Chapter 7

My stomach growled. “Hey, the food here’s not bad—you want to grab something?”

Neil’s eyes drifted closed for a second. “Do I ever.”

We ordered and ate, sharing a platter of nachos and spicy sausage that gave plenty of opportunities for fingers to brush. The food was tasty, but not a patch on the company. There was a log fire burning not too far from where we were sitting, and with hot food warming my belly as well I soon had to take off Mum’s cardigan.

“Spooky,” Neil said. “See, now you’re intimidating again.”

I glanced down at my skull-and-blood-spatters T-shirt, and the studded belt and wristbands the cardigan had hidden. Maybe he had a point. I pulled out Aunty Mags’s hat and popped it on my head. “Better?”

“Much, God help me,” Neil said with a grin. He was still wearing Aunty Des’s scarf.

When they rang the bell for last orders my eyes darted to my watch. It was eleven o’clock. “Shit—I’ve got to go!”