“Grayson should have thought about that before kidnapping and torturing one of us.”
“Let me at least try. If I don’t succeed, you can come, but you must know there are wards in place to protect the house against demons.”
“The basement isn’t warded. They can’t bring demons in there otherwise.”
I scoff. “That might be the case, but you can’t even set foot on the grounds. How will you get into the basement?”
“Let me worry about that. I’ll let Logan know. The Order better be prepared to face the wrath of the pack because they will come swinging—”
“Kaiden, your way will result in a bloodbath. I don’t know how many wolves are in Logan’s pack, but I don’t want to risk any oftheir lives. Trust me,myway is better.”
He takes a long moment to sit with my words. “Fine. There are secret tunnels under the compound. You can use them to get Emily out.”
My eyebrows pinch in confusion. “What are you talking about? What tunnels?”
“Trust me, bootleggers built hidden tunnels all over the city during Prohibition. Beneath the Order’s house are tunnels much older than that—since the initiation of the Templar Knights. How do you think the Order brings demons into the cells?”
“They told us they drop the wards momentarily, but we never know when it happens, so there are very few chances for a security breach.”
Kaiden lets out a mirthless chuckle. “That’s a big, fat lie. They use the tunnels, Iris.”
“How do you know all this?”
“Does it matter?”
“No, I just…fine. How can I get to them?”
“I’ll send you a blueprint of the house and instructions on how to get to it. One entrance is right next to the cells.”
“Okay.” This plan is much better than hiding Emily in one of the rooms and waiting until the opportunity to escape presented itself, which, in hindsight, wasn’t the best idea. “Just don’t do anything rash.”
“You have until midnight. I won’t be able to hold Logan or Ava back longer than that. They’re worried sick. And, angel? If anyone touches you, I’ll burn that fucking house down, along with everyone in it.” He hangs up.
His words shouldn’t warm up my insides, right?
There’s something seriously wrong with me because I should at least be a little unsettled by them.
24
Iris
Ishoot a message to Noah.
Me: Are you at the compound?
Noah: Yeah. Why?
Me: Can you meet me in your room?
Noah: I’m already there. I wanted to talk to you anyway.
Fiery ants are crawling beneath my skin; that’s how hard I’m itching to get going. However, I have to appear normal, so I slow my pace toward Noah’s room. A thousand scenarios bounce in my head at the speed of light. What if he tells Grayson? Or worse, the Kabal? I have no idea what they actually do aside from being above the Order. I would have asked my aunt for help if I hadn’tseen her in the library with Grayson. I don’t think she would rat me out, but given their relationship, I don’t want her to unintentionally say something that would throw me right under the bus. Plus, she knows about Emily being tortured. And she isn’t doing anything about it.
I knock on Noah’s door, then tap my foot as I count the agonizing seconds until he tells me to get in.
“I saw the news. That storage box unit…it was the same company as the one on the envelope we found in Erik’s apartment. You were the one who gave the anonymous tip, weren’t you? What the fuck were you thinking involving the human police in the Order’s business?” Noah snaps from his standing position near the bed as I close the door at my back. “You lied to me after you promised you wouldn’t anymore.”
I raise an eyebrow, muttering, “Hello to you, too.” Then I shake my head in disbelief. “I had to because I knew you wouldn’t approve. And since when is a serial killer the Order’s business, huh? You didn’t see that storage unit, Noah. I spent hours in there, combing through evidence and what he did to those poor women…Jesus. I will never be able to get those images out of my head. I wanted his victims and their families to at least get a semblance of peace.”
