'Like,OLD England?’ she hisses. ‘No fucking way. Who did it? That son of a bitch, Banderville?’
‘I don’t know for sure.’ I shake my head. ‘I never saw who it was, but it was probably John, maybe Joseph too.’
Lu nods. ‘At least both those fuckers are dead.’ She grimaces when she notices Shade. ’Shit. Sorry, Novelle.’
'No problem. We’re going to head up to the room,' Shade says, squeezing my shoulder. 'You guys should catch up.’
Mav nods and gives Blake a look when he hesitates. ‘It should be safe enough in Sauvage’s hotel,’ he says.
Blake doesn’t look happy but he nods. ‘Don’t leave the lobby, okay?’
I nod and the guys walk off in the direction of the elevators.
'What happened out there?' Lu asks as I give her a belated hug.
I give a rueful chuckle, ready to make light of the whole thing now that it’s over.
'Just the usual,' I say. 'Basically, my life is not my own unless everyone else wants it to be.'
'We gotta get you free,' Lu says. 'This is a bunch of bullshit, is what it is.'
I nod. ‘No arguments here,’ I sigh. ‘I just need… Maybe now that John is dead, I can get Andrew, Shade’s twin?—’
‘Hold up,’ Lu interrupts, her eyes very wide. ‘You’re telling me that Shade Novelle has atwin brother? Why have I never heard of this guy, oreverseen him?’
‘He goes to Harvard and he’s not… He doesn’t look like Shade’s twin. They’re fraternal, not identical. He’s…not like Shade.’
‘Oh,’ she nods sagely, ‘like that old movie where one twin gets all the hotness and brains, and the other one is short and ugly…’
‘Sort of,’ I answer, not really sure what she’s talking about. ‘Anyway, Andy is coming home from Harvard. Maybe I can convince him that I don’t need all this guardian crap and then I can live my own life.’
Lu nods, peering around the hotel lobby.
‘Do you want a coffee?’ I ask, pointing over to the entrance of the hotel bar.
She nods and we go in, finding some plush chairs and couches. I sink down on the closest one and Lu sits down next to me.
A waitress comes over and we each order a latte. She seems to know that I’m Sauvage’s guest because she doesn’t ask for my room number, and there’s no talk of paying.
'So, what's going on with you?' I ask after she leaves us alone.
Lu rolls her eyes. 'Family stuff. My cousin got arrested.'
'Oh, no. I'm sorry,' I say, hoping that the cousin is okay while also wondering that they did.
'Oh,’ she waves a hand, ‘don't be. It's his own damn fault. He's not the brightest spark, young Jimmy.'
Lu and I spend the next few minutes chatting and watching people come and go from the hotel.
'It's so weird,' I murmur, 'just being out here in the open. I feel like I spent the last couple of months hiding away.'
'Dude, you did,' Lu says. ‘But that's all in the past. It's a brave new world, or it will be soon.'
I give her a smile, hoping that she's right.
Out of the corner of my eye, I see Mav coming towards us quickly, and I frown.
'Is everything okay?' I ask when he gets close.
