Page 82

I turn to him, plastering on a fake smile, and take his cup. "I'll get you another one."

I spit in the bottom of his mug before filling it.

Once I'm back behind the bar, I feel someone watching me again. It's Ghostface, and neither he nor Jason have touched any of their food or removed their masks.

This is not my day.

I print out their tab and stomp across the restaurant to that back table, stopping in front of them.

"Something wrong with the food?" I ask.

They both shake their heads in that slow, annoying way again.

"Do you want me to take these for you? Doesn't look like you're eating, so I went ahead and grabbed your check."

I set the receipt down on the table, but before I grab the plates, Ghostface picks up his straw and sticks one end in his soup.

You're fucking kidding me.

He sticks the other end up under the mask, and I watch him suck thick tomato bisque up through the straw, and it makes me want to fucking scream.

I ball my fists, locking my arms tightly by my side to prevent myself from yeeting the damn bowl against the wall, and walk away.

"Okay, well…have fun with that."

I stomp back behind the counter, muttering profanities under my breath while starting a fresh batch of coffee. With the dining area mostly empty, I find a place behind the counterwhere I'm obstructed from their view, cross my arms in front of my body, and glare at them.

Minutes pass, and he's still there with his straw in his mouth, sucking down soup.

"You should unclench your jaw," Zoey says. "I don't think I've ever seen you this angry before, and you're angry a lot."

"I'm going to ask Gabriel to make him leave," I say. "Did they speak to you when they ordered?"

"No," she says. "They just pointed. I don't know why it's bothering you so much. They can probably tell, though, and that's why they're staying."

"Maybe they're reporters."

"Is that why you're worried? You think the guy sucking soup through a straw is here on business?"

"Maybe," I tell her. "I need that table, though. It's going to get busy soon."

It always gets busy—for better or worse—after school lets out, especially on Fridays and when it's raining like it is today. There isn't much to do in this town, and Poplar is one of the few places in Winter Falls where you can sit down that isn't a bar. The result is that the place fills up with teenagers who often don't tip, either.

Air crackles in that soup straw loud enough for us to hear it from across the room.

"Sounds like he's done," Zoey says. "Maybe he'll leave."

I'll give them five minutes,I decide. I'll clear my empty tables, and then, if they're still here, I'll tell Gabriel.

But I get lucky because after I clear the first, they get up, toss some cash onto the table, and head for the front door.Ghostface leaves first, and I stare him down as he passes, and then, when I turn, I run directly into Jason's chest.

I inhale as he steps around me, and now I'm pretty sure I'm the one who looks like a ghost. All the color drains from my face, and I stand there, frozen, because I know.

He smells like Silas. They're here. I thought it would be the police or a private investigator who found me, but this is much, much worse.

They're here to kill me.

The bell above the door snaps me out of my haze, and I blink, sending tears rolling down my cheeks.