“Why?”
“I knew an empty bottle would do the trick, and I was right.”
“That doesn’t answer my question,” Luna retorted, digging her nails into her kneecap. “Besides, you were passed out. I remember because you passed out on me.”
Chance grinned again. “I didn’t pass out. I wasn’t even drunk.”
She stood up when she remembered that she and Max had argued about his secret while he had been ‘passed out.’ Her jaw dropped. She was sure Chance had listened to every word of that conversation.
“What is the point of doing this to me?” Luna growled, taking a few threatening steps toward him, the urge to wrap her fingers around his throat stronger than ever.
“If you’re grounded, then you and Max have to stay separated,” he stated. “I know you told him my secret, I heard you two talking.”
“You’re unbelievable.”
“So I’ve been told,” he said, and his eyes flashed with an amused glint.
Luna shivered. “I think you’d better leave now,” she said, staring down at the floor as she lifted a finger to point toward the door.
Chance stuck his tongue out at her but didn’t move. “I’m not going anywhere, honey.”
“Get out now before I kill you!” she screeched at him.
“Luna!” her father’s angry voice bellowed from the other room.
Instantly, her anger at Chance evaporated, and her shoulders slumped as she sat down by his feet again.
“You’d better be nice to Chance,” her father scolded.
“Why?” she challenged.
“The entire time you’re grounded, he’ll report to me about how you act in school,” he said.
“What?” Her heartbeat quickened; she tried to process his words as she crept toward the kitchen, standing on the dividing line between each room.
“He’s gonna come over every day to make sure you do your homework and don’t sneak out of the house,” her father replied, crossing his arms.
“And when did you decide all of this?” she shrieked, praying this was just part of the dream.
“He asked me if I would do it when you were asleep,” Chance put in from the living room. “How could I say no?”
“I thought it would be a good idea because he can keep an eye on you even at school.”
“Dad, please just let Mom kill me instead,” Luna said, nearly pleading.
“Luna,” her father hissed, and by his voice, she could tell he was very unhappy.
Luna closed her mouth, pouting, and gauged Chance’s emotion. He smiled at her again, and the sight made her stomach churn. He was sure he had won, and maybe he had. After all, she would be stuck for an undetermined amount of time in her house like a prisoner with a murderer as her guard.
Chapter Thirty-Three
CHANCE LEFT LUNA’S house feeling satisfied. He walked around the block to his Honda Ridgeline. Since he had the Max problem contained for the moment, he had a new problem. He’d have to go visit Sarah.
She had seen him leave with her sister after all, and that meant she’d have suspicions. He’d have to go comfort her…or threaten her. Whatever the conversation came to. He sighed and drove quickly to Susan’s house. He parked the truck out front and went inside. He stood in the doorway uncertainly.
“Knock-knock!” he said.
Sarah appeared from the kitchen. A tight ponytail held her dark hair away from her face, revealing her red-rimmed eyes. She had obviously gotten wind of her sister’s disappearance.
“Oh, hey, Chance,” she greeted in her gentle voice.
“I wanted to stop by and see how you were holding up,” he said softly, tilting his head to the side. “I heard Susan went missing.”
Sarah stared at him for a moment, blinking. “I’m okay. I mean, I’m sure she’s alright. She’s a smart girl. And, um…weren’t you with her yesterday?”
Chance stiffened, feeling his fingers stretch toward his pocket on reflex. “Yeah, we hung out at my place, but she left early saying she wanted to go home. That was the last I saw her.”
Sarah nodded and sniffled as she glanced away. “Right.”
Chance opened his mouth to speak, but a knock at the door interrupted him.
He answered it, and there on the porch stood Officers Smith and Novak.
“Good morning, Mr. Welfrey.” He glanced past Chance to Sarah. “And to you as well, Miss Cross.”
Chance dipped his head in greeting.
“Your parents out again this morning?” Officer Novak asked.
Eerie wailing sprang up from the bedroom, and Sarah frowned. “My mom’s home, but…”
Officer Novak nodded in understanding. “We’d like to ask you some more questions, this time about Susan Cross. May we come in?”
“Of course,” Sarah said quietly.
Chance stepped aside to let them in. Sarah led Officer Novak away, toward the sobbing in the back of the house, leaving Chance alone once again with Officer Smith.
“So, you again, huh?” he asked Chance as he wrote something in his notebook. He obviously had no patience for Chance.
Chance stayed silent as he watched the officer.
“Well, we’ve got another missing teen, and no leads. You’re no longer a person of interest, because Miss Cross retracted her statement.”
“She did?” Chance asked, the surprise on his face completely real.
Officer Smith nodded. “I found it funny that Miss Cross did this shortly before her disappearance, don’t you?”
Chance shrugged and put on his best look of innocence, complete with wide eyes and downturned mouth. “I told you what happened, sir. I can’t believe Susan would lie to you.”
Officer Smith stared him down. “Right.” He jotted something into his notebook as he shook his head. “Well, Mr. Welfrey, do you mind telling me where you were yesterday?”
“I was hanging with Susan yesterday at my house, but she wanted to leave early to go home and hang with her sister.”
