“You do,” I say and a shudder runs through me at the admission.

“They used to say, never to us but to each other, the boy and I could be brothers.”

My heart pangs in my chest and I swallow thickly as I look up at him. “The boy?” I ask but Marcus only shakes his head.

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have brought it up. You must have so much on your mind.”

The words jumble at the back of my throat and my gaze shifts to the light from his bathroom. The door is open and I can clearly see the shower curtain pulled back. I bathed her to get rid of evidence. I’m an accomplice to murder.

My father’s murder.

My head hangs lower and I have to part my lips to take in a shaky breath.

“You don’t want to talk about it?” Marcus asks.

My hands tremble as I pull my knees up and sit so damn uncomfortably on the small chair. My back leans against the wooden slats and my shoulders rest on the barely padded back of it.

“Do you know what happened?” I whisper, although I already know the answer.

“I do,” Marcus says. He stretches his legs out on the bed, still sitting up against the headrest. He’s taller and leaner than Cody. I take it all in. Some awful, devious voice whispers in the back of my mind that I could leverage what’s known about Marcus and his crimes. I could save my mother that way.

And myself.

With a quick shake of my head and a gut-churning sickness, I cover my eyes and drown that thought.

If I tried that, I’d be dead. Although as it stands, I may be dead already. The rabbit hole Alice fell down and the ridiculous plays they made us read in school … none of it was as fucked up and unreal as this.

“Have you come up with a plan?” Marcus asks and I tell him.

I spit out the story I told my mother three times tonight and I’ll tell her again tomorrow.

Marcus’s response is merely a murmured hmm. Prolonged and drawn out, lacking in either approval or disapproval.

“Why are you here?” The venom in my tone is shocking and judging by the tilt of Marcus’s head, giving more light to the left side of his face although it’s still dark from where he lies, it shocks him as well. I hold on to the strength. I ask, “Am I collateral? Is this blackmail?”

The dim light gives a sheen to his teeth as he smirks with a huff. Readjusting against the headboard, the bed groans before he answers, “To see if you were all right.”

The sick feeling from earlier drops into the pit of my stomach as my gaze lowers to the foot of the bed. Then I dare to look back up at him as he readjusts once more.

“And to give you an out. I could help with your mother.” The world stops for a moment, my lungs stilling completely as I watch him reach to the nightstand to hold up a pad of paper. “I left a note behind. Thought you should know.” The thud of the pad hitting the end table is followed by Marcus’s comment. “I’m not sure your sister is expecting it, but given how bad of a liar she is, it’ll only help your mother.”