“Don’t do that!” Krisjen yells to her boyfriend right before I hear something shatter.

“Shut up,” Milo tells her.

“God, you’re an asshole.”

“What are you gonna do about it?”

I round the railing to the stairs, their voices disappearing as I ascend, remembering her in the locker room this week. Come to my shitty house tonight. Sweat with me between the sheets.

Climbing the stairs, I draw in the scent of her that fills this house, hating how cold it is and how you can smell the mildew in the wood, but… While my house is clean, always tidy, and bright, it’s doesn’t have something hers does.

Gliding my hand up the railing, I take in the pictures on the wall on my way up, seeing some missing, as well, by the looks of the outlines where portraits once hung. Mismatched frames and some with broken glass feature black and whites and some from a hundred years ago, probably great grandparents and other ancestors.

There’s one of their whole family, including Liv’s dad, crowded into an air boat, and one with Iron holding up a baby alligator and looking happy.

There aren’t many of Liv. I’m guessing picture-taking hasn’t been a priority since her mom and dad died, and she was so young.

I wander through the bedrooms, dipping back out as soon as I go in, because the smell of boy makes me want to throw up, but when I open the door to the last bedroom on the right, it’s different. It’s not hers, though. I know that instantly.

The bed is made, the floor is tidy, and it smells like furniture polish.

Macon. I guess military habits are hard to break.

I step in, seeing his room has a bathroom. Callum trails me, and I grab the flag out of his hand and run to the bed, crashing on top of it.

“Get this,” I tell him, spreading the flag out above my head as I lie on my back on Macon’s bed.

Callum grins wide, snapping a picture. “Goddamn.”

Before I can get up, he comes down on top of me. I freeze and his mouth is on mine before I know what to do.

“We have to get out of here,” I tell him, squirming.

“No, you gotta say yes,” he tells me. “I have a picture of you on a much-older man’s bed now. What will your parents think?”

Is that blackmail? He pushes my shirt up and sucks on my breast through my bra so hard that my spine steels, my alarm raising.

No.

“Callum,” I warn, pushing at him.

But instead of getting off me, he licks the skin on top of the bra, trailing kisses all over my chest.

I bare my teeth, fisting his shirt. “What will my parents think of doing business with Garrett Ames once they find out he’s raping his teenage daughter?”

Callum halts, and I almost smile, despite the shudder in my body.

Did he really think he could pull this shit with me? Who else has he victimized?

He pushes off, rises from the bed, and looks down at me like I’m now the enemy.

“Well, well, well,” he muses. “You just got interesting.”

To be honest, his sister probably thinks she’s a willing participant, but the man is in his early fifties, and we all have skeletons. I can throw a punch same as Callum.

“I will have you, Clay.” His tone has an air of finality to it and an edge of a threat he’s never spoken to me with before.

Yeah, you just got interesting too.

I hear Krisjen yell outside, Milo probably doing something stupid again, and Callum turns and leaves.

I sit up on the bed, watching the door to see if he comes back, an unease settling in my gut I’m not used to feeling. First with Liv and her brothers tonight, and now with Callum. I’d told Macon his power was an illusion, but it was becoming clearer that mine was too.

Shit.

I fist the flag, grinding my teeth together as I toss it over my shoulder. I rise and walk out.

But I notice the door across the hall, next to the bathroom, and I know it’s Liv’s. Stickers plaster the door, some rainbow flag ones peeking out. I grip the handle, but I don’t go in.

It’s so stupid, but if I ever find myself here again, I don’t want to have to tell her I snooped in her room uninvited.

I drop my eyes and my hand from the knob.

A knock lands on the door downstairs, and I twist my head, my heart skipping a beat.

It’s not the Jaegers. They wouldn’t have knocked.

I jog down the stairs, keeping my steps light and see Amy come around the stairs from the kitchen. Her eyes are wide as we both look to the door, and I try to decide if we should make a run out the back door.

But then we hear her voice. “Liv?” a woman’s voice calls. “Anyone home?”

I go still, recognizing the voice. Megan.

“What the hell is she doing here?” Amy whispers.

“Liv?” She knocks again.

I ball my fists, jerking my head at Amy and sending her to the kitchen. I follow, moving backward down the hall and keeping my eyes on the door.

Son of a bitch. No wonder Liv hasn’t tried for more with me in the days since the locker room. No wonder. She and this bitch are going at it, happy as clams.

I shake my head. That bitch.

Shielded in the shadows of the stairs, I only hold back a moment before I say, “Come in!” And hope she doesn’t recognize my voice.

I slip into the kitchen, Amy lurks on the other side of the fridge, hiding herself as I keep the lights off.

I don’t know what I’m going to do, but Megan Martelle sure as shit won’t be here when Liv gets home.

The door opens.

“Liv?” she calls out again. “Hello?”

I kick one of the chairs at the table, hoping she’ll follow the noise, and then I park half my ass on the table, waiting for her.

She rounds the corner, coming into view, and I let my eyes trail down her skirt and legs and wonder if she’s wearing any underwear. She’s dressed to get laid, and my anger rises. What did they have planned tonight?

She sees me and stops. She takes a step back.

“Team meeting?” I ask. “It’s kind of late.”

Amy steps away from the refrigerator, and I see Megan’s back go straight, her guard up.

It fucking should be.

“Go get Krisjen,” I tell Amy.

She leaves, and Megan searches the wall for a light, asking, “What’s going on?”

But I speak up before she can find it. “You tell me.” Tears burn my eyes. “What are you doing to her? Am I next? Do you watch us in the showers?”

“What?”

Vomit rises up my throat. I hate all the shit coming out of my damn mouth. Megan isn’t bad. She’s weak and a little annoying, but she isn’t hurting Liv. If anything, Liv was in control in that video.

And that’s why I took it down. I couldn’t stand it. Liv was into it in the car with her. So into it, and it hurt.

She raises her chin. “I’m going to Father McNealty tomorrow and reporting you.”

I laugh, the bitterness choked through the tears that she can’t see in the dark. “Please do.”

I hop off the table and approach her. “You’ll have to tell him why I’m so angry with you and what you’re doing at a student’s house, late on a Saturday night. Then, he’s going to find out it was you in the sex tape with her, and you will never get another job again.”