Page 104 of Ravenous

Hopping up the porch steps, Ollie glanced over his shoulder. “Not too many? I know I had all my mail forwarded, but some stuff got sent here through courier and I haven’t had time to grab everything until now.” Opening the screen door, he knocked. “Plus, I want to drop off my key.” When no one answered, he tried again and then checked his phone. “I texted Mason yesterday that we’d be stopping by but he probably doesn’t care. I’ll let myself in.” Ollie fiddled with the doorknob. “That’s weird. My key doesn’t fit.”

“Maybe he changed the locks?” Finn shrugged, gesturing toward the side of the house. “We could try the basement door?”

Ollie frowned at him, confused. “But we have to get inside first tousethe basement door,” he explained carefully, as if Finn had just hit his head.

“No, Mr. Sassypants, the outside door to Mason’s apartment.” His eyebrows scrunched as Ollie’s confusion deepened, and he looked at Finn like he’d started speaking French.

“Thewhatto Mason’swhat?” Ollie practically shouted, and a flock of birds scattered out of a nearby tree. “He has, like, a bed down there but it’s just a dark room, right?”

“Yeah, there’s a dark roomanda bunch of shiny, very modern rooms that need windows. But it’s a little too sterile for me.”

“How do you know this? Why didn’t you tell me?” Ollie stepped closer, staring up at Finn as if he were trying to read his mind.

“I thought you knew?” The day he’d found Ollie at the lookout and then rushed to his uncle’s bedside was still a chaotic blur, and even if Finn did remember specifics, why would he bring up Mason’s living situation? “I found it when we broke in. Owen and I were looking for another way into the house since you managed to sneak by me that night, and we found Mason’s cave instead.” Finn tilted his head. “Howdidyou get in?”

“I cut across the neighbor’s yard and climbed through one of the kitchen windows, the lock was broken. But I’m not doing that again, I like this outfit.” In tight pink pants rolled slightly above his ankles and a flowing patterned shirt that had been expertly faded, Ollie looked like a peony in bloom. Even his curls shone, hinting at Ollie’s good health, and while they weren’t nearly as full as they’d been before, Ollie had the skill to make them look fabulous, trimming and styling them so it seemed like he hadn’t lost much at all.

“Well, if your key doesn’t work, I’m pretty sure he’s fixed the kitchen lock.” Finn put a hand on his hips. “How did younotknow about Mason’s apartment? Didn’t he give you a tour of this house when you rented?”

“Yeah,” Ollie’s eyes veered off in thought, “but he said the basement was banned, that he works down there.”

Finn shook his head, glad that he was now in charge of Ollie’s safety. Renting a room from a strange photographer who took candid pictures of him while keeping the basement off-limits? The red flags were endless. “He does, and he lives in a very nice apartment too.”

“Show me!” Ollie ordered, but the front door opened as they were about to leave the porch, taking the wind out of their sails.

“You two are always so noisy,” Mason monotoned from the doorway.

Finn made a face at him. “Hello to you too.”

Stepping back, Mason turned inside the house with a shrug. “Come in, I guess.”

“Why doesn’t my key work anymore?” Ollie asked as they walked into the foyer. Some of the portraits were gone and there was a different feel to the place, like it had become less of a museum and more of a home.

“I changed all the locks. Someone other than him tried to break in.” He flicked his odd sea-green eyes at Finn, who winked.

“Your family?” Ollie tilted his head.

Ignoring Finn, Mason nodded, pointing at a pile of boxes stacked neatly in the corner. “There’s your stuff.”

“Thank you for hanging onto it!” Ollie said brightly, his eyes full of curiosity. “Oh, and also?Whenwere you going to tell me that you have a full apartment downstairs?”

Mason stared at him. “I told you that.”

“No, you didn’t!” Ollie frowned, indignant. “You said the basement was-”

The entire room ground to a halt as a fluffy black kitten pranced out into the foyer, competing with Ollie for the Cute As Fuck trophy. Heading toward Mason, it stopped by the stairs, tried to lick its back, and fell over, its golden eyes widening in shock.

“Aww!” Squatting down, Finn tapped the kitty on its nose and it swiped a paw at him, twisting as it tried to get back up. “You didn’t strike me as a cat guy, Mason. I guess the Tin Man does have a heart!” Standing, Finn brought the kitten with him, waving its tiny paw at Ollie, who wasn’t paying attention; instead, he was carefully scanning the foyer, his gaze traveling to the living room and then the dining area beyond, where it lingered. “Are you looking for more kittens, Sunshine?”

“No, just a table I saw in a picture somewhere.” Ollie’s voice wasn’t quite right, but he recovered, taking the kitten from Finn and sauntering over to Mason, an odd gleam in his eye. “What’s this gorgeous girl’s name?”

That stoic expression flickered, and suddenly Finn knew for certain that something wasup, and his suspicions were confirmed as Mason looked away. “I don’t know.”

Finn squinted. “You don’t know what her name is?”

“It doesn’t need a name, it’s a cat.” Irritated, Mason’s voice rose in pitch, and Finn’s eyebrows just about flew off his forehead, but Ollie stood there unruffled, grinning as he held up the squirmy black fluffball, studying her.

“You know what’s a good name? Mouse,” he declared. Fear rippled across Mason’s face as Ollie started shouting. “And you can come out now, Rain!”

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