Nix’s dark brows come together, and she frowns. “Can you even have an energy drink? I thought you had a heart attack.”
“Are you a doctor now? I had atear.” I don’t say that tear was on an artery that’s attached to my heart. She doesn’t need to worry any more than she already is. The last thing I want is for her to end up like me; so stressed out she has a heart attack in her twenties.
“Well, I drank it.” She folds her arms.
“You didn’t.” I narrow my eyes.
“Yep. You can check if you want. If you think you can make it to the fridge without fainting.”
Oh, I’m going to throttle her when this is over. If it’s ever over. This nightmare seems to be never-ending. I haven’t once looked at the hall that leads to the bedrooms, my stomach sick with dread. Is Marshal going to be stiff? Has the blood coagulated? I don’t want to think about it, let alone face it. And I deserve a fucking Red Bull if I’m going to have to.
“I can make it to the fridge just fine.” I call my sister’s bluff. “Excuse me for wanting to preserve my strength before I have to go bury a—” I cut myself off, remembering the extra set of ears in the room. I flick a glance at the kid.
Who even is he? I’ve never heard Nix talk about boys. Unless it’s to complain about how they won’t leave her alone. She knows just as well as I do that they are all trouble. Though this onelooks more like Nix would be trouble forhim. He sits kind of in on himself, shoulders tucked instead of puffed like the cocky douchebags I went to high school with, and he has what looks like the faintest yellowing of a bruise under his right eye. He’s got all the right pieces to be cool—haircut, clothes, shoes—but they don’t fit him right yet. They hang a little loose, like he’s still growing into himself.
My sister could eat him for breakfast if she wanted.
Hm.
Maybe she’s into that.
“What did you say your name was?” I ask him.
He stupidly points to his chest in question.
“No, the other accomplice my sister dragged into this.”
“Well, you told me to shut up. So, I was just trying—” He gulps when I clench my jaw. “Caleb. My name is Caleb Landon.”
Landon? Why does that name sound familiar? Eh. Not a priority right now.
“Look, I know you probably have some sort of crush on my sister, but getting yourself wrapped up in this isn’t worth it. This isn’t like doing her homework for her where the penalty is detention. This is serious. You could end up charged as an accomplice.”
His cheeks turn red, but I’m surprised when he holds his chin higher. “No one’s getting charged with anything because we aren’t going to get caught.”
I snort.
“No, really. My dad’s a lawyer, and he deals with stuff like this all the time. We have to burn the body. I mean, really burn it.”
“Yeah,” Nix pipes in. “And the mortuary on Fifth doesn’t have anyone after hours. If we can break in, we can use the crematory.”
My gaze whips between the two of them, my stomach churning. Is this their plan? We’re going to burn Marshal? I can barely imagine that I’m going to have to touch his corpse, let alone incinerate it.
“Are you twonuts?” My voice comes out shrill. “We aren’t burning anyone.”
“It’s a body, not a person,” Caleb says with a shrug, and my eyes about bulge out of their sockets.
What a little sociopath. Fantastic. Nix has brought home a well-dressed, anxious sociopath.
“Nix, be real here. You think you can burn someone?”
“Caleb says they can’t be recognizable. And that we have to collect the bones and teeth too.”
I can’t stop my mouth from hanging open, horrified at what my sister is saying.
“No body, no problem,” Caleb says, further making my skin prickle until I can’t stand it anymore.
“Stop. Both of you.” I push off the couch, my vision prickling with the effort. “We aren’t breaking into a crematory. We’re just going to bury it. In the woods. Deep in the woods.”
