Page 24

Cave looks down at her, and she stares back.

Cave’s hand comes up and closes around her throat.

Shit. I jump up, but before I can move closer, the click of a hammer being pulled sounds loudly in the otherwise quiet room.

Clay stands at the end of the bar with a gun leveled at Cave’s head. “Let her go,” he says in a steady voice. “I have no issue cleaning your brain matter off the floor.”

Cave does not move. He doesn’t look at Clay; his eyes are fixed on Kayla.

Something passes between them, then out of nowhere, Vero drops from an overhead beam straight onto Cave’s back.

I had no idea he was up there.

Vero winds both arms around Cave’s neck, then leans down to bite him.

Cave lets go of Kayla’s throat and reaches back over his head for Vero, who is clinging to him like a spider monkey. Cave turns in a full circle, trying to dislodge him, and Vero’s legs come up off the floor as he spins, arms attached to a very unhappy scarecrow.

“I am not coming off,” Vero taunts him. “I have committed to dying but want to prolong it as long as possible. I live here now.”

“Vero,” Brawley growls, and Cave stops spinning. Cipher moves in and grabs Cave by his wrist.

Cave stills, which allows Vero to slide off his back and race over to stand behind Brawley.

Kayla looks at Cipher. “Want to share with the class how that worked for you while the rest of us were about to be slaughtered?”

“No,” Cipher says, still holding on to Cave’s wrist.

Cave stares at the door as I walk over and stand beside him. “How about we check on her? If she doesn’t want to see us, at least we’ll know she’s okay.”

Cave nods, then smoothly picks up Cipher, throws him over his shoulder, and walks toward the door.

I follow behind them but stop at the door and turn back to Kayla. “Um, sorry about all that.”

“Don’t sweat it,” she says. “I know a certain someone who knows a thing or two about making a scene in a bar.”

Vero protests loudly, but I don’t wait to hear the rest of his reply. Instead, I chase after Cave as he makes his way to the hearse. He gets in with Cipher on his lap and waits for me to slide into the driver’s seat.

The trip is quiet. Normally I would blast the cassette, but Cave doesn’t seem like he’s in the mood for my shenanigans. The drive feels like it takes forever, and in every scenario that plays through my mind, there is a logical reason Valli didn’t come tonight. I’m rational enough to know she may have changed her mind; we are strangers—and weird ones at that. Also, she could have felt pressured into signing and really didn’t want us. We are used to rejection, but it still stings a little because I thought she liked us.

When we pull up in front of her house, the lights are on, and my stomach twists uncomfortably. I much prefer being rejected from a distance, but Cave needs this closure. At least now I know he likes the sound of my voice—so that means he somewhat likes me—and I will have his back.

Cave is out of the car before I even manage to get it into park, having slid out from beneath Cipher and jumped to the curb.

Cipher and I race after Cave, and I try my luck by placing my hand on his arm, hoping I don’t die. “Let me knock first. We are not kicking her door in. Let’s show her we are normal people who can act civilized.”

He stares at me with a raised brow.

“Relatively normal people,” I amend.

Cave nods, and I knock on the door, calling out: “Valli, it’s Noa.”

Nothing. My gut churns again. “We are here to check on you. You don’t have to open the door, just please tell me you’re okay.”

I look at Cipher, and he motions to the lock.

Cave slides aside a flowerpot, revealing a key, which he slides into the door handle.

We walk in slowly, and I glance around, but nothing seems out of place.