God, she’s so infuriating. “Don’t you feel anything that another boy is dead?”
She seems hesitant again, which I expect. I also expect her to tell me what a terrible person Ghost is for doing it. To my horror, it’s not Ghost’s name she finally utters.
“It was Nora,” she whispers, her gaze falling to the sand between us. “She killed him herself.”
My jaw drops, and Jenn nods, her expression aggrieved. “Nora … she isn’t who I thought she was. Not anymore. She’s different.”
I stare at her in silent disbelief. All other responses have flown from my head in the wake of Jenn’s shocking revelation. I’d assumed Ghost had done the killing because that’s kind of what he’s around for, right?
I’d have never guessed Nora had pulled the trigger.
Without thinking, I reach forward and grab Jenn’s hands.
“Let’s just go,” I whisper.
Her bony cheeks hollow in even further. “What are you talking about?”
“We could go someplace Nora will never find us,” I tell her, squeezing her fingers. “There’s nothing that says we have to stay here and suffer because she’s so obsessed with her revenge.”
I see the tiniest spark of hope in her eyes, but it’s there and gone within seconds. It’s replaced by total fear, and I know I’ve lost any chance of convincing her before I’d really begun to try. After all, this is the woman who’d escaped after witnessing murders and made a new life for herself instead of going straight to the police. “She’ll find us.”
“Not if we go to the police but I can’t do that unless you come with me.”
Jenn shakes her head and immediately dismisses my words before I can finish them.
“It’s no use,” she says, enunciating each word.
“Jenn, I—”
She shakes her hands from mine and lays them on my shoulders.
Staring into my eyes, she murmurs, “I just … can’t, Mallory.”
Why does this feel like a good-bye? What does Jenn know that I don’t? How much danger is she really in?
“You need to go now,” she tells me, dropping her hands and standing up to dust the sand off her baggy jeans. “Let Ghost drive you back to school and do whatever it is you have to do.”
Oh, shit, this is definitely a good-bye. My mind races and panic surges through me as I scramble to think of something to say to her to convince her to run or fight or to do something other than return to Nora.
In the end, though, all I can come up with is, “Thanks, Jenn. I know you tried. I know you did the best that you could. Thanks for protecting me all these years.”
She looks surprised, and I can’t blame her. I haven’t really had anything nice to say to her in a while.
“Yo-you’re welcome,” she murmurs. Then, she momentarily gathers her wits to say, “Now go, please. Don’t keep him waiting, okay?”
I nod and turn from her to walk back to the parking lot. With each step I take, I feel more and more weighed down by grief and regret. I wish she’d been a better mother. I wish Nora had never found us. I wish I could turn back around and hug her good-bye, but that wasn’t really our style when things were normal. It would just be weird and forced now.
So, I keep moving forward.
“You shouldn’t worry. So long as she’s helpful, Nora will find a reason to keep her around.”
I’m startled both by Ghost’s words and his voice. Up until this point, the car ride has been totally silent. He didn’t ask me any questions when I opened the door and slipped into my seat. I’d expected an interrogation of what Jenn and I talked about together, but he hasn’t so much as looked at me until now.
“Did I look worried or something?” I murmur.
He chuckles. “You look like you could piss your pants at any moment. Just relax. If everyone does exactly as they’re told, there will be no reason for Nora to overreact.”
I stare at him in disbelief. His words are so callous, it’s as if he doesn’t have a heart at all.
“Ghost, do you have family?”
He glances toward me with a raised brow. “What? That’s a dumb question.”
“Not really,” I assure him. “But I am curious if you have any kind of heart at all.”
He laughs. “Damn, you do have some balls on you, don’t you? Fine. I do have a family. I got a little sister. Our mom died when we were kids.”
“What about your dad?”
His grip on the steering wheel tightens. “He disappeared a few years back. We’ve got no idea where he could’ve gone. Motherfucker’s probably dead or something.”
“Where’s your sister then?”
“School,” he rumbles.
I’m not going to lie. I didn’t expect a flood of information like this from Ghost. It’s actually a good reminder that he’s a real human and not just a heartless robot Nora uses to do her bidding.
Just as I’m opening my mouth to respond, my phone begins buzzing. I look down to see that it’s Carley, returning my call at last.
Her timing couldn’t be worse.
I swipe the call away, knowing I’m experiencing a rare moment with Ghost that I have to try and capitalize on.
We’re nearing campus, and I try not to sound too eager as I say, “Is Nora paying you really well? Are you doing this to support your sister?”
“It’s not like that.”
“Listen to me,” I say in a low, firm tone as I turn to him. “Your sister has already lost her mother and father. Are you really willing to risk her losing her brother, too? Because that could happen if you keep helping Nora. You could wind up dead, just like Jon Eric.”
He seems genuinely startled when I say that, his eyes widening and they bounce between me and the street.
“Crack whore’s got a big mouth, I see.”
“Why does it matter? He’s dead and it doesn’t matter who killed him. Besides, I’d have found out eventually and we both know it. Now please, answer my question. Is working for Nora worth your life?”
We pull into campus and he drives me to my dorm without saying a word, though he looks agitated and uncomfortable. Shit, did my big mouth just fuck me over again?
When he parks the car, he turns toward me.
“A little advice, Mallory? Keep your nose out of other people’s shit.”
Damn. He’s back to his usual close-lipped self. I guess I should’ve expected that.
Releasing a sigh, I reply, “Fine. Don’t answer. Just think about it, alright?”
“Get out.”
I move to open the car door but freeze when I realize a cluster of girls are standing on the sidewalk just ahead of us, staring at us. By the time I realize they’re members of Laurel’s horde, they’ve got their phones out and are holding them up at the car, no doubt taking pictures.
“Fuck,” I hiss, drawing Ghost’s attention to the girls.
“Fan club?” He sounds amused and he even gives them a sarcastic little wave.
“Trust me, they’re not my fans,” I growl, opening the door and shoving my way out onto the street. I slam the door closed behind me and begin marching toward the entrance to my building.