“Don’t look at her,” Theo warned, his voice low. “Don't speak to her. From now on, don’t go near the women and girls. Take that as a verbal protection order.”
Heat flared inside me, and a fluttering started low in my gut.
Laura’s brows shot up, her gaze shifting to me.
The overhead lights flickered as Theo’s order echoed in the silence, leaving everyone too stunned to speak.
Owen nodded slowly. “No excuses,” he said. “No second chances. A single breech, and you’re out.”
Dustin had pulled himself up to his full height, his instinctive pompousness showing itself again. “I live here,” he said. “You can’t speak to me like—”
“Oh, fuck off,” Laura said. “You live here as long as we allow it. We should have kicked you out months ago.”
“Mum!” Willow’s eyes widened, her tone a mix of shock and laughter.
Dustin’s composure faltered. “I will not be leav—”
A crash outside cut the tension before it could escalate, a metallic bang that rattled through the foyer like a freight train.
The long, terrified scream that followed turned my blood cold.
We all stared at one another in shock. Laura was the first one to move.
Twenty-One
theo
“Where’s it coming from?” Laura cleared the condensation on the door with a swipe of her sleeve. As she leaned in closer, the heat from her body re-fogged the glass.
I stopped beside her and checked the lock before I scanned the street, finding leaves and litter tumbling down the road. No cars. No people.
“What is it?” Sadie appeared on my right as Owen slotted in between Laura and me. Her hand hooked my upper arm, her warmth steadying me.
“I don’t know yet,” I said.
The others joined us, spreading out in a line across the glass panels on either side of the main doors.
Wearing a mask suddenly seemed pointless, so I tore mine off. The action had a ripple effect on the group, and in seconds, every face was exposed.
“Can you see what’s going on?” Tim asked, leaning from side to side.
“Not from here,” Laura said. “What do you think? Are we going outside?”
“We need weapons first.” Owen smacked a rough kiss on her temple. “Back in a few minutes.”
He took off, pounding up the stairs.
“I’ll help Dad.” Ellie ran after him, with Varesh not too far behind them.
Sadie bunched in closer with Laura, Willow and Tim.
When it registered I’d lost track of Dustin, I backed away from the entrance and turned. He hadn’t moved from the spot where I last saw him, his eyes glinting as he tracked our movements.
Asshole looked like he was waiting to watch us die.
I pointed at his apartment as if disciplining a stray dog. “Go home.”
He repositioned his glasses and squared his shoulders. “I’ll do no such thing.”
