I glanced towards the table where I had hidden the syringe under some torn up napkins. Merlin was in his new home, a beautiful cage filled with everything a mouse could possibly need, that sat on a stand against the wall in the living room area, but I still brought him out from time to time, so napkins on the table was completely normal.
So long as Merlin didn’t squeak.
I glanced his way before taking a seat at the table, right in front of my open laptop.
I hadn’t yet been able to write, but I felt like I was getting there. If I could just keep pushing myself, I knew I would get there soon.
The door opened a moment after I opened my document. I could feel the sweat trickling down my back, and I wasn’t sure ifit was fear or anxiety or something else, but it was there. Loud and clear.
Everett walked in, his eyes instantly finding mine as if he had known I would be there, waiting for him.
But when he took off his bike helmet, a smile isn’t what greeted me, and I instantly knew something was wrong.
I straightened, watching as he shut the door. “Everett?”
He walked over, taking a seat directly across from me, his eyes darker than they had been in days. He set his bike keys and helmet down, his hair unruly and out of place, blood splattering his neck, and I couldn’t help but wonder where else that blood was.
“Mr. Alascer,” he began, his voice low, “is Rae’s father.”
And the entire world stopped. Every sound, every breath, every car outside, everything stopped. The words slowly fell through me Over and over again.
“Rae’s father.”
I leaned back in my chair, watching him carefully. “I don’t understand,” I finally said, folding my hands tightly in my lap. This was how he greeted me? Today of all days,thiswas the information he brought to me?
His eyes were unwavering. “Yes, you do,” he replied almost inaudibly.
I searched his eyes before shaking my head and pushing myself to a stand, all of that pent up energy from before coming to a catalyst at his words. “No, no, I don’t,” I said, turning away from him. I put my hands on my hips, my heart unbelievably calm. This couldn’t be happening. They had gotten their information wrong. They had gotten the paperwork wrong.Theyhad to be wrong.
“It’s one of the many secrets Azrael has been keeping from us, but I had to tell Rae—”
I turned on him. “Stop,” I ordered, feeling that black fogslowly make its way up to my eyes.
And he did. He kept his mouth shut and watched me without saying another word.
They were allowed to have their secrets, and Azrael certainly didn’t owe me anything, but what in the actualfuck? I couldn’t do this. I couldn’t. I had been so damn good at trying to control this, I couldn’t…
My eyes fell to that pile of napkins, my heart thrumming.
Control, I needed control.
My eyes lifted back to his, a dark sort of calm washing over me. “Where were you? Just now, with Evelyn. Before then. What were you doing?” I asked evenly. I tried to make it as casual as possible, walking around the table, swiping the napkins off as if I were going to discard them. I wasn’t smooth. I wasn’t like him, and I knew, rationally, that at some point between now and when I injected him, he’d realize what I was doing, I just prayed he wouldn’t fight it.
I didn’t think he would.
In fact, part of me wondered if I even had to drug him at all, but this would help me. Drugging him like he drugged me would helpme.
“Jack, Rae, and Zo were in town for a little bit,” he explained. “I went to talk with them before finding Evelyn. Normal business with Evelyn.”
I walked towards the garbage casually, my muscles tense. “You called them here?”
“I called Rae a couple of days ago, yes. They were flying through on their way to follow those pictures from Tommy’s, so they made a stop.”
I knew my role here, but it still sucked when I wasn’t involved in the secrets. I deserved to know a few things, and yes, I did recognize that he was telling me about it now, and rationally, I knew that if he told me three days ago that Alascerwas Rae’s father, he probably wouldn’t have had much more information to tell me other than that, but was I crazy thinking I deserved to know three days ago?
Probably.
I glanced over my shoulder once I reached the garbage, seeing that he was no longer watching me, but his bedroom door.