“Mhmm,” Officer Smith murmured. “Do you have a witness to back up your story?”
Chance frowned, knowing Officer Smith had backed him into a corner.
“No, sir, I don’t,” he admitted, running his clammy hands down the sides of his pants.
“Things aren’t looking good for you. You’re a suspect in two closely-related murders.”
“You just said I’m no longer a person of interest for Kate.”
“That’s true—but don’t think I’ll forget about you anytime soon.”
“You have no proof I did anything,” Chance said, staring at the ground and shrugging again.
Officer Smith narrowed his eyes at Chance but said nothing as he wrote more down.
***
UPSTAIRS, OFFICER NOVAK questioned Sarah, though much gentler than Officer Smith handled Chance.
“So, when was the last time you saw your sister, Miss Cross?”
“Yesterday morning. I was in the kitchen getting breakfast, and Chance came over to see Susan, and she left with him. She was still in her nightgown too, but she never came back. I waited all day ‘cuz I knew she’d want a change of clothes, but…she didn’t come back.” Sarah’s last few words had been choked in sorrow as she gnawed on the inside of her cheek.
“Do you know what Susan had planned for the day?” Officer Novak asked, glancing up from his writing.
“No.”
“What do you know about Chance Welfrey?”
“Why, is he a suspect?” Sarah inquired, knitting her eyebrows together.
“Answer the question please, Miss Cross.”
“He’s the most popular guy at Shawnee High School. Susan really liked him, and he visited a lot.” Sarah stared down at the floor as she spoke.
“Is that how you personally know him?”
Sarah nodded. “He’s not a friend of mine. I always thought he was weird, but I was nice to him because Susan wanted me to be.”
“Weird how?”
“Just
the way he acts, and when he looks at you, it’s like he’s looking right through you,” Sarah murmured, staring at the officer through distant eyes.
“Mhmm,” Officer Novak said as he jotted down her words, his expression unreadable.
“Do you think you’ll be able to find my sister?” Sarah asked quietly, trying to peer at the mess of writing on his notepad—part of her didn’t want to hear the answer.
“I’ll be honest with you, Miss Cross. We suspect the person responsible for Miss Red’s death may be in possession of your sister.”
***
LUNA LAY IN bed without moving, staring at her alarm clock as the red letters flared through the darkness like an unwelcoming blaze. In ten minutes, it would go off, and she would have to get ready for school. In ten minutes, she would be faced with the full unpleasantness that the day would present.
The night had passed, free of nightmares. Flashbacks haunted her reality with different images her mind had created to explain what had happened between her and Chance. And that was the worst kind of nightmare imaginable.
Chance…the mere thought of his name sent chills up and down her spine. It would be his first day “on the job” as her supervisor—or, more accurately, her prison guard. Luna frowned; her punishment was far worse than the one she had been given last time. Being a senior in high school meant Luna found even more insult in her father’s choice. She was far too old for it. With the new system, she didn’t have the chance to be free of him. He would be in her face constantly in reality and haunting her dreams at night.
Nothing she could do would stop it.
The deaths of the two cheerleaders bothered Luna deeply. She knew for sure Chance was behind Kate’s—and suspected him to be behind Susan’s as well—but her stubbornness kept her from admitting it could be true. Chance was the king of the school and a follower of the dark lord. The markings on Kate seemed to be a signature mark of his. He had threatened Susan shortly before she had “just died.”
If he was so cold that he didn’t care if his friends were missing—could even joke about it—then he had to be cold enough to kill them. So cold he would manipulate them completely, abduct them, and dump them off in the middle of the woods like garbage when he had extracted full usefulness from them.
Luna had to find out for sure where they had gone before they disappeared; it would help prove her point. She needed to do it without Chance finding out. Reaching up, she touched her throat tenderly in the spot his fingers had bruised before. He was violent, and if he found out she meddled behind his back, digging into his double life, he might not stop next time.
She had a strong feeling he wouldn’t be able to stop next time.
Luna had to find out where those girls had been at the time of their disappearances. At the moment, she didn’t have real proof he was evil. She had satanic marks, a room full of bones, some messed up nightmares, and the words of a girl who had disappeared. If she tried to go to the police, they would do nothing.
She needed physical proof—a weapon or testimony from someone who hadn’t vanished.
She could start by asking people if they knew where Kate and Susan had been before they disappeared. She pondered where to begin. Kate and Susan ran in the same circles as Chance. If she tried to ask people in those groups, the word would get back to Chance, and he would turn on her.
Asking Susan or Kate’s parents might be worth trying, except she didn’t know them. If she went to their house to talk to them, they might try to contact her father. She didn’t want to risk that either.
Luna frowned and let out a deep sigh of solemnity as she reached up to swipe her fingers across her forehead. What could she do? She had to know how dangerous Chance truly was, and no other leads seemed to be at her disposal.
Luna got an idea—the silent girl, Sarah, who had helped with her makeup on the night of the dance. She was close to Susan; they were sisters. Maddie had been close to Susan too, but she associated herself with Chance. That made her an automatic no. That quiet girl who Luna hadn’t taken much notice of had seemed as frightened of those rowdy girls as she had been. Maybe Sarah would be willing to talk to her. A popular girl, Sarah didn’t seem like the rest of them—one of the only few who weren’t friends with Chance. If Luna could talk to her she could get her to say what she knew about Susan, and from there, she could figure out what had happened to Kate.
