Page 208 of Boys Who Hunt

If I get caught … I’ll die.

I sit up straight in bed, breathing wildly as the sweat tumbles down my forehead. I immediately look to my right, where Cora is still happily snoring away, and I smile at her content little face.

I wrap the warm blanket tightly around her little body and get up. Every time I wake up in this house, the unfamiliar feeling tightening like a noose around my neck strengthens.

It’s not safe.

But where else am I supposed to go?

A knock on the door pulls me from my thoughts. “Ivy, Cora, are you awake?”

It’s Max. “Come in.”

He opens the door softly and peeks inside, but when he sees her, he melts. “Aw …”

I put my finger to my lips. “Don’t wake her, please.”

“It’s been tough on her moving here, huh?”

I suck in a breath. “It’s not the first time she’s had to do it.”

He frowns. “Oh?”

Shit. Maybe I shouldn’t have said that.

I avert my eyes and clear my throat.

“So, uh, school,” I mutter.

He rubs the back of his neck. “Right, I almost forgot about that after this weekend.”

But I’m far too concerned about Cora to worry about what happened between us four. “What am I supposed to do about Cora? I can’t bring Mrs. Schwartz here.”

He steps inside. “You don’t want to take a break from your classes?”

I shake my head. “Not a chance. Going to this university means too much. I can’t waste this opportunity.”

He nods a few times. “I understand.”

“You do?”

“Yeah, you don’t want to jeopardize your future, and this college feels like the only way out. Did I get that right?”

My cheeks heat. “I …”

“You know what? I’ll ring my own au pair, Mrs. Davey.”

“Your what?”

“Au pair. A live-in-nanny,” he says, like it’s the most normal thing ever. “Mom hired one to take care of me and my siblingswhile she was at work. Mrs. Davey is such a sweetheart. She adores kids. I swear, you’ll love her.”

“Can I trust her?”

He pulls his phone from his pocket. “Absolutely. I’ll PM her right away. See if she can come today.”

I’m surprised he still knows her phone number after all these years. He taps away on the phone lightning-fast until he tucks it back into his pocket and says, “Done.”

My jaw drops. “Wait, what? You got her to agree to babysit Cora for me? That’s quick.”