What Lies in the Darkness (Shadow Cove Book 1) Read online

  Embry places a hand on Kennedy’s shoulder. “You want to talk about it?”

  Kennedy shakes her head then shoves open the door. “There’s Liam. He looks lost.” She escapes the car and shuts the door before any of us can say anything else.

  Embry stares at Kennedy through the window, watching her weave through the parked cars toward Liam. “What was that about?”

  I shrug, fiddling with the air conditioner knob, though the car isn’t on. “She spent the night at my house because her dad was being an ass again.” And her stepmom hit her.

  God, I want to tell them just so they can give me some advice on what to do, if nothing else. But last night when we were going to bed, Kennedy made me promise I wouldn’t tell anyone. I don’t feel right about making that promise. I really don’t.

  Maybe I should tell Embry and Ev and just deal with Kennedy’s wrath that will follow.

  I open my mouth to spill the beans, but the back door opens up, and Kennedy pokes her head in. “All right, Em, hop out. Liam wants to sit between you and Ev.”

  “I never said that,” Liam gripes from behind her. “You told me I had to.”

  “I know.” Kennedy smiles sweetly at him. “To keep you from trying to bail out.”

  Liam snorts a laugh. “I could get out if I wanted to.”

  “Oh, really?” Kennedy’s gaze glides to Embry, who grins and cracks her knuckles.

  Liam stuffs his hands in the pockets of his khakis, carrying Embry’s gaze. “I’m not afraid of you, Embry. You may have the entire school believing you’re a badass, but deep down, I know who you really are. You’re a nice girl, and all that heavy eyeliner, dyed hair, and I’ll-kick-your-ass attitude is just a façade.”

  “Aw, thanks for the psych analysis, Liam. And here’s a little advice in return: don’t become a psychology major because you seriously suck at it.” She climbs out of the car, the chains on her boots jiggling. Then she steps aside and motions for Liam to get in. “Now, get in, or I’ll make you get in.”

  Liam rolls his eyes, but he slips into the backseat beside Ev. Ev offers him a sheepish smile as Embry hops in, sitting unnecessarily close to Liam who, strangely enough, doesn’t seem bothered by this. If anything, he inches closer.

  Well, well, well, does Shadow Cove’s golden boy have a crush on my little social outcast, Embry?

  I dropkick the thought from my head. That’s so beyond the point right now, especially when Liam may have ratted me out to Lispy Larry.

  “Tell me something, Liam.” I tap my fingers against the console, staring him down. “After you left that store last night, you didn’t by chance call the owner and inform him that I was asking you questions about the place, did you?”

  “No … Why?” He pales. “Oh, God, do they know I’m talking to you?”

  “I’m not sure. Maybe. But not because we told them.” I study him, deliberating whether his pale, shocked reaction is legit. “Are you sure you didn’t do anything stupid last night when you got home? Like, say … make a call to Lispy Larry?”

  A pucker forms at his brows. “Who’s Lispy Larry?”

  “Larry Motaling, the mayor’s son.” I watch him like a hawk, searching for any tells that give away if he’s lying. “That is who’s blackmailing you, right?”

  His Adam’s apple bobs as he swallows hard. “How did you find that out?”

  “I’m perceptive.” I tap my temple. “Nothing gets by me, so think about that while we’re having this conversation ’cause, if you try to lie, I’ll know. And remember the consequences for lying.” I gesture at the people hanging out in the parking lot and in the quad. “They’ll all find out that perfect, little Liam isn’t so perfect after all.”

  “Maybe I don’t want them to think I’m perfect anymore,” he mumbles with a sour look on his face.

  “Well, that’s quite a change of heart from yesterday, but whatever.” I turn all the way around in my seat then rest my hands on the headrest and my chin on my hands. “If you need some more motivation, then consider this: what will all your friends think when they find out you were the one who took their laptops?”

  “I really don’t care what they think. They were the ones stupid enough to take that video in the first place, all because of some stupid, ridiculous club.” He slumps back in the seat and crosses his arms with his jaw set tight. “I’m so sick of paying for their stupid mistakes and so fucking sick of that goddamn club.”

