“It’s not bullshit, Eli. Do you know what I’ve been doing since Claudia told me? I’ve been up for hours poring over the material submitted by my dad’s task force. Nero’s one of the men they’ve been following for some time. He runs all kinds of illegal gambling places, prostitution rings, fight clubs, and entertainment venues that serve as fronts for laundering money and stolen goods… anything you can imagine. And you’re eating peach cobbler with him.”
“This is insane.” I ignore Noah’s cobbler dig as I sink onto the grass, taking it all in. Nero is a crime lord? How is this my life now? All I ever wanted was a simple life where I help people. Back in Tennessee, Dad would let me help write the eulogies for his clients. That was the only nice thing about his business – I got to make the world a tiny bit better for my being in it. Now my dad’s in prison and the girl I love is a lying thief and a mob boss is going to be my stepfather, and that goodness I crave is impossible to reach.
“I know, dude. It’s fucked up. So you’ve spoken to him?”
I nod. “He came to dinner the other night – it was the only reason I came back from the ranch. Maria found me out there and she told me Mom wanted to see me. I thought she wanted to talk about Dad’s appeal. Silly me. She’s going tomarryNero. He’ll be my new stepfather.”
Noah lets out a string of curse words and kicks the bleachers so hard he splits the wood.
I drop my head into my hands. “He was creeping around the house this morning. He said all this weird shit about me being clever, and asked me to come and work for him. He said something about making sure I was in with the right people.”
Noah’s hand clamps on my shoulders. “Do you think he’s talking about Claudia? He could be trying to make sure you’re on his side instead of hers.”
“I’m not on her side.”
“You can’t be onhisside,” Noah insists. “What about your dad—”
“I’m on the side of everyone getting the fuck out of my face with this so I can graduate high school and leave Emerald Beach behind forever,” I growl.
“I don’t think that’s an option anymore.” Noah’s fingers dig into my shoulder. His eyes burn into mine. “Claudia wants you to move back into Malloy Manor, immediately. Strength in numbers and all that.”
“I don’t care what she wants.”
“I know you’re pissed at her, but this is about your life. Nero being here can’t be a coincidence. He might be trying to spy on Claudia.”
“I’m not going back to the house she’s trying to steal from Mackenzie.”
Noah looked like he was going to slap me. “For fuck’s sake. That bitch has still got you brainwashed.”
“Claudia has not—”
“I’m talking about Mackenzie!” Noah yelled. “I never told you this because you’re my friend and you’ve spent your whole life worshipping her, but Mackenzie Malloy treated you like crap.”
“You’re only saying that because you want me to be okay with Claudia stealing her house, playing happy families like she gives a shit about us—”
“She does give a shit. She especially gives a shit about you even though you’re acting like a little bitch right now. No, Eli, I’m saying this because you’re mourning the loss of a girl who never existed. It’s like you get Mackenzie in your head and you can’t think straight. You don’t seem to remember her calling you horrible names and letting you take the fall for the pranks she pulled. She scared off every other kid who tried to be your friend because she didn’t want to share you. She made you crawl around after her like a lost puppy, and she’s not even here and you’restill doing it.”
“What about you?” My hands ball into fists. “You liked her, too. You were jealous of what I had with Mackenzie because you wanted to get into her pants. You couldn’t handle the fact that I had something you didn’t, and when she came to you about her father’s drug trials, you saw a way to finally have one over on me. You always have to be first, best, and brightest, and who cares who you have to step on to do it.”
Pain flickers in Noah’s dark eyes. I’ve never twisted a knife between his ribs like this before. The whole reason Noah hates his father is because Old-Man Marlowe forced him to compete with Felix and he could never measure up.
I’d just told him he’s his father’s son.
Noah’s chest heaves as he sucks in breaths. His cheeks flush with color, and I know he’s trying to control his anger. Part of me wants to goad him further – I’d love to see Noah Marlowe lose his tenuous grip on control and finally contend with the monster inside. The sensible side of my brain reminds me that Noah could punch his fist right through my ribcage without batting an eye. I remain silent.
“Sure. I liked Mackenzie.” Noah’s struggling to keep his voice even. “I liked her because I can see myself in her. I’m no better than she is. We’re both horrible, twisted people. I’ve always treated you like shit, bro. And then I expect you to be there for me when I’m hurting. Just like I expected that one day you’d give up Mackenzie for me, or I’d simply take her from you. I let you take care of me after Felix died, and I don’t think I ever once asked you how you were coping with your dad going to prison.”
“You—you—” I can’t form words.
Noah’s so close now, his nose touches mine. His face twists in this ugly scowl. “When you thought Mackenzie was back, you drew lines between her old personality and her new one that don’t fucking exist. Just becauseClaudiajustified Mackenzie’s actions by being an actual semi-decent human doesn’t make what Mackenzie did to you okay. It’s not Mackenzie you fell in love with this time – it’s Claudia.”
“You didn’t know her like I did. Her parents tortured her—”
“Right. And she came to school and tortured everyone else.” Noah swipes his hand through his hair. He forgets I can read him, too. I know he’s nervous. He wants to change my mind. “She was fuckingevil. And you know it. What she and Cleo did to George? That wasn’t Cleo’s idea. Mackenzie let Cleo take the credit because she knew George would tell and Cleo would get in more trouble for being the ringleader. But Mackenzie was always the one pulling the strings. Her leaving you behind with no note, no goodbye – that was the absolute cruelest thing she could do, and that’s why you hate Claudia so much. Because she may be the daughter of a mob king, she may be trying to keep Mackenzie’s house, but deep down Claudia is the person you wished Mackenzie could be.”
Rage burns inside me. “You don’t get to tell me who I love or why. You don’t know the first thing about love.”
“If you say so.” Noah thrusts a piece of paper into my hands. “Claudia said to give you that. She said it belongs to you. Ask yourself, did you spend all those nights haunting Malloy Manor because you wanted Mackenzie to come back, or because you wanted a reason to justify for her final cruelty?”
