Blood puts him in a chokehold, knocking him out cold. “I hate arrogant assholes,” he says with a shrug. “But he’s right about one thing: we’ll need to be careful. He’s scum, sure, but still a sheriff. What’s the call?”
“Interrogate him. Then give him the same end as the others.”
“And then we torch the house, like always?”
“No. They don’t deserve the dignity of a burial. Fire might leave something behind. Use the refrigerated truck. Feed them to the machines. Then burn the place down.”
Chapter 2
Paris
Present Day
“Ethan, do you have a minute to talk? It might take a while.”
“Lilly, is something wrong?”
“Nothing’s happened, but I need to ask you for something.” I’m incredibly nervous. My mom’s not going to support this decision, and I only have my brother to count on. “I want to come back to the U.S.”
“You mean, come back home? Have you talked to Nora about this?”
Maybe it’s silly, but it still bothers me that he doesn’t call her Mom. Our family’s small enough—and the emotional distance between them makes it feel even smaller. I ended up picking up the habit and started calling her Nora, too. The firsttime I said it, I immediately wanted to take it back—but when I looked at her, she seemed relieved. Now that I’m an adult, I think she worries people will see her as older if they realize she has a daughter in college.
Our relationship is . . . strange. It’s like only Ethan and I are actually related. She keeps herself at arm’s length, like she’s not part of this family.
The last time the three of us were in the same room—barely talking—was two years ago, at Christmas, in Boston.
That night always brings back his face too. My brother’s friend. But I force myself to shut it down. I may be many things, but a masochist isn’t one of them. Daydreaming about a man who probably doesn’t even remember I exist is pure stupidity.
“I just don’t want to stay here anymore,” I say, bringing myself back to the present. “I’m twenty now, which gives me access to the trust fund Dad left. I’m going to buy an apartment and live on my own.”
“You’re going to what? Lilly, I don’t think I heard that right.”
“You heard me. I’ve already withdrawn from school here. I’ve enrolled in a college in Massachusetts, but I’ve got about two weeks before classes start. I need your help finding a temporary place to stay until I find one I want to buy.”
“No way. You’re not going to be alone in a city like Boston. I get that you don’t want to live with Nora anymore, but at least find a friend to move in with.”
“Please, calm down. I’m an adult—even if I don’t know the first thing about life.”
“You’re perfect. I don’t want that to change.”
“You don’t want me to grow up. I’m sorry to break the news, but I already have—at least physically. I need your help, Ethan. Please don’t make me go back to living with her. Even fifteen days would feel like torture. If you could just explain howto find a decent short-term apartment, I can figure out the rest. Please, Biggie. I don’t even know where to begin.”
“I don’t want you living alone, Lilly. You have zero life experience.”
“Is that my fault? Did I ask to be shipped off to a Swiss convent school at twelve?”
His sigh is more like a growl, but I take it as a sign I’m starting to win this argument.
“You’re not playing fair, Pumpkin.” As soon as he uses the nickname he gave me as a kid, I know I’ve won. “Fine. You can come. But forget the short-term rental. You’ll stay with me until we find something for you to buy.”
“Ethan, I can’t live with you. That’s not why I called. We both need our privacy. And judging by the gossip columns, living with you would be like living in a hotel—with supermodels from around the globe parading through your place. That might actually traumatize me. Those women have more legs than I have total height.”
“I don’t bring women to my home.”
“So where do you take them?” I ask, a mix of curiosity and secondhand embarrassment. It doesn’t make sense to have a huge place and never bring your girlfriend home.
“That’s none of your business, nosy.”