  Kennedy and I trade an amused look, and Kennedy gets a wicked glint in her eyes, which means trouble is coming.

  “Now, Liam, when you say club, just what kind of club are we talking about?” Kennedy wraps a tendril of hair around her finger. “Are we talking, like, tree houses, secret handshakes, and let’s promises to be BFFs forever kind of club? Or is it something else?”

  If looks could kill, Liam would’ve murdered Kennedy by now with his fuck-you gaze.

  “No, Kennedy,” he says flatly. “I don’t mean a club like that. We’re not children.”

  Kennedy shrugs innocently. “It sounds like kid stuff to me.”

  “Well, it’s not.” His loud, clipped tone causes all four of us to flinch. “Do you have any idea what kind of shit you’re getting into by just talking to me about this? When they find out, they’ll come after you.”

  “Who’s they?” I ask. “Lispy Larry? Or your club?”

  “No, I’m not talking about that house or stupid Lispy Larry or my club. All of those are separate from this,” he explains with frustration. “I’m talking about the people who got me into this mess.”

  “You mean the people who took the video?” I ask. “Your friends from this club?”

  “My friends from my club will be pissed off, but I can handle them.” He swiftly shakes his head, his frustration escalating. “I’m talking about the people who found out my friends took the video.”

  “Okay.” We’re so getting off track here, but that doesn’t mean he hasn’t piqued my interest. “So, what was the video of? And who are these people who found out you took the video? And which one of your friends are in your little club.”

  “Will you quit saying club like that?” He pounds his trembling fist against his thigh. “This isn’t a joke.”

  “Hey, you need to chill out,” Embry warns, staring Liam straight in the eye. “No more hitting things, including yourself.”

  His chest rises and crashes with each breath he takes. “Sorry. I’m just a little freaked out that I’m having this conversation with you.” He aims a finger at me. “Particularly her.”

  I frown. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “I know who your father is,” Liam tells me bitterly. “He did a story on my family once that almost cost my father his company.”

  “You’re lucky, then. Most people can’t say almost,” I say, causing him to glare daggers at me. “Look, I’m sorry my dad wrote a true story about your family, but I’m not going to do that. I don’t even work for the paper … and my dad’s gone, so …” My voice fades away to nothing.

  Just like my dad.

  The car grows unnervingly quiet, and pity fills my friends’ eyes.

  “But, anyway,” I say, getting back to the subject at hand. “My point is that I’m not going to rat your friends out. All I want to know is, what the hell is going on in that store, house—whatever the heck that place is that you took the computer to.” I count down on my fingers. “I want to know what exactly is on the inside: furniture, display cases, drugs, stolen merchandise, etc. Are there any strange logos on anything? And what was on that video you took that was so bad that Lispy Larry decided to blackmail you into getting it?”

  “Nothing’s on the inside of that house,” he says, fiddling with a button on the cuff of his light blue button-down shirt, completely ignoring my last question.

  “Nothing at all?” I ask with a raised brow. “Oh, Liam, I highly doubt that, so please stop toying with me and just answer the damn question before the tardy bell rings.”

&n
bsp; “You say that like you’re a normal girl who just wants to make it to class on time, but you’re not normal, Mak. Not at all. This isn’t normal.” He huffs out a drawn out sigh. “And I’m not toying with you. The house is empty except for the computers I brought to him, and there was a duffel bag there.”

  “Okay.” Is this the same duffel bag Lispy Larry came out of the bar with? Better yet, I wonder what’s in the bag. “What about the bedrooms and the kitchen? Did you go in any of those?”

  “The house is completely open inside. The living room attaches to the kitchen, and that’s about it. I did notice a padlocked door in the kitchen by the fridge, but I never went in it.” He yanks his fingers through his hair. “The house has a basement, and there has to be an entrance to it, so…” He trails off, shrugging.

  “God, I hate basements,” Embry mutters. “Everything creepy always happens in basements.”

  Liam’s gaze bounces from Embry to me. “Can I go now? I answered all of your questions.”

