Page 34 of Monster's Edge
Laughter. Footsteps. I held my breath as two people walked by. Georgetta laughed quietly as she held Lucas’ hand.
“It’s going to be a good night,” she said.
“The little brat’s in bed, right?” Lucas asked as he kissed her. Was he talking about me? My heart sank a little, twisting. He thought I was a brat? Maybe I was. I did my best to stay out of trouble and to avoid bothering people, but it couldn’t always be helped. Mom had never minded my jokes and silliness, but I knew Georgetta didn’t find me as funny as my mother once had. Maybe she’d told Lucas. Maybe they’d decided I was bad.
I swallowed. My mouth suddenly felt dry. I scooted silently closer to the railing. A few steps down there was a small landing with a lion statue on it. I slid down the next few stairs, so I was sitting right behind the lion. Nobody would be able to see me now.
“She’s in bed and Daddy’s busy,” Georgetta said. She reached her arms up and wrapped them around Lucas. I was able to see pretty clearly from behind the lion statue. I felt like a voyeur. Even though I didn’t understand what that word meant at the time, I knew that it made me feel strange and uncomfortable, but also pretty good.
It wouldn’t be the last time I watched the goings-on in the house from this position.
The sound of voices came. Men talking loudly. They weren’t quite shouting. Georgetta looked at Lucas. Her eyes widened. Even in the darkness, I could see that she looked afraid.
“The servant’s staircase,” she told him, and the two of them ran to a door I hadn’t noticed before. Lucas tugged it open, revealing a narrow staircase, and the two of them disappeared just as my father and his friends rounded a corner into the center hall.
Sothatwas how people got around the house so easily. They had their own staircase. I’d never noticed somehow, which was annoying. I was supposed to know all of the secrets this house held, but as it turned out, I was about to learn a few more.
My father stood by the front door. He didn’t look happy. He was arguing with a man I didn’t recognize: one who had long blonde hair that was pulled back in a braid. Most of the men my dad worked with had short hair, but not this one.
The man was upset about something. I couldn’t understand what he was babbling about, but I knew that something was wrong. He was angry with my dad. Father pointed to the door and told him to leave. All of the air seemed to be sucked out of the space.
Please, I silently urged the man.Please, leave. The thoughtwhile you still canfluttered through my brain, but I didn’t know why I thought that.
People were free to come and go as they pleased in this house, right? So, why had I thought that? Why had I thought that he should leave while he could?
Only, the man didn’t leave. He sneered at my father and shouted words I’d never heard before. Slurs or swears: I wasn’t sure. My father raised a gun to the man’s head as two other men grabbed his arms and held him in place. I squeezed my eyes shut as my father’s finger pulled the trigger.
I didn’t open my eyes again for a long time.
*
NOW LORENZO IS STARINGat me like he has a secret – or like he knows one of mine. In a world that uses secrets as currency, these are both dangerous options. It’s been less than a minute since Ian dropped me off out front of the animal shelter where I work with a request – no, a command – to steal Lorenzo’s phone tomorrow. Now the man himself is staring at me.
And he wants to talk.
I swallow hard, pretending to feel casual. I’m not supposed to know that Lorenzo works for my dad. He’s never really spoken to me before. Neither has his friend, Roberto. The two of them seem to be silent at work. They keep to themselves, but they watcheveryone.
I’m almost certain that my father sent them here to watch me.
This is partly because my father doesn’t trust me not to do anything stupid, but it’s also because he doesn’t trust other people not to do anything stupid. My father is a powerful man in this city. He’s not the kind of person you can just mess with.
“What do you want to talk about?” I ask, faking a yawn. I waltz over to the desk and stand, cocking a hand on my hip. The receptionist’s desk has this barrier around it that acts as a sort of shelf. When someone comes in and is standing in front of the desk, it forms a sort of counter that comes up to their chest. On the opposite side of the desk, there’s a proper place with a computer, phone, and water bottle.
Mywater bottle.
Lorenzo’s hand is dangerously close to it. Making note of this, I promise myself I won’t drink the rest of my water. Leaving it while I went out with Ian was a silly mistake, and one I know better than to make.
“I’ve been looking for you,” Lorenzo says. “Where have you been?” He watches my face closely. Carefully. What he’s saying is a lie, but he wants to know if I’ll lie back. Absolutely, I will. The smell of litter boxes wafts to my nose as I have a million thoughts running through my head.
Did I assign anyone to clean the boxes?
Did anybody bring in the mail today?
We’re supposed to get a delivery of food. Is it here?
I need to get Lorenzo’s phone tomorrow.
I can’t piss him off.