Her mind seemed to fill with sunshine at the idea. But it darkened again as she thought about Chance. How would she get away from him long enough to get the answers she needed?
School. He always left her alone at school because they didn’t have all of their classes together. Being the “good boy” he tried to be in public meant he wouldn’t be prone to skipping. For once, his lying would actually benefit her. That time apart would give her the perfect chance to find out what she needed to know. Luna could find Sarah at school and talk to her.
In fact, Luna could find her in the halls before the first bell even rang and hopefully get her to stop long enough to answer her questions. If it worked, she’d be able to figure things out.
And if it didn’t…well, then Chance would win again like always.
Chapter Thirty-Four
LUNA WIPED HER hair from her eyes and sat up in bed, determined to get the day over with. She shut off her alarm clock and hopped into the shower. She was done in five minutes and dried off. After throwing on a dark blue t-shirt and baggy black pants, she looked in the mirror just as the front door slammed shut. Chance had arrived, bright and early…lovely. She picked up a brush and ran it through her hair to smoothen out the wet tangles.
“Luna, are you okay?” Chance’s voice rang out from the other side of the door.
“Go away,” she called, feeling that usual tingle of agitation as she picked up a towel and dried her hair.
She heard the familiar click of the door as it popped open. Chance stepped inside and leaned against the doorframe. She frowned and looked at him. Tomorrow she’d make sure to lock the door. The front one as well.
“What if I had been naked?” she asked, clutching her fingers tighter into the towel.
His eyes flashed with a hint of amusement as a small smile graced his lips. “That would’ve been your problem.”
Luna rolled her eyes, focusing her attention back to the mirror as she checked to see what her hair looked like one final time.
“You don’t wear makeup?” he inquired, eyebrows shooting upward as he stood up off the wall, continuing to watch her.
She turned to him, unamused. “Do you?” She thrust her damp towel into his arms.
Luna walked past him and into the kitchen, opened the fridge, and eventually pulled out an orange. She set it on the counter and turned away to rummage for a knife. When she finally found one, she turned back to the orange where she had left it on the counter. Chance had it in his hands and tossed it back and forth between them as he watched her carefully.
“You should let me cut this for you,” he said, glancing down at the fruit. “I wouldn’t want you to get hurt.”
“You’re my supervisor, not my babysitter,” she growled through gritted teeth and lunged forward to grab the orange. “Give me back my breakfast.”
In a flash, he wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled the knife from her hand before she even had the chance to react. He almost frightened her with his lightning-quick movement before letting her go. He clutched the knife in his hand and twirled it gently. She just stared at him.
“That’s not fair,” Luna pouted, folding her arms across her chest.
“Oh, well.” He set the orange on the table as he sliced it to pieces quickly. “There ya go.”
She didn’t acknowledge him as she picked up a piece of orange off the table and chewed on it absently. She wasn’t paying much attention to it as her eyes studied the knife in his hand—how comfortable he was with it.
“Hurry up and eat so we can go. I don’t want to be late,” he ordered.
She resis
ted the urge to smirk. He was definitely worried about keeping that “good boy” persona in check. Good.
“Where’s your backpack?” he asked, eyes searching the kitchen.
Luna ignored him as she pinched the orange peel between her fingers. “You need to stop this babysitter mentality, I’m not eight.”
“I know.” He winked at her.
She clenched her jaw as unpleasant chills raced down her spine. “You know you don’t have to be like this. My dad’s sleeping.”
He shrugged. “Just getting into character.”
She closed her eyes for a long moment, trying her best to keep her emotions in check as he left the kitchen. She went to reach for another orange piece, but the sight of him leaving the room bothered her. Abandoning the orange on the table, she followed him. He had just flung open the door to her room when she caught up to him.
“Hey, what’re you doing?” Luna demanded as she stepped into his path.
He stopped and stared down at her. “What do you think I’m doing?”
“Being annoying?” she guessed bitterly, taking a small step backward.
“Very funny,” he said, setting his jaw. “I’m getting your backpack for you.” He stepped around her to go into her room.
She growled in her throat at his attitude and watched as he picked up her red-and-black checkered backpack off of her bed. He slung it over his shoulder and stood for a moment, surveying her room before his blue gaze fell back onto her.
“So, this is what your room looks like? It’s really feminine, that’s surprising,” he said.
“What, were you expecting monster trucks all over the place?” she retorted, folding her arms across her chest.
He narrowed his eyes to slits but said nothing.
“Sorry, I don’t have bones all over,” she muttered under her breath.
His eyes opened to full capability. He pointed a bony finger at her, but his voice remained calm. “Keep it shut, remember?”
She rolled her eyes and turned her back. She wouldn’t let him get to her. No matter what, she still managed to harbor the hope that her plan would work out.
“Well, come on,” he commanded, oblivious to her thoughts as he stepped over to her. He set his hand on her shoulder and pushed her toward the door of her room.