“What a show. I fucking loved it. I saw this chick in the crowd that I was vibing with the whole time. I got her number, and I think we’re gonna meet up later,” Raithe says. He’s got a big-ass smile plastered across his face as he walks out of the bathroom and heads for the door. His nearly black eyes are lit up with excitement. Raithe is two years younger than me. We share similar physical features, he a couple of inches shorter than I am. His eyes match one of mine, a trait he unfortunately shares with our father. Raithe is our ladies’ man. His words, not mine. He’s the life of the party, loud and always in a good mood. It fucking drives me insane how careless he is all the damn time. And lately, he’s been a little more unhinged than usual. Sonus has had a hell of a time with his never-ending list of women and never-ending stack of non-disclosure agreements.
“Dude, don’t you ever get tired?” I ask, laughing while looking around the room for Kai.
“Kai?” I call out. Kai is the problem child of the group. He’s a semi-functional, somewhat recovering addict. I don’t know why I was drawn to him, but something in me wanted to save something in him. I don’t know how much saving I’ve done since pulling off the pavement of Hollowcrest all those years back. He seemed to be doing better, but lately he’s always in his head. He’s always fucking around and needing to be reined in. Like right now, when he’s nowhere in fucking sight. I run my hands through my hair and down my face. Now isnotthe time. We’re already running late thanks to my little hallway excursion with Sloane.
I walk out into the hallway and make my way out of the exit doors, and to the blacked-out Mercedes-Benz Sprinter parked out back waiting to take us to Sonus. Caleb, our driver, is already inside and waiting.
“Has anyone seen Kai?” I ask Cal and Raithe.
“Nah, man,” Raithe says, throwing the butt of his cigarette to the ground and stomping it out. I have got to get him to stop that shit.
“You know Kai. He’s probably off getting high. Silencing all of his demons, or whatever the fuck weird shit he likes to do after shows. Let’s go without him,” Cal grumbles.
This will be the second week in a row that Kai has disappeared after a concert. The last time he didn’t show for the debriefing, Sabel was pissed. The bitch told me she’d have my balls detached from my body and fed to me if it happened again. There’s no way I’m gonna be able to find Kai if he doesn’t want to be found. Raithe was right, Kai has demons. Kai prefers the ‘numb the pain into nonexistence’ method of coping. Something has been bothering him lately, and I’ll have to try and get it out of him soon. For now, we’re leaving without him, like Cal suggested.
“Alright, let’s go.” I sigh as I step into the car with the guys.
? ? ?
An hour later, we arrive at Sonus Corp headquarters. The headquarters is in a remote location on the outskirts of Hollowcrest, tucked deep into a heavily forested area. The guys and I climb out of the Sprinter and make our way to the entrance. The looming structure rises from the forest floor like a damn monolith. It’s so clinical, so sleek, and entirely out of place. The building itself is concrete and glass, harsh and unfeeling. The angles are sharp, the walls towering, and there isn’t a visible sign in sight to tell you what this place even is. It’s so quiet out here, like the wildlife even knows to keep its distance. I fucking hate it.
We walk up to a large iron gate with a security camera atop. It swivels as it tracks our every move. A few seconds after thecamera pans in our direction, the gate opens to allow us inside. We continue walking up the stone pathway that’s lit by bright solar lights embedded into the ground. Once we make it to the tall glass doors, they open automatically to permit us entry. The air inside somehow feels different, a bone-chilling cold that makes the hair on the back of my neck prickle. I exchange glances with Cal and Raithe, the same tense expression on our faces. Coming to this place never gets any less creepy.
We walk across the smooth, matte black concrete flooring. I nearly choke on an inhale at the smell of cold metal and something eerily sterile. We turn off toward a long hallway toward Sabel’s meeting room. I can’t see the hidden cameras, but I know we’re being watched from every angle. The feeling of the walls closing in around me grows with each step. The ominous presence is suffocating. It makes me want to scream.
“This place gives me the fucking creeps.” Cal grunts.
“Same,” Raithe and I say at the same time.
We pass one of the many security rooms on the right, the light from the screens flickering in the periphery.
“Boys, in here.” I hear Sabel’s voice coming from the security room. We all turn, walking into the room instead of continuing down the hall. The room is decorated with about a dozen computer screens that are all lined against the far back wall. My gaze scans over them briefly. I notice footage of the building and the grounds playing across one, the entrance gate, and doorway entrance on another, The Thirteenth Door on one of them in the middle, and …wait… is thatSloane? What thefuck?
I see red. In fact, I don’t think red is a violent enough color for what I’m currently seeing.
“What is this?” I ask, waving a hand over the security footage while looking directly at Sabel. The bitch has the nerve to smirk at me with her arms folded across her chest. I growl, staringdown into her dark brown eyes. Raithe and Cal step up to either of my sides.
“Down, boys,” she purrs through her blood-red lipstick, looking back and forth between Raithe and Cal. “Wouldn’t want to have to punish you again,” she adds, still smirking.
I snarl, nearly stepping forward to snap her throat where she stands. She willneverlay another hand on them. It’s me and my shit attitude, and even shittier temper, that’s to blame for what she’s done to them. I shiver at the memory.
Raithe grabs my arm and whispers, “Don’t. It’s okay.” And that’s enough to have me stepping back and reining in my temper, for now.
“Where’s your third guard dog, Riven?” Sabel questions, a smile tugging at the corner of her lips. It’s like she wanted Kai to miss another meeting.
“Got sick,” I lie. “Had to head out early. We’ll fill him in.” I take a step toward her, now towering over her small frame. “So, back to my question,Sabel.Why the fuck issheon this screen?” I spit out the words. Sabel has the nerve to look unbothered, bored even.
“Riv, Riv, Riv …” she starts, using my nickname to piss me the fuck off. “You didn’t think you could keep a secret fromme, now did you?” It’s rhetorical, so I don’t speak.
She smiles, pleased by my obedience, and says, “Sloane Keenan is the daughter ofGideonKeenan. You didn’t think I’d look into her after what happened?” Another rhetoric. I almost mouth off, but decide to remain silent. “And imagine my surprise when Sloane shows up at your show,myshow.” Sabel is looking rather pissed now, which has me rather delighted. I hide it. “Why was she there?” she finishes.
This question was not rhetorical.
“I don’t know. Maybe she’s a fan,” I say, because Idon’tknow. I assume Sloane was there because of her work, butI’m not going to tell Sabel that. Why am I protecting Sloane? Wouldn’t it just be easier to say all that and have Sonus get rid of Sloane for me?
No. It’s not like I want Sloane to die.Even though killing people is part of my pastime. Ugh. Filing cabinet,now, right along with these pesky human emotions that I currently don’t have the time to sort through.
“She isn’t. We looked into her. You and I both know what she does for work, and we don’t need another doxxing incident. We’re still recuperating from the last one. I realize she took a couple of years off after the incident with her father, but we have to see this new development as a threat. Deal with it. You know what will happen if you don’t,” Sabel says, dead serious as ever. The muscle in my jaw twitches, but I stay silent, again.
