Chapters (49)
‘Now, if you have any secrets of your own, we have plenty of services we can offer you.’ Stephanie gestured to a board at the back of the room, bullet points marks with skull motifs.
Tattoos
Lottie squinted at the board, as if focusing harder on it might make it make sense.
‘She’s confused.’ The boy – Paris – turned and laughed, revealing duplicate eyes painted immaculately below his own, giving the illusion of a spider’s face. ‘Why don’t you give her a demonstration?’
Appearing like a cloud of smoke, Max kneeled in front of Lottie’s chair, their height making them at eye level with each other, even though Lottie was sitting. So mesmerized by Max’s long eyelashes, Lottie took an embarrassingly long time to realize that they were holding her family tiara.
‘Well, that is very pretty,’ Stephanie mused, her blue lips curling in wonder.
Lottie didn’t give a second thought to how they’d got it, or when; she only felt a white-hot panic that she had to get it back.
‘Give me that,’ she demanded, reaching out, but Max only cocked their head to the side as they pulled it out of reach, the opal glittering.
‘Give you what?’ they asked, feigning confusion, and Lottie watched in horror as their hand passed over the tiara and it vanished.
‘Ta-da!’ Gem declared, holding her arms out like a magician’s assistant showing off the amazing trick. ‘Cool, huh?’ There was a thrill in her eyes as she gazed at Max, enthralled by this mean little trick.
‘OK, stop teasing the poor thing.’ Stephanie’s voice rolled through the room like the tide, making her three minions stand to attention.
‘Here!’ With one swift movement, Max held a mirror in front of Lottie, revealing the tiara on her head, nestled in her tousled hair.
Lottie could only gasp at her own reflection, speechless.
‘Acquisitions and removals,’ Max said, shrugging as if it were all very simple. ‘We steal things and we make things disappear.’
‘If you ever have anything you need us to get for you, or anything you need to disappear, all it takes is a good secret and it’s done,’ Stephanie explained, clapping her hands in a way that felt as if she were casting a spell. ‘So, what will it be?’ she asked, flashing her teeth in a shark-toothed smile.
It was so obvious that Lottie could see it laid before her – Haru’s box. Her tongue tingled with the desire to ask them to steal it for her. One secret and she could solve this and finally find out what he was hiding in there. But there was one problem; she couldn’t bring herself to share the only secret that would be good enough for such a job.
‘I think I’ll take my leave,’ Lottie said, standing up quickly.