“That’s not surprising, it’s national news at this point,” I remind him.
He nods. “Yeah, but she’s at Hazelwood and that’s the same area Juliet’s mom is from,” he says. “She says there’s been no sight of Denise Donovan since the story broke there. If Juliet’s mom is with her family, then she’s keeping it on the down-low.”
His words penetrate my mind, but it’s what he doesn’t say that has me on edge. Juliet’s mom might not be with them at all. In fact, if no one has seen or heard from her, then there’s every possibility she’s no longer around.
“Do we still think she might have had something to do with the embezzlement?” I ask. “She could have taken the money and skipped out of the country to somewhere she couldn’t be extradited from.”
“It’s a possibility.” Nolan nods. “Lex thinks the money is there, though. He’s working back through the transfers and he has a friend helping him with the forensic accounting part of it all—he thinks the money is still sitting in those offshore accounts and that she hasn’t touched it. If Denise Donovan isn’t with her family and she hasn’t touched the embezzled funds, then she has no money, and that woman is not one I would say can live without luxury.”
Fuck. He’s right.
“Did you find anything about Morpheus?” Nolan asks.
I shake my head. “Just what we already know. It all checks out so far.”
“Damn it.” He hisses out the curse and steps away.Yeah, my thoughts exactly.
Something about Morpheus Calloway does not strike me as genuine. The perfect and generous man that he portrays seems like a lie—a well-constructed one, but a lie nonetheless. Even ifJuliet’s reaction to the man that for all intents and purposes has been her uncle for most of her life didn’t put me off, it would be the hollowness of his perpetually pleasant expression.
Nolan sighs and scrubs a hand over his head, shoving his hair back away from his face. When he releases it, the mass falls back the same way it’d been. “Let’s make a few more rounds and then grab Lex and our girl and head out.”
“Speaking of—have you seen them?” I ask, turning back towards the house. There are fewer people out here, so it only takes a quick scan to know that neither of them is around. However, there’s a long line of windows that look into the jam-packed mansion and it’s harder to discern people from wiggling body masses on the other side—even with her bright blue hair.
“I haven’t gotten any messages about trouble,” Nolan replies. “But no, I haven’t seen them since we arrived.”
“Should we check on them before we move on?”
Nolan touches the back of his neck and cranks his head to the side until I hear a loud crack and he blows out a breath as if relieved. “Yeah, fine. Go look for them and check on them—text me if there are any issues. For now, I’m going to find Jenna again and see if she knows anyone else here that might have better info on Morpheus.”
“Roger that, man.” The two of us clasp hands as he slips past me. Pulling out my cell, I shoot Lex a text asking where he and Prep Girl are. I give it a few minutes for him to respond, ambling over to a few girls smoking on some lounge chairs. I bum a cigarette and chat them up until my cell buzzes. The short message has me dropping my smoke to the stone underfoot and stomping it out with the toe of my boot before hustling inside.
LEX: CODE BLUE
Code Blue means only one thing—Juliet’s lost her shit.Again.
15
JULIET
God, does this girl ever stop talking?Megan White is another face that I hadn’t expected at this party—though, I suppose I should’ve at least anticipated Lindsey Crawford since she still goes to Silverwood Prep. Her usual band of cronies is gone and I suspect the only reason she’s here tonight is because she’s banging someone on the rich side of town.
I’d say good for her and leave it at that if I thought her fucking her way through guys who have no intention of turning her into the trophy wife she’s probably hoping for would mean she leaves me alone. Obviously not.
“—listening to me?” I blink and realize she’s ended her tirade with that question. Several eyes are on us, people watching the drama showdown unfold. Their attention creeps along my arms and the back of my neck like little insects searching for an opening to burrow under my skin. I twitch with the urge to scratch. I hate this.
“Not really,” I deadpan.
It’s been a long time since Lex left me alone. I shift and glance over Meg’s shoulder to see if he’s on his way back yet. I could use a drink.
Meg huffs out a breath and shoots back the drink in her hand before dropping it onto a nearby side table that’s shoved against a wall to make room for all of the people in the house. This has to be against fire code or something. I’m glad I left my jacket in Lex’s SUV because the interior of the house is hot and sticky with all of the bodies.
“I can’t believe you’d even bother to show up here like you belong,” Meg snaps. “What? Now because you have no money, you’re willing to fuck with your old classmates for it?” She laughs, the sound grating on my ears. “As if. No one at Public wants you, what makes you think anyone here does either?”
Sticking one finger in my ear and wiggling it around a bit, I pull it out and nope, no earwax. Clean as a whistle. Somehow, I thought maybe it was something in my ears that was making her voice more annoying than usual. In front of me, Meg’s face goes red as she waits for a reply.
In the months I’ve been forced to deal with her, I’ve learned a thing or two.
One: she has a higher sense of her importance in other people’s lives.
