Bad by Francine Pascal Page B

imagined. Maybe she hadn’t turned against him. In the final moments of her life she must have served him one last time. Yes. She’d convinced Gaia that Tomwas Loki. It was brilliant. Absolutely brilliant.
Rest in peace, Ella.
Still, this was a supremely delicate moment—one that required perfect execution.
    â€œI’ve never heard anything of the kind,” he whispered. “Loki?”
    Gaia nodded. “The Norse god of the underworld. It’s fitting.”
    â€œI see,” Loki said. Gaia’s response was almost too delicious. The name
was
fitting, though not in any way that Gaia knew. But soon she’d understand the truth. Soon she’d embrace it.And as for now . . . well, he was safe. More than that, he had the advantage. The
ultimate
advantage. Gaia would never trust Tom again. She thought
Tom
was Loki. And that meant she belonged to Loki now—the
real
Loki.
    â€œAnyway, the point is, George is a nice guy,” Gaia said. “He’s kind of old, and he’s really broken up about Ella. I think he sort of needs someone around to keep an eye on him. I owe him that much.”
    Ah.
He’d almost forgotten that Gaia was also full of compassion. An admirable quality, but one that didn’t serve Loki’s cause. He would have to find a way around it.
    â€œTaking responsibility for a young girl might be too much for him to handle right now,” he said.
    Doubt clouded Gaia’s eyes. Clearly she hadn’t considered this angle. But then she shook her head. “George isn’t the only reason I want to stay in NewYork.” She smiled, then blushed slightly. “I have . . . friends.”
    Loki nodded. Obviously she was referring to the Moon boy. It was ironic, in a way. He had wanted Gaia to make connections in New York City when she first arrived. It had been a way to ensure that she wouldn’t run away in the dead of night and disappear from the radar screen. But those bonds had long since served their purpose. Now they were simply getting in the way. They had been for a while, actually. First there had been that horrible drug addict, Mary. She had made Gaia lazy, sloppy, out of control. But Loki couldn’t dispense with Gaia’s other friends’ lives the way he had dispensed with Mary’s. Gaia would get suspicious.
    â€œLook, Oliver, I’m really sorry—”
    â€œNo,” he interrupted with a smile, holding up his hands. “It’s perfectly understandable. You have roots.” He pressed his lips together. He knew that this game was drawing to a close; he had to make a decisive move. Fortunately, he always came prepared for the worst. He always had a dozen emergency scenarios worked out in his mind before he walked into any new situation. That way he was never surprised. Not even now. “Unfortunately, Gaia, I must go to Germany—with or without you.”
    Her face fell. “But why?”
    He made a show of sighing deeply, as if he wantednothing more than for Gaia to roam the streets of New York with her pathetic little boyfriend. “My dear, I have been very selfish. The fact is that I haven’t been honest with you.” He paused, letting the anticipation build. “But I want to tell you the truth. All of it.”
    And when he was done, Loki had no doubt that Gaia would be packing her bags, just as he had planned.
    Screwed-up Friendship
    SAM TUCKED THE STACK OF MAGAZINES he had under his jacket to protect them from the heavy, wet snow that had begun to fall. Maybe he was being overly optimistic to think that Mike would have the energy to read
Sports Illustrated.
But the practicality of gifts never mattered. People only cared about the act itself—the effort of giving.
    Walking the last block to St. Vincent’s, Sam prayed that this would be his last visit to the hospital. From here on out, life would be about studying, labs, exams—and of course, snuggling with Gaia under the