Ghosts by Matt Rogers (ap literature book list txt) 📕

the same unease in turn. Silence settled in. King busied himself with meal preparation, pretending there were tasks that needed completing on the other side of the kitchen. It allowed Slater to reach out and take Alexis’ hand with a modicum of privacy.

He said, ‘I’m happy you’re here.’

She put her arms around him. ‘Me too.’

Then Violetta barrelled into the house with a blindfolded Melanie Kerr in tow.

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King looked up from cutting thin strips of grass-fed beef.

He said, ‘You’re bleeding.’

Violetta kept one hand on Melanie’s shoulder and put her gun down on the kitchen island so she could probe the back of her own head. She felt the blonde hair damp with blood, now matted to her skull. She winced as she studied the drops on her fingertips.

‘Gates hit me,’ she said. ‘Hard.’

He went to her, scrutinised the gash behind her ear, and breathed out. ‘It’s superficial. You’ll be okay.’

Violetta looked shaky.

He said, ‘Did it knock you out? Are you concussed?’

She said, ‘I don’t think so. Just rattled.’

‘And Gates?’

She drew a hand across her throat.

Pride stirred in his chest.

One less thug to worry about.

King kissed her quietly on the forehead, then led the still-blindfolded Melanie over to an empty stool, a few feet away from Slater and Alexis. He planted her down and reached for the blindfold.

Before he got to it, she said, ‘I know your voice.’

He lifted the cloth away from her eyes.

She blinked hard against the harsh white light and looked around. Noted King, noted Slater, didn’t recognise Alexis.

She said, ‘I knew it.’

King said, ‘It’s been a minute.’

‘That was all a setup, wasn’t it?’

‘We saved your life by pushing you out of that car.’

‘I’m sure.’

‘You didn’t want to hang around for what came after.’

‘I heard what happened,’ Melanie said. ‘I’m fifteen but I’m not stupid. You killed all those guys. Armando told me.’

‘Armando’s not going to tell you much of anything anymore.’

‘He wasn’t a bad guy,’ Melanie said.

Violetta said, ‘You already said that.’

‘Only to you. I wanted them to hear it.’

King threw his hands up in the air. ‘You’ve sold us. We’ll bring him back from the dead and apologise.’

The lackadaisical nature of his tone seemed to stir something in her. She’d been putting on a decent performance but now it fell away, replaced by all the emotion she should have been experiencing from the jump. Sitting in some expensive kitchen in the presence of her four abductors, ruminating on the death of her illegitimate boss, sick to her stomach by the thought of not making it out of here alive … it all blended together.

She lowered her head to the island bench and sobbed.

King sat down next to her.

Opened his mouth to speak.

Violetta walked over and put a hand on his chest.

He didn’t follow through with what he was going to say.

Beside them, Melanie sobbed harder.

Violetta jerked her head to the side.

Allow me.

King got the message and stood up. Went over to Slater and Alexis, letting Violetta take his seat.

She put a hand on Melanie’s upper back and rubbed, slow and smooth.

‘It’s okay,’ Violetta said. ‘You’re okay.’

Saliva fell from the corners of Melanie’s mouth to the kitchen tiles. She looked up with brimming red eyes. ‘Please don’t hurt me. Please. I … I don’t know what I’m doing. I don’t know what to do.’

‘We don’t want anything from you,’ Violetta said. ‘Just breathe.’

Melanie tried.

In and out, long and full.

It didn’t fix much.

But it calmed her down enough so she didn’t hyperventilate and make things worse.

Violetta gave her a full minute to wind down. To recognise that she wasn’t in imminent danger. To realise that even though King and Slater looked like two of the most fearsome people in Vegas, they were standing well back, their hands down, their mannerisms harmless. No one was going to beat her or strangle her or kill her.

Eventually Violetta said, ‘What do you know about your mother?’

Melanie started crying again.

Alexis put a hand on Slater’s thigh, silently asking, Should we give them privacy?

Slater put his own hand over Alexis’ and kept it there. Silently responding. No. I need to hear this.

Alexis understood.

Slater had personal ties to this depraved industry.

King stood motionless, watching Melanie.

Finally Melanie said, ‘I know she’s involved with some bad stuff.’

‘Like what you were doing for work?’

Melanie looked up, and King saw her eyes were clear as day. No longer blunted by substances. No suppression when intrusive thoughts came in. Just the truth, staring her in the face, flawed and honest.

Melanie said, ‘I don’t know much about what she does.’

‘You knew she was involved in Wan’s?’

Melanie nodded. ‘Loosely. She’s … how do I put this? … she’s not really my mother.’

King froze.

Violetta masked her confusion.

Melanie followed up with, ‘I mean, biologically, she is. But we’ve never had a connection or anything. There’s nothing there. I’ve always treated Dad like he’s my only parent. My mother is like my boss, I guess.’

‘How did you get involved in the first place?’

‘One of Mom’s friends. He always seemed like a cool dude. Like the uncle you see at Thanksgiving who you always treat like one of the kids. You know they do things the other adults frown upon, and that’s what draws you in.’

‘Keith Ray or Alastair Icke?’ Violetta said.

Melanie paused. Looked over. ‘Alastair. How’d you know?’

‘A hunch. Go on.’

King looked over at Violetta like, Who the hell is Alastair Icke?

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Violetta didn’t so much as return his gaze, let alone answer.

She was zoned in, prying the girl for information.

Melanie continued, ‘Yeah, well, he seemed cool at the time. Always had a lot of money. He’d rock up in a new car every month. Always treated Mom like shit, too, which I guess made me more fascinated. That’s harsh of me, I’m sorry…’

‘Say it like it is,’ Violetta said. ‘None of us are judging.’

Melanie said, ‘He started talking to me every time I came to the house. I could tell he wanted me … like that. I’d never done that sort of thing. I mean, I’d thought about it, but it was only