  “No, you didn’t.” Ev speaks for the first time since Liam got into the car. “You purposefully evaded her question about what was on the video and about the logo.”

  “I didn’t purposefully evade them,” Liam tells her. “I just forgot she asked them.”

  “No, you moved to the question most convenient for you.” Ev lifts her chin, looking him in the eye. “It’s a technique often used by criminals when they’re being interrogated by the police. They pick the question they find easiest and make the answer just long and detailed enough that the police get sidetracked. It’s actually been studied. There’s even a name for it, but I can’t think of it off the top of my head.”

  “Go, Ev.” Kennedy smirks, and Liam fires a death glare at her. “So, Liam, what does the logo mean? And what was on the video?”

  He rolls his tongue, as if biting back a scream. “I don’t know what was on the video, exactly since my friends filmed it. I just know that whatever was on it would be enough to not only incriminate Larry, but also his father.”

  “Of what?” I ask, observing his reactions closely. “An illegal escort service?”

  “Who knows? Probably a lot of things,” he replies, lifting his shoulders. “That man is about as corrupt as they come.”

  I examine him, the way he holds my gaze, the evenness of his tone. “Okay, I believe you.” I reach for my phone and open the photo of the card. “But now I need to know if you know what this logo means? It was on the box you were carrying.”

  Liam squints at the photo, and then stares at me like I’m an idiot. “That logo is everywhere, right? All of the finest businesses in Shadow Cove have a decal of it on their entrance doors.”

  “I don’t often wander into Shadow Cove’s finest businesses, Liam.” I pat his arm, causing him to flinch. “Not all of us are as lucky as you to be graced with such an honor.”

  “I’m sure Kennedy’s been in some of them,” he says. “Her dad owns one of the businesses himself.”

  “Yeah, but we want to know what it means,” Kennedy replies, her fingers wandering to her cheek. “Because I don’t have a clue.”

  “Neither do I,” he says way too quickly.

  “You sure about that?” I question. “Because you seem awfully squirmy right now.”

  He shakes his head, his jaw ticking. “I’m not squirmy. I’m annoyed I’m here, having this conversation.”

  “And I’m annoyed you clearly know what that logo means but keep evading from directly answering,” I quip. “So fess up, dude, and maybe we’ll let you go.”

  He narrows his eyes at me. “Like you could keep me here if I tried to get away.”

  “Maybe not with my bare hands.” I pat the glovebox. “But my lovely, little Taser friend might do the trick.”

  His expression deflates. “Fine, you want to know stuff, then I’ll tell you what I know, but I promise you’re going to regret ever asking.”

  I arch a brow. “Is that a threat?”

  “Not from me,” he states, carrying my gaze. “From the people who live by what that logo represents.”

  His words send a chill down my spine, but that doesn’t mean I’m about to back down.

  “You say that like the logo represents some secret saying or rules or something?” I speculate.

  He shrugs. “It might. Honestly, I don’t know the exact meaning of it. You have to be part of the secret society to know everything. And I’m not part of it … yet.”

  I trade a curious glance with Kennedy, who looks a little worried, probably because Liam just dropped the words “secret society.”

  I offer her a you-can-handle-this glance before redirecting my attention to Liam. “But you will be in it?”

  “Eventually,” he grumbles. “Or, well, I was supposed to be. After the whole computer thing … that might change.”

  “Why’s that?” I ask.

  He grits his teeth. “Because the video my friends took pissed them off.”

  “And yet you have no idea what’s on the video?” I question with doubt.

  “Nope, I don’t,” he says, pretty much lying through his teeth.

  “You sure about that?” I ask. “Or do I need to remind you of what’s on the line if you don’t tell the truth?”

  “I’ve told you a thousand times I don’t know what’s on it.” He holds his ground, his arms crossed.

  I try to think of a way to get him to fess up, but the only solution I arrive at is to Taser him, and I’m not sure I’m ready to go there just yet.

  “Okay, so how do you know for sure that you’ll be accepted into this secret society?” I ask, thinking about my dad’s research. He’d mentioned a secret society. Was this the same one?

