Page 23 of The Psychopaths

“It certainly is, however, you have a more pressing matter on your hands. Your father has been looking for you all evening. Maybe you should go speak with him.” It’s not a suggestion. All three of us know it.

“Yes. Of course. Let me go find him.” Aries nods, and then slips in the doors.

There’s nothing abnormal about his response; it’s pretty much standard, but for some reason, I get this twist in my gut, the strange feeling that something is wrong.

Stop being paranoid, Lilian.

“I’m sorry for disappearing like that,” I apologize and peer into her blue eyes, looking for the woman she used to be.

Physically, she’s still my mother. She looks like my mother. And every once in a while, I catch a small glimpse of the momshe used to be, who took me to every single heart appointment, who braided my hair, and read me bedtime stories. Those moments are nothing but memories from a time that seems so far away I can no longer tell if they were real or not. Or maybe some fantasy I made up in my head. Just like this stupid thing with Aries.

Even her eyes, which used to be filled with warmth and life back before she married Richard, have grown duller and vacant of joy. More than anything, I miss her smile, the real one, not the fake one she paints on for charity events or political interviews.

How did we get here?

She shakes her head at me. “Every time I think you might understand your place in the family, you find a way to disappoint me.”

My chest aches, because even if I hate the person she’s becoming, the idea of disappointing her hurts me. I want her approval, her love.

“I’m sorry, Mom. I will try better next time.”

“I’m sure you will, although I’m starting to wonder if there should even be a next time. Maybe you aren’t cut out for this family after all.”

I can’t fathom what that even means, and I’m unable to wipe the shock from my face. “What does that mean?”

In typical fashion, she shakes her head and dismisses me. “It means you need to stop disappointing me. Now leave. You’re free to go. George will drive you home.”

I bite my tongue and swallow the questions queuing up in my head.

If I thought Aries’s reappearance was strange, nothing tops my mother’s words echoing with disappointment in my mind.

Maybe you aren’t cut out for this family after all.

While her words leave a gaping hole in my chest, a bigger question needs to be answered. What will they do with me if Icontinue to make mistakes and I’m no longer cut out to play my part?

Arson

This newfound information puts a wrench in my fucking plans. I slam the warehouse door behind me, still feeling the phantom touch of her skin against my fingertips. Little Lilian with her doll-like face and pretty blue eyes. The one person I never intended on touching has now become the most prized possession.

I should’ve done more research, should’ve thoroughly examined who Lilian was to my dear brother besides apparently...a stepsister. Maybe if I had, I would’ve seen her and Aries’s interest in each other. Then I could’ve devised a better thought-out plan on how to use her against him.Dammit.

I prowl through the darkened warehouse, kicking aside a stray box.

The sound reverberates through the cavernous space, punctuating my fury. It’s sad how much time I’ve spent planning this. Years of cataloging every detail about my twin brother—the golden child, the chosen one. I’ve watched him, studied him, learned to mimic his walk and talk, and even the way he signs his name. I can forge his signature so perfectly that not even banking software can tell the difference.

Then somehow this fragile-looking girl with a defective heart has me second-guessing everything. Not only because she caught me off guard, but because I swear she can see right through me. I shrug off Aries’s designer jacket—identical to the one currently hanging in his closet—and throw it onto a chair. My skin itches beneath the expensive clothes.

They feel wrong, like they’re made of fiberglass instead of fabric. I hate wearing his identity and pretending to be him. What I hate or don’t hate doesn’t matter, though. All that matters is that the disguise is working. The Mill House staff believed I was him. His asshole friends believe that I’m him. Everyone at that fucking party believed I was him.

I need to know if she’s going to figure it out. Then I’ll have to decide what I’ll do with her. I pace the length of my planning wall, eyes scanning the hundreds of photos, notes, and surveillance logs I’ve collected on Aries. My fingers trace the timeline I’ve created of his life—the life that should have been mine, too.

The suit feels like a costume now, too tight across my shoulders. I rip off the tie and unbutton the top buttons. That’s better. I can finally breathe. Now back to Lilian.

Was it something I said? Some reference I missed?

I’ve studied this prick for years. I know what brand of toothpaste he uses, what side of the bed he sleeps on, and how many thrusts it takes him to come with those vapid socialites he fucks. I know him better than he knows himself.

But this fucking girl…she comes out of nowhere with the power to obliterate it all.Should I have touched her more hesitantly? In a more brotherly way?

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