Page 135 (2/2)

Because if she’s calling Havoc, then itto lose It s I can keep her, but she’ll never fly again Instead, if she wants to rule in this world, she’s going to have to do it crawling on her belly like a snake

A gruff laugh escapes , the cherry crackling in the quiet theater

I know all about snakes I’m one myself, a venomous motherfucker who knohere and when to strike to inflict the e, dispensing nightmares

Victor, you lonely, desperate asshole, I think, as Oscar ust

“She came to us,” he says, but I know he’s just like the rest of them He doesn’t want her around, not the way I do Nobody wants her around the way I do “We have to at least give her a presentable price or our reputation is shattered”

“Hasn’t she paid more than her fair share for our bullshit?” Cal asks, his broken voice like a shattered star There used to be light there, but now … ain’t nothing but a black hole I frown and liftstaring at irl away If you ask ht harder if he wanted her so bad “Ask her to kick Kali Rose-Kennedy’s ass for us” He flashes a dark grin before slipping a monster mask over his face Not much difference between the mask and the man, not for any of us

We are all monsters

And you’re about to make Bernadette one, too, aren’t you, Victor?

“We need tothat bullshit price “But I’d prefer it if she were as far away from us as possible Let’s have her move, say, fifty thousand in product As pretty as she is, it shouldn’t be hard to do by the end of the year”

This ti around the dark space of the Prescott High School theater Really? My beautiful Bernadette’s tiirl has potential

“No, I don’t think so,” I say, studying arette I can feel Aaron’s eyes narrow on me, even before I turn around He kno selfish I airl that was supposed to be his “If Bernadette wants Havoc’s help, she’ll have to become one of us”

“What?!” Aaron roars as I turnacross my face He looks at me like he wants to kill me Maybe he does, I don’t know, but this is Havoc Blood in, blood out Who knohat ht happen?

“I want Bernadette Blackbird to be …” I alirl, but I don’t That’s not a fair price for anyone Everything we do, it has to be for Havoc, for the benefit of Havoc “Our girl A Havoc girl” I stab arette out in the built-in ashtray on one of the theater chairs That’s how old this place is; the chairs haven’t been replaced since the early nineties “I want her to be one of us”