“George,” I lean forward and whisper, so Antony can’t hear. “I saw you at the Colosseum. I know Eli told you my real name.”
George pales even more, which I didn’t know was humanly possible since she’s already as white as a ghost. “Okay, so you saw—”
“You and Eli at the club. And I saw a guy get ripped to pieces by a lion. I’d appreciate you not saying anything to Antony, since he’ll kill us all if he knows we were there.”
I pull away. The wordkilltrembles in the air between us. George’s eyes are wide as the moon. “What do you mean, yourrealname? You’re Mackenzie Malloy. It says so on your birth certificate, which I got from city hall.”
Fuck.
She doesn’t know.
Eli didn’t tell her.
I don’t know what to make of that.
I guess she knows now.
“Eli didn’t tell you?” I toss my sponge on the floor. “Then why have the two of you been sneaking around together?”
“Eli knows I’m good at finding things,” she says. I remember what she just told me – that she’s the reason Eli’s dad is in jail – and I marvel at his capacity for forgiveness. If he can conspire with George… hope flutters in my chest. “He wants to dig up what really happened to the Malloys all those years ago.”
“So he could take that information to the police?”
She shakes her head. “I don’t think so. Eli’s… conflicted. I think he believes you’re in some kind of danger.”
My heart stutters, but I can’t think about Eli now. Not when someone’s after George. I cock my head to the side. “What did that guy mean when he demanded your tapes? By chance, has the creator ofMy Dad is a Gerbildiscovered some dark secret you intend to broadcast to the world?”
George manages to look both sheepish and a little proud. “I was going to tell you, I swear! I just wanted to find something first so you could see that you could trust me—”
Antony snorts with derision. He’s not happy I’ve brought yet another person into the fold.
“George is ride or die.” I cock an eyebrow at her. “Isn’t she? Consider carefully before you answer.”
George wrinkles her nose, and I know she’s weighing the dead body we disposed of against everything that’s led up to it. She nods. “I’m ride or die. Please don’t let it be die.”
“Deal. Remember, you’re under my protection now, and I’m a crazy bitch.” I hold up the knife we pulled out of the guy’s neck. “Want me to cut you a slice of cake to seal the deal?”
“I don’t think I can cut anything with that knife again.” George stomps on the pedal to open the trash can and drops the knife inside. “Are more of these guys going to come after me?”
“It’s hard to say. It depends on what they think you dug up.”
“Nothing.” George shakes her head. “I mean, not much. Just that Eli’s father was involved with a crime boss.”
“What?”
Antony sighs.
I rub my temple. This is too much.
George leans forward. There’s a hint of the old sparkle in her eyes. “There’s a photograph of his father with a man named Brutus August who, like,runsthe Emerald Beach drug and skin trade—”
I sigh. “My uncle. My name is Claudia August.”
George shakes her head. “You can’t be. Brutus August killed Claudia along with her parents so he could take over the family. And besides, you’re Mackenzie. I knew you from junior high, remember?”
I toss my blonde hair over my shoulder. “The resemblance is uncanny, right? It’s just one of those weird coincidences. That’s why Eli hates me, because he’s been in love with Mackenzie since he was a kid and I’ve stolen her life.”
“He doesn’t hate you,” George says. “Trust me.”
