If she was a cat, her ears would be pricked as she reaches between the seats, curling her fingers around her knife. I slowly turn my head to see what’s scaring her, realizing why the warehouse is familiar when the large, tattooed man stares down at me from his place beside a metal door. It’s the same fucker who tortured me three years ago.
“The first one you promised Rowan to.”
I lazily bring the cigarette to my lips, taking a drag as I place my other hand on Sasha’s. Only, my empty sleeve slips into the crack between us.
“I thought you’d died,” Vlad says, glaring at me.
“Didn’t you get my letters?” I blow out the smoke in a line to distract from the fact I’ve promised Rowan’s life to two people. I’ll give them the same information, whoever finds him first can have dibs. It can be a game of “hunt the predator” to keep him distracted while I drown in Delilah.
A car I fucking followed after making Decker think I’d taken his wife pulls into the empty lot. These fuckers know each other.They respectfully nod at each other as the latter gets out of his car, then both try to look at Sasha as another car rolls through the open gates.
I lean forward, blocking her. “Is this a support group?”
The fully black SUV stops on the other side of the duo and the back passenger window rolls down, so I can see the suited arm of a man as he sits on the furthest side behind the driver. He must be a fucking giant because he doesn’t move from his seat as he passes Decker a manila folder. No words are exchanged that I can hear. They leave as quickly as they arrived. I catch sight of the man in the back with the strangest eyes I’ve ever seen. The shadowed cab covers the majority of his face, but his eyes are too light, almost glowing in the dark.
I take another drag, allowing the smoke to swirl around the car in an effort to obstruct Sasha as I keep their attention on me. “He didn’tsurvive, so he’s not allowed to stay?”
“Here.” Decker pushes the folder through the open window. “It’s the location, buy-in, and rules. You’ll need a suit, but I’m sure you have the masks figured out.”
Sasha’s creepy ass human mask is going to make them rescind their help, so I lie, “Yeah, we went to a Halloween store.” She’s intelligent enough to pull her hood over her head, sitting back as I flick through the pages showing the various categories available.
Children, women, men. There’s nothing off-limits. There in the middle of it all is my beautiful wife as she glares at the fucker taking her photo. Ash flakes away from the glowing cherry dangling from my lips as I use my middle finger to stroke the side of her face. Three years of only seeing her through recordings she didn’t know I had. Three years of not seeing my wife age. Three fucking years and I don’t have to imagine if she has wrinkles or how her hair grew back. The last time I sawmy wife, she was bald. Now she’s angry with hair down to her shoulders.
Vlad walks to Decker’s car and pops the trunk while I continue staring at the photo of my wife. Sasha tenses as the annoying fucking captive leans into the car, whispering, “I know your name and what happened to you when you were inside, Kane. Whatever you do, don’t lose yourself because of the memories.”
He steps back as the imposing Russian returns, pushing two suit bags through the window. “Leave. Don’t try dying again. It won’t absolve you of our deal.”
“You wound me,” I say lightly. “I thought we were friends?”
72
DELILAH
Jasper lightly shakes my shoulder as the strip lights in the crevice between the wall and ceiling glow an awful swampy green. “It’s time to move.”
The shakes have subsided, but it won’t last very long. It’s too late for it to be a mealtime, considering our meals have been reduced from three times a day to two. I roll over in my bunk, pulling the sheets over my head, so he fucks off. Only, some inconsiderate twat rips them away.
“Get the fuck up,” Nova grits, balling her fist as she leans over me with her perfected brand of angry care.
“Do not raise your fucking hand to me.” I react before she can connect, kicking her in the stomach.
Pride flashes in her dark, navy eyes. She blinks it away as Jasper gently pushes her back a step. “You’re not helping. Where’s Sienna?”
“Can’t you hear the little mouse whimpering?” she hisses.
“Do you have to be a raging fucking bitch all the time?” I ask, genuinely curious despite the way my temperature rises. “Have a day off for once.” Kicking the sheets off, I allow my rage to fuel me.
Sienna sits on the edge of the bunk opposite me, shaking like a leaf caught in the wind as she holds the bars with a white-knuckle grip. My weakened leg aches as I limp across the three-foot gap between us to sit beside her. Gently placing my hand on her quaking one, I ask, “What’s wrong?”
Her tears fall in a steady stream like she has faucets for tear ducts. Her answer is more tears as she blankly stares ahead. Looking at the other two then the green light, I whisper, “I thought green is good?”
Nova rolls her eyes, pointing at the small LED light in the headboard of each bunk. “This is for the Rooms.That—” She points at the strip light illuminating the room. “—is worse.”
“I don’t want to go,” Sienna whimpers. “What if I never see any of you again?”
Jasper sits on her other side, wrapping his arm around her small shoulders. He’s a child himself but he comforts her like a parent would as he kisses her crown. “It’s okay. I always come back, remember?”
“She’s not talking about you leaving.” Nova has the tact of a fucking bull. “Sienna, stop fucking crying if you don’t want them to keep you.”
