Chapter Nineteen - OLIVER
She’s lying. I’m not sure about which part of that story rings false, exactly. But Kat is lying. I join Pax over at the bar and he hands me the drink he was just about to pour down his throat, and makes another one.
I down it in one gulp.
She’s lying. She’s fucking lying.
“What?” Ellie and Ivy are on their feet, trying to get a closer look. I glance over at Corporate and I read him like a book. He’s staring at her like… like she’s lying. He notices me and shakes his head.
“Hey, West?” Pax asks. “Can I see you for a second?” I watch Kat’s expression. “Outside?” Pax adds. And even though Kat should be focused on Ivy and Ellie, both of whom are asking a million questions about that scar on her neck, she’s looking at Corporate.
She’s lying. And it has something to do with West’s comment about recognizing her.
“Oliver?” Pax calls as he and West make for the door. “Come here for a second.”
Katya’s attention suddenly turns to me. “Be right back,” I say, following West and Pax out the back door.
When we’re safely behind the garage Pax says, “OK, Corporate, spill. What the fuck is happening here? Obviously Oliver is keeping secrets and can’t be trusted, so just get it out.”
I don’t even protest. Because I was keeping secrets.
“I know her, man. I’ve seen her at my house.”
“What fucking house?” Pax asks.
“My parents’ house.”
We stare at West.
“When?” Pax asks.
“Long time ago. Years.”
“How many years?” I ask, my voice low.
“Ten? Before the shit went down.”
“She’s only twenty-two, West—”
“I know. She was just a little girl. But I know it was her. I know it. My mom introduced us.”
Pax sighs loudly. “Why the fuck would your mother introduce you to an eleven-year-old girl?”
“You don’t even want to know.”
I grab West by the shirt collar and pull his face right up next to mine. “I really do, Corporate. I really fucking do.”
West shoves me in the chest, making me let go of his shirt. “What the fuck, asshole? Don’t kill the messenger, you dick. It’s not my fault her parents were scum.”
“If her parents were scum, why were they at your house?” Pax asks.
“Because—” Tori is leaning on the side of the garage only a few feet away. “They tried to arrange a marriage. Didn’t they, Weston?”
“What?” Pax asks.
“I recognize her too,” Tori says. “And not just from the bar. She was one of us.”
“Us?” I ask.
“Gori’s girls.”
I might be sick. How did we get here?
“I asked you straight up,” Nolan says, coming around the corner like he’s gonna kick my ass. “Straight the fuck up if you had anyone back from the past and you lied, you motherfucking dick. I left my home and came here, with my pregnant wife, because you assholes said it was safe. And now what do I find out? You delivered me to the fucking devil. Like a goddamned gift.”
“Just hold on,” Mac says, suddenly between me and Nolan. “Come on, OK?” He’s looking at Nolan.
“Did you leave my wife in there alone with that Silver bitch?” Nolan asks Mac.
“Ariel’s in there,” Tori says. “She’s fine.”
“Just hold up, you guys,” I say, trying to calm everyone down. “She’s not part of the Silver Society.”
“How the fuck do you know?” Tori asks. “I mean, really, Oliver. How the fuck do you know that?”
I take a deep breath and let it out. “I just do.” I really want to tell them the rest. All of it. But I haven’t even told Katya yet and shouldn’t she be the first to know what I’ve been doing? What my part is in all this?
“Great,” Nolan says, throwing up his hand. “He just does. I’m so glad we got that sorted. Mr. Match says it’s true, so it must be true.”
“Oliver,” Pax says calmly. “I get it. You must like this girl or you wouldn’t keep her a secret. But we have to be practical here. She’s your… your ghost.”
“Ghost?” I laugh.
“Ariel made the word up last week. Whatever you want to call her, she’s it.”
“So Ellie’s your ghost?” I ask Mac. “And Ivy is yours? And Tori is yours? And Cindy?” I laugh as I look at Pax. “They’re not the enemy, you assholes. None of the girls are the enemy. And besides, only Tori and Katya were girls from the past.”
“Exactly, Oliver,” Victoria says. “God, you are so stupid. I was one of those Gori girls, but I escaped. She didn’t escape.”
“She did,” I say. “You don’t know anything about her.”
“Neither do you,” Tori snaps back.
“I know a helluva lot more than you do. Which makes me the expert.”
“I want your story,” Nolan says.
“What—”
“Don’t play with me, Shrike,” Nolan says. “I’m not in the mood. I want to know what you were doing that night all the shit hit the fan back in college ten years ago, and I want to know it right now.”
“I’d like to know that myself,” Mac adds. “I’d like to know why you took the heat for Allen-slash-Brutus that night, Oliver. Because you and I both know he was there when that girl was and you weren’t. You didn’t show up until later.”
Fuck. I expected this. I knew I’d have to give them something. But I’m definitely not ready to do that now.
“Come on,” Pax says, putting a friendly hand on my shoulder. “It’s time, Oliver. It’s time to come clean. Just tell us what happened that night. You have to be the final piece of the puzzle.”
I look at Pax. Then Mac. Then West and finally my gaze lands on Nolan. “I saw my sister that night.”
“Cindy?” Tori asks.
“No,” I say, looking straight at Pax. “Rory.”
“I thought she was dead?” Tori asks.
“So did I. But I saw her. I know I saw her. Allen was there and he was being weird. I mean, the guy was weird. I think we can all agree on that. No one in the house liked him. But the girl disappeared in a crowd. And Allen, for whatever reason, was stuck to me while I searched. Like he was helping… but he wasn’t helping. Like he was watching me.”
“I’m not really following,” Mac says. “What’s this have to do with telling the police you were there instead of Allen?”
I look at each of them. Wondering what they’ll think of me when the whole truth comes out. Then decide I have no choice because there’s no denying what’s happening right now. The Silver Society are coming for us. We are in the middle of the game and the only way out that doesn’t include lots and lots of prison time is winning.
“I think that was Rory. I’m gonna say that right now. But I don’t think she was there for me.”
“Why was she there?” Tori asks.
“I don’t know.” I really don’t know. “But Allen was there, and he saw me, and he said, ‘The cops are gonna show up later. You’re gonna say you were with her.’ And before you ask me who ‘her’ is, I can only guess it was the girl who made the accusations. But in my head I kinda associated it with Rory. ‘I was with Rory.’ Allen continued. He said, ‘They will be looking for five people and you’re one of them, Shrike. Because if I end up being one of them, that girl you just saw is dead for real.’”
“And you agreed,” Pax says.
I nod. “I didn’t even know what was going on. The cops came up to me and started asking if I was with her. And I just said, ‘Yeah.’ That’s the only thing I ever said to them. ‘Yeah. I was with her.’”