Maybe I was overreacting. Maybe she didn’t want to join the circus.
But I wasn’t taking any chances. It wasn't happening.
I would get ahead of it and warn Hallow before Daze could think twice about it. But if I expected the ringleader to listen to me, I needed someone in my corner. Someone who could sway them.
If there was one person who could get through to them, it was Zero.
And as much as I didn’t want to see his smug fucking face, that’s exactly where I was headed.
Unlike Daze and Night, Zero didn't have his own trailer. He could have, but I was pretty sure he enjoyed terrorizing the other clowns on their tour bus.
The clown bus was long and black, with the Knotty Sideshow logo painted in red down both sides. It was almost identical to the other three buses that housed the majority of our performers when we were on tour, except for the menacing clown face painted across the front.
I knocked on the door before letting myself inside, climbing the familiar set of stairs. There were six bunks on either side,with black privacy curtains. Most of them were currently open, revealing empty beds.
The smell of caramel popcorn was strong, even from where I stood, so I knew Zero was here. Sure enough, he popped out of the bathroom a second later, followed by a plume of steam. He was naked except for a towel slung around his hips, his stark white hair in wet disarray.
“To what do I owe the pleasure, Revellious?” he asked when his gaze landed on me.
I rolled my eyes. “Don’t call me that.”
“Come on, it’s fitting.” He smirked, his golden eyes glinting, and my fist twitched. One of these days, I’d wipe the smile off his face, but not today.
“I need your help.”
His pale brows lifted as he made his way to his bunk, the top one in the right back corner. Even without knowing which bed was his, I would have been able to pick it out. Three throwing knives were currently wedged into the ceiling above his mattress, along with hundreds of blade holes from his never-ending practice.
The blades were his psychotic calling card, and he had irritatingly good aim.
Next to each bunk was a cabinet for storage, and as he pulled the door to his open, I could see perfectly neat stacks of clothes. He might have been a psycho, but he was an organized psycho, I’d give him that.
“My help?” He dropped the towel, his blinding white ass on full display.
I massaged my temples.
Why did I think this was a good idea?
“Unfortunately,” I groaned. He turned to face me, still butt-ass naked, and I narrowed my eyes on him. “Can you fucking hurry up and put your dick away, so I can explain?”
“Distracted?” The corner of his mouth twitched. “Don’t worry, I would be too.”
Rage shattered my thoughts. “I hate you.”
Zero cackled as he pulled on a pair of boxers.
“Apparently not enough to ask someone else for help.” He grabbed a pair of jeans out of the cabinet. “What do you want? I’m running late for a meeting with Hallow.”
My ears perked up. He was already going to talk to Hallow?
This is about to work out beautifully.
“What a coincidence,” I said, moving to lean my back against the next set of cabinets. “I need you to talk to them for me.”
“About?” In a flash he had on a black T-shirt with a demented clown grin stretched across the chest. He shook out his white hair, leaving it where it fell.
“I think Daze is trying to smuggle someone into the sideshow,” I said, not trying to keep the irritation out of my voice. “I need Hallow to turn them away.”
Zero froze, facing me, and when I finally looked over, I found him staring.
