Page 18 of Retribution

I blink my tears away and sit down on my bed. Lu sinks down next to me.

‘Are you gonna be allowed visitors in Casa Novelle?’ she asks.

I snort. ‘Probably not from a Garrett.’

My friend gasps dramatically, her eyes widening and a smile playing on her lips. ‘I could go in character.Marcie.’

‘Who’s Marcie?’ I ask, laughing in spite of myself.

She stands and puts her hand up in front of her like she’s giving a monologue on stage. ‘A debutante from…Boston. She’s here for school. We’re in the same class and we’re working on a long-term project together. We have to see each otherat leastonce a week. Maybe more.’

I give her a dubious look. ‘Do you think he’ll buy that?’

‘Bitch, he won’t ever see me. I’ll be a ghost. He’ll just hear about me from the staff, baby, and they will only know me as your rich girlfriend, Marcie Vandersnatch, from up north.’

‘Vandersnatch?’ I giggle. ‘You crack me up.’

She gives me an offended look. ‘Of course I do. I’m fucking hilarious.Marciecan’t be as funny as me though. Give me a couple of days. I’ll do some research, watch some vids. Get into Marcie’s head and do some method acting. By the time you see me darkening Novelle’s door, no one will have any idea that I’m evenfrom Richmond.’

‘I believe you,’ I tell her. ‘At least I’ll be able to see you.’

She leans against me for a second, and I feel her phone vibrate. She takes it out of her coat pocket and her face shutters.

‘I gotta go.’

‘Why?’ I ask.

‘Family stuff,’ she mutters, standing up.

‘Lu?’

She looks back.

‘Can I help?’

She gives me a grin. ‘You can stay safe, my sister from another mister.’

She turns away and then turns back, hesitating before she speaks.

‘Everyone knows about the bomb in the club, and the fire in the Novelle Center. The cops covered up both, but people still don’t know who did it. My Pop Pop is unsettled, and when that happens, it means that other people with power in this town are too.’

‘I don’t understand,’ I say.

‘Just… be careful, okay? Just keep your eyes open. If anyone follows you, or you notice any shady cars, get somewhere safe and call one of your guys. Or me.’

I nod a little. ‘Okay.’

She gives me a smile and goes to my door, looking both ways before she exits my room. I stare after her, adding confusion to my already turbulent emotional state.

I grab my phone off its charger and try calling the guys. All of their phones go to voicemail.

I sit on my bed and wrap my arms around myself.

Where are they? Would they really just go because John told them to? Without even saying goodbye?

BLAKE

‘It’s been over two hours. We’ve been here too long,’ I snarl at Mav who’s sitting next to me in the corridor of apenthouse apartment, watched by no less than five armed guards.