The only exception is the antique store itself.

“Church's family bought the antique store from my parents who bought it from Magdalene,” Ranger explains. “My mom got it in the divorce, and I remember my dad was pissed.” He looks up, nostrils flared, mouth tight. “And why would he be? Over a tiny little antique store run by an old lady? Mom sold it to the Montagues not long after that.”

“So that means the businesses are involved with the cult somehow?” I ask, and Ranger exhales sharply through his nose.

“Maybe. You know what else it means? That my dad knows more than he should.” Ranger pushes the maps aside and then reaches up to grab at the front of his shirt, clutching the keys through the fabric. “He wanted me to come see him during fall break. I just might.”

“Not alone, you won't,” Tobias says, sitting up behind me and crushing the coffee can in his hand. “If you go, we're coming.”

Ranger grunts, but he doesn't argue, looking up and out the window at the sudden rainstorm.

“Where'd you get those things anyway?” Micah asks, reaching up a hand to play with my bra strap through my shirt. I slap his hand away, but we're both grinning like idiots.

“The library,” Church says, and then very quickly adds, “the one in town. We went to the school library, but Mr. Dave wasn't exactly forthcoming.” He pauses for a moment like he's thinking about something, and then shakes his head. “I suppose he wasn’t exactly forthcoming with anyone about the stabbing either, so there’s no surprise there.”

“Did we mention there are other missing yearbooks?” Ranger says, kicking off his boots and leaning back into Church’s pillows. They’re all silky, luxe, and soft—a feathered pillow here, a satin pillow there, one with thick black faux fur. I’ve often wondered what it would feel like if Church were to lift me up there and lay my head down on one before he kissed me. “No pattern to the missing years, just one here or there.”

“I’d say I could talk to Dad about it, but he’s been even more close-mouthed than usual since that little confession of his.” I sigh and reach up to push some curls away from my forehead. “I still think he’s involved with Mr. Murphy and Mr. Dave. I just hinted the word cult when I stopped by yesterday, and he slammed his office door in my face.”

“It would make sense,” Spencer says, picking at a seam on my comforter. “The three of them working together to protect Chuck-let behind the scenes.” He looks up, the skin around his mouth tight with worry. “That’s what I think Jack was doing, when he came to get me at the cabin—he was protecting me.”

“Yeah?” Ranger retorts, and I feel the tension between them climb sky-high in an instant. There’s quite a bit of contention about Jack, and his role in Jenica’s death. Not that I blame either of them for the position they’re taking, it’s just hard to see them fight with each other. “Well then, if he’s so damn worried about you, why show up out of the blue on campus, disappear at the slightest hint of contention, and then ghost the fuck out of you afterwards?”

“Jack isn’t a bad person,” Spencer says, and there’s this sad but determined note in his voice that reminds me of that day in the hallway when he looked at me like I was a liar. Thinking about it makes my heart hurt, so I push the thought away. “He’s just a coward. It’s pretty clear to me that he’s scared of this … Fellowship of the Divine or whatever the crap they’re calling themselves. Rightfully so, I might add, considering the body count.”

“Let’s not grace them with a proper name,” I suggest, trying to break the tension. “Let’s call them … Fellowship of the Dirty Toilet Brushes.”

“What is it with you and toilet brushes?” Micah asks, getting an elbow in the chest from me as payback. “Let’s call them the Dick Cheese Initiates.”

“Dude, I just ate,” Tobias says, yanking on a tuft of his brother’s hair. “Now be serious for a second here: are we going back down in those tunnels?”

“No!” I shout at the same that Church says, “yes.”

He looks over at me and smiles slightly.

“You’re not, but I am.”

“Have you lost your mind?!” Spencer snaps, dropping the pillow he was using to hide his erection and rising to his feet. “I know I wasn’t there, but like, didn’t you guys learn your lesson the first time? You all could’ve died.”

“Send one of your parents’ security lackeys down there to investigate,” Ranger says, and Church sighs, like he expected this sort of response from his friends.

“This cult,” he says, crossing his arms over his chest and finally sitting down on the end of his bed. “They’re clearly made up of powerful families, families with resources that match my own.”

“Nobody’s resources match your own,” the twins murmur behind me, but only loud enough so that I can hear.

“This is a game, can’t you see it?” He looks up with this fierce determination burning in his amber gaze. “The people who are after Charlotte are young, inexperienced. They’re not hitmen, they’re not professionals. Think about it: the school board’s denied our requests for extra security. Why? Because they want this to be challenge. Jenica wrote it down plain as day: this is an initiation.” Church’s nostrils flare, and I realize then just how fucking smart he really is. He could run circles around the rest of us if he wanted to. “Even that quote about the foxes, the one from the Bible: Catch for us the foxes, the little foxes that plunder the vineyards; for our vineyards are in blossom. It’s a metaphor.” He gestures in my direction. “Jenica, Eugene, Jason … Charlotte. They’re the foxes. The vineyard is the interests of the cult—whatever those might be.” Church stands up suddenly, clearly incensed over his speech, obviously frustrated that he hasn’t solved the entire murder-mystery on his own. He is way too hard on himself. “These families, they’ve sent their own in to do the deed, and I intend on meeting that challenge.” He moves over to the door, hand resting on the knob, and glances back, just once. “And if my parents taught me anything, it’s to protect the ones you love—no matter what the cost.”

Church disappears into the hallway and slams the door behind him.

I stand up to go after him, forgetting that I’ve still got the packer penis in my underwear. It flops out onto the floor and bounces over next to Church’s bed, ruining the dramatics of the moment.

Without skipping a beat, Ranger reaches down, picks it up, and stuffs it into his pants before standing up and pointing at the rest of us.

“I’ll go get him. You assholes finish your fucking Halloween costumes and stop dicking around.”

“Lovely use of a pun,” Tobias remarks before Ranger flips him off and heads out to find his friend. It takes about two seconds for Spencer and the twins to devolve into raucous laughter. But me, I can’t stop thinking about the way Church’s eyes met mine when he said the word love.

I haven’t needed much tutoring since school started, seeing as Church’s help last year made a huge difference in the way I study and tackle problems. He was right: I had no foundation, and without that foundation, it was impossible for me to build anything new. But he gave that to me, and since then, I’ve had no trouble putting things together on my own.