  “Because of my last name,” he explains, growing even more stiff. “It’s how secret societies generally work. You have to come from the right bloodline to get in.”

  “And what constitutes the right bloodline?” I can pretty much guess the answer.

  “You definitely wouldn’t qualify,” he says snobbishly. Then his gaze travels to Kennedy. “She would, though.”

  Kennedy’s face twists with disdain. “So, are you saying my dad is in this creepy secret society thing?”

  “I have no idea,” Liam says with a shrug. “I don’t really know much because I’m not in it yet. I do know that wherever that logo is, the business or business owner is either part of the secret society or works for it.”

  “Which means Lispy Larry does.” I tap my finger against my lip. “And probably his father.” Interesting, but I still don’t know what this all means. What I am interested in doing, though, is wandering around the glitzy side of town to see how many places are connected to this secret society that also may run an escorting site and who apparently got caught on camera doing something bad enough that they went to blackmailing lengths to get the video back.

  Liam jolts in his seat, startled by the sound of the first bell ringing. “Can I go now? I’ve told you everything I know, and I can’t be late for class. I’ll ruin my zero tardies record.”

  Embry covers her mouth with her hand, mocking shock. “Oh, no, we wouldn’t want that.”

  Liam doesn’t glare at her like he did with Kennedy, Ev, and me. He just stares at her with curiosity as he drags his finger across his lip.

  “Did that hurt?” he asks. “The lip piercing, I mean.”

  Embry’s pierced brow meticulously arches. “Why? You thinking of piercing that pretty boy face of yours?”

  “I don’t know …” He bites down on his lip. “Maybe.”

  Embry’s forehead creases, and Liam grins.

  Kennedy catches my eye and shakes her head, mouthing, “Oh, my God, that’s so not happening.”

  I nod, completely agreeing. Not only would Embry never date a guy who wears slacks and button-down shirts, but there’s no way in hell we’d feel safe with her dating Liam after what he just told us.

  “Well, Liam, it’s been a real pleasure.” I signal for Embry to open the door and let
him out. “You better get going. You wouldn’t want that perfect tardy record to be tarnished.” I push him toward the door. “If we have any more questions, we’ll call you.”

  “Please don’t,” Liam pleads, sliding across the leather seat. “I’d really appreciate if this was the last time we ever spoke, at least about this.”

  “I’d love to make that promise. I really would”—I gather my bag from off the floor—“but until I can check out all of your answers, I just can’t promise anything.”

  He blasts me with one final cold glare. Then he jumps out of the car and storms toward the school.

  I also climb out to haul ass to class because, unlike Liam, my tardy record is veering toward the I’m-going-to-get-detention red zone.

  “What did you guys think about what he said?” Kennedy asks, bumping her door shut.

  I shrug, eyeballing Liam through the sea of people flocking toward the school. “For the most part, I think he was telling the truth.”

  Ev loops her arms through her backpack. “I don’t know about that. I think he held back a few details, like that video thing. He knows what’s on it.”

  “Aw.” Kennedy presses her hand to her chest. “I think Ev just went over to the dark side. I’m so proud right now.”

  Ev shakes her head yet cracks a tiny smile. “Whatever, guys. What I said in there was true. He didn’t want to tell us about the video.” She chews on her thumbnail. “But what about the whole secret society thing? Do you think he was telling the truth about that?”

  Shielding my eyes from the sun, I say, “I highly doubt he could make something like that up off the top of his head.” Plus, my dad spoke of something similar before. Noting a few people around us are eavesdropping, I catch Kennedy’s eye from over the roof. “I think we need to go off campus for lunch and talk about this some more when we’re not out in the open.”

  “I completely agree.” She nods for us to get going.

  “Let’s all meet up at my car, and we’ll go to the café or something,” I say as the four of us meet at the front of the car and trek toward the school.

  I keep my eyes on Liam as he pushes his way through the crowd and to the front door. Right before he reaches the curb, he pats his pockets then whirls around and stomps back toward me.