EMMA EASTON
I stare at Jude, unconscious and lying on the bed in the finished basement. There are three total bedrooms down here that share one bathroom, with warm wooden floors stretched throughout. Kieran recommended this large bedroom because it has an outside lock and direct access to the bathroom. When I asked why, he just smiled at me like a psycho. It made me a little nauseous, thinking about what they’ve done to people in here. The room smells like antiseptic and iron after cleaning his and Adriana’s wounds. His leg is bandaged. His chest rises and falls steadily, but he looks…horrible.
Adriana stands against the far wall of the bedroom, arms wrapped around herself, as if she’s trying to keep from shiveringout of her skin. Her makeup is smeared. Her eyes are swollen. Her shoulder is also covered in bandages. Kieran and Nico are sitting on the couch just outside the open bedroom door, Heather is in the overstuffed chair in the corner of the bedroom, and Micah is leaning against the doorframe.
I sit beside him, brushing my thumb over his bloodied knuckles. “He didn’t recognize me...” I whisper. “He tried to kill me.”
As if the sound of my voice suddenly broke some spell, Micah moves. He crosses the room in three strides and shoves Adriana hard against the wall. The sound makes me flinch. “Why did he want to save you?” he demands, voice cracking. “Hmm?”
She gasps, fingers digging into his wrists. “Micah, Micah, please. Hold on—”
“Answer me!” he yells, pulling her closer and slamming her back into the wall.
“Shut up, Micah!” she screams back, and the sound rips through the room. “He’s been through so much hell. Back the fuck off, and I’ll tell you everything that happened. We’re on the same side now.”
He lets out a bitter laugh. “You expect me tobelievethat? What? IsNolana good guy now, too?”
She swallows. “Nolan’s dead.”
Micah’s grip slackens instantly. His hand falls away from her shoulders. “What?” he breathes. “When?”
Her eyes flick to me. I keep adjusting the bandage and checking the gauze, even though it doesn’t need checking.
“Alexei shot him,” she says. “Executed him right in front of us at the dinner table. I can't tell you when, honestly. Our time is likely very different from yours.”
Silence hits the room like a dropped weight.
“Why?” Micah asks, quieter now.
Adriana’s jaw tightens. “It was you, right? You were the ones who wiped Nolan’s system. Who were poking around in Alexei’s?” She tilts her head. “He caught on. And he killed Nolan because of it. He figured he was a liability and had some enemies.”
Micah exhales hard. “Well, no loss, there.”
She shoves away from the wall. “After that, Alexei forced us into his guesthouse. He tortured Jude every day. Every singlegoddamnday.”
The words punch through me.Tortured. Every day.
I look down at Jude’s face and try to imagine it. I can’t. My brain refuses to build the image. “What kind of things did—”
I’m interrupted when the front door upstairs opens, and every single one of us stills. None of us says a word until two shadows jog down the stairs into the main basement living area.
Nico stands abruptly. “Glad you guys made it,” he says with a wild grin. “Knew you would.”
Relief knocks into me so hard it makes me dizzy. Adela and Rafe come into the bedroom, both still holding their guns and splattered with blood that is not all their own.
They made it.
Rafe steps forward, already in problem-solving mode. He points to Micah. “Chain him. Behind the bed is a chain connected to the wall with cuffs.”
My head snaps up. “What—”
“He needs it, Emma,” Adriana cuts in. “Trust me.”
I glare at her so sharply it almost feels violent. I want to lunge at her. I want to drag her out of this house by her hair. I haveneverfelt rage like this before. “What are you talking about?” I ask, my voice shaking.
Micah hesitates for only a second before securing one of Jude’s wrists.
“He’s gone,” Adriana says, and her voice cracks. A tear falls down her cheek. “He’s fuckinggone.”
