Page 54 of Her Wicked Knights
"Oh, I'm sorry." Whit doesn't sound sorry at all, and as he turns his eyes on her, Audrey withers. "Our timeline got a little messed up becausesomebodyfailed at the second sacrifice." Jake sinks lower in his pew and Audrey shoots an angry glare at the back of his head. So, I guess there's trouble in paradise. "Did you have plans?"
It's almost amusing, the way Audrey's mouth opens and then closes, like she's unsure whether she should answer or not. But Whit's staring her down, expecting an answer, so she clears her throat. "I was going to go to Halloween Terror Nights. They've been advertising one of their new haunts. It's a wax museum."
"Fascinating." Carson says drolly. "Gonna go ride George Washington's face and cross off a bucket list item?"
"It's not that kind of wax museum." Audrey rolls her eyes. "It's themed after all the classic killers. Freddy, Jason... and I might ride Ghostface if he's there."
"Perfect!" Whit's declaration cuts over my sound of disgust. "That's where the last sacrifice will take place then."
"What?" Mark scoffs. "No way. You want to do this one in public?"
"Public is the only choice for this one." Whit nods. "The final sacrifice has to be arealsacrifice. Not just an offering of flesh and blood."
"What do you mean, a real sacrifice?" Tripp asks, pushing to his feet. It sends Rev crashing to the wooden pew, where hedoesn't so much as stir. You'd think he was fucking dead if it weren't for the snoring. "What were the other two? Just for fun?"
"Down, boy. They were real. Their deaths were necessary, I assure you. But this last one... it has to be a sacrifice of the heart."
I don't have to ask what I'm thinking, because Nick does it for me. I don't even have a chance to feel stupid for thinking the same thing as Nick, because this whole thing is absurd, and my head is confused. "As in... cutting out the heart?"
"In a manner of speaking..." Whit tips his head. "The final sacrifice will be someone much closer to home. We'll hide in plain sight; we'll need to use the cover of the park, a public event to get away with this one"
"Sounds like you've already chosen your next victim." I say, hoping the cell phone in my pocket is still recording.
"Not a victim. This is anhonor."
Tripp chokes on a laugh. I don't know how I manage to keep a straight face. Honestly, this shit makes me feel like I'm the crazy one. I don't understand how everyone else except Tripp, Rev, and I are falling for this insanity.
"And who's receiving this honor on Halloween night?" Mark asks.
"Crone, mother..." He pauses, and I wonder if he's expecting us to fill in the blank. When no one does, he shakes his head. "Maiden."
It's silent as everyone contemplates what that even means.
Neither of the previous victims fit with that pattern.. Neither of them was a mother, or at least I assume not. I suppose we really didn't know Brooke. She was a runaway, Audrey said. Who knows what she was running from. But whatever the fuck a crone is, II don't think Jenny was one.
I'm pulled out of my thoughts when Whit's eyes lock right on mine.
"The last sacrifice has to be Marley Lavigne."
28
Tripp
Ittakeseverythinginme not to fucking hyperventilate on the way to Colton's. Some sadistic little part of me wants to slam on the brakes,, just to wake Rev's ass up so that he can fucking help figure a way out of this. Colton refused to say anything, or to let me speak. The look in his eyes assured me we would discuss it when there was no one around. There were some questions from the others, some excitement— apparently Carsonreallydoesn't like Marley— but nobody tried to argue the matter with Whit. It was clear he'd made up his mind, and we're playing a part. We're playing his little puppets, like fucking Audrey and Jake and the rest of them. We're playing like we're his pawns, pieces for him to move around on a chessboard. I'm a little afraid that we are exactly that, that we think we're playing him even as he plays us.
When I park, Colton grabs Rev beneath the arm and slings him onto his shoulder. He supports his weight all the way to his room, past Cordelia sitting at the table on the phone. She doesn't even so much as turn around to acknowledge us as we pass behind her.
Once we're in his room, Colton practically throws Rev to the ground and locks his door. He rakes his hands through his already messy hair, and when he finally looks at me, the helplessness in his eyes takes me by surprise.
"What do we do?"
I planned to askhimthat, because I don't fucking know.
"I don't know. I don't—"
I can't think straight. My heart has been racing since I heard her name on Whit's tongue, and I wanted to rip it out of his fucking skull. He doesn't deserve to say her name.
"We can't handle this ourselves, right?" Colton shakes his head, like he's answering his own question. "I recorded him."
