Chapter 23: Livia

I say goodbye to my friend, and then while she’s herding her son out the door, I slip off down the hallway in search of a bathroom. The house is small, and I find what I’m looking for on the first try.

When I’m finished, the house is quieter. Megan must be gone, and I plan to tell Chase to take me home now too.

But something catches my eye in the room across the hall—the edge of a black and white poster that goes almost from floor to ceiling.

I’m curious, and the door is already half open so I take the liberty of pushing it open all the way.

The thing that had caught my eye? It’s a giant poster of Jessica Alba in a stripper’s outfit from the movie Sin City.

"Oh my God." I say it to myself, but it’s out loud.

"Don’t go in there!" Chase shouts in a panic running toward me.