Page 72 of Petrify

Nathan raises a brow. “Weird. I haven’t seen him in a while.”

“He never misses lunch,” one of the other guys says.

“I just figured, since he seems to like you, maybe you’d know.” Nathan shrugs. “Probably talking to Maxim or something.”

But I’m standing up from my seat so fast the chair screeches against the ground. I ignore their questions as I flee the room.

After last night?—

The staff wing is empty, Reece nowhere to be found. I pass Julia, who is on her way to the kitchen, but she says she hasn’t seen him either.

The house, the entire estate, is so big, I can’t possibly check everywhere.

“Baz!” I shout, not caring if anyone can hear me call out to a dead man with desperation seizing my lungs. I run through the house, lucky that most of the staff is on break. Every hall isempty, my steps echoing off the walls, my heart pounding in my ears.

Reece is missing. Bastien hurt him last time. I should’ve tried harder to find Reece last night. Should’ve told Bastien to stay away. Because Iknowhe has something to do with this.

All the common areas are clear. My feet carry me to the east wing, around a corner and?—

Baz has Reece against the wall.

Right across from my open bedroom door.

Fingers wrapped around his throat, Reece’s face is already a shade of red too close to purple. He claws at Bastien’s hand, his eyes flicking over to me and widening in relief, but he hardly moves a muscle, doesn’t speak a word, because Bastien has lifted him from the floor, his toes barely scraping the rug. The veins bulge in Bastien’s hands.

All the breath leaves me in the sound of the Ghost’s name.

But he doesn’t turn to me. It’s as if I’m not here.

“Baz—what are you doing?”

Reece truly has no chance, his one hand still wrapped, the other helplessly gripping onto Bastien’s wrist.

“One move from him and I’ll snap his neck.”

“Why?”

Baz laughs. “Oh, you don’t know.”

“Don’t knowwhat? Let him go.”

“Are you sure?” Baz turns to look at me over his shoulder then. I understand why the inhabitants of the house are afraid. The cold rage in his eyes betrays his lust for blood, a manic, gleeful shine that wasn’t there before.

He’s going tokillReece.

There’s a reason he’s been locked away in this house. Shunned. Turned into a ghost.

I say his name again, knowing it’s futile.

“Why don’t you tell her what you’ve been doing these last few weeks, Reece?” Baz releases the man, who immediately falls to his knees. He lands on his bad hand and cries out, but it’s a strangled sound, a wheeze coming from his throat. His face is red, his throat not faring much better.

I’m frozen in place, afraid if I come any closer, it’ll push Baz to finish the job.

Reece coughs, clutching at his throat, cradling his injured hand to his chest. He looks up at me from his knees, glancing at Baz looming over him, poised to snatch him back up.

“I—I found you,” he coughs out.

It could mean anything.