Simon

“Mace, stop!” I tried walking faster to get away from him, but he was clearly inhuman and able to keep pace with me.

“It’s something I learned while doing yoga, though. Bill and I were able to get creative with it in the bedroo—”

“I swear, if you keep talking, I will shoot you.”

He rolled his eyes. “Sure. As I was saying, you take your leg—”

“Mace, you’re fired.”

His laughter echoed through the large foyer of the Manos mansion. He wasn’t deterred. “Some stretching is required before you begin.…All the stretching, if you get my meaning.” When he winked, I groaned.

“Sadly, I do understand.” I stopped walking, and I chuckled when Mace wasn’t prepared for that and tripped on the carpet.

“What the—” He glared at the offending floor, then looked at me. “Why’d you stop?”

“Mace, remember when I was younger, and you never wanted to taint my mind with horrible things?”

He pursed his lips, his gaze shifting upward. “Nope, I don’t.”

“Well, I do. Let’s pretend I’m thirteen and—”

“Eew.” Mace took a step back. “I’m not role-playing with you!”

Of course that was the moment Bill, Mace’s partner, and Snow, my stepfather, walked out of the study.

“Shit.” I sighed, all energy leaving my body. Where was Rush? I needed him home. He had a way of shutting Mace up.