hadn’t found them.
Sheila and Remus McDonough are dead. Displayed. Offered.