“If you didn’t, then someone did it for you. Your pal in the mask, probably.”
He chuckled but didn’t dispute my statement.
“Are you always this unhinged?”
“I’m not unhinged.”
I scoffed again.
As we walked, I was grateful for the few times he caught me before I tripped and fell. He showed even more care guiding me down the stairs. The smell of damp earth and cold air told me we were underground.
Please not the torture room again.
A girl could only see so many rogue fingers before she barfed.
I heard two beeps before heavy music blasted through my eardrums.
I didn’t recognize the music, though that was normal. Growing up, I hadn’t been allowed to listen to it. Even humming had severe consequences.
Enzo held me in place while removing the blindfold. I blinked, adjusting my eyes to the dim light, and glanced around.
The first thing I saw was a bar with liquor bottles neatly arranged on the shelves. My lungs drew in the smell of the room. It smelled like furniture polish and deep leather.
Wherever we were, I was certain it wasn’t open to most Saint Vale students and that I didn’t belong here.
In the distance, I heard voices, but couldn’t see anyone.
Enzo gripped my shoulders, turning me, and slid the blindfold back into place.
“What the actual fuck, Enzo?” a guy shouted.
“Shut up,” Enzo growled in response.
“This won’t look good, man,” another deep voice added. “You know the rules.”
Enzo tugged me away. “I’ll keep her in the back.” He checked the tightness on the blindfold and led me away.
The music faded into the background with each step we took.
He didn’t remove the blindfold until he helped me into a seated position on a chair. I sucked in a breath, prepared for theworst, since the last time this had happened, it was in front of a bleeding Jett.
A sense of relief hit me that I was only staring at a maroon leather booth along a wall with a table in front of me. It was almost like a restaurant setup, with one person in a chair and the other on the opposite side.
My thoughts jumbled while Enzo tossed the blindfold on the table, then slid into the booth. I eyed the blindfold, catching faint traces of my mascara on it.
I craned my neck for a better look at the logo sewn into the blindfold’s inner lining, but Enzo snatched it off the table and shoved it into his pocket. I drew a slow breath in through my nose as he peeled off his gloves and jammed them into the other pocket.
There wasn’t much in the room. Stark cream walls with a Bluetooth speaker tucked into one corner.
Enzo snapped his fingers in my face. “Eyes on me, Blair.”
My gaze collided with his.
His eyes were broody, a wild storm brewing inside them. They were a rich, deep brown with dots of green. My gaze lowered to his lips at the same time he licked them.
He cleared his throat, snapping me out of my staring. “Stay here.” He squeezed out of the booth and stood. “You try to run, and plenty of people out there will make you pay for it. You’ll never see the light of day again.”
I pulled in another one of those deep breaths through my nose when he knelt and ran his cold finger across my cheek. My lips pressed together to stop me from running my mouth, and I tried to wrench my face free from his hold. His grip only tightened on my cheek as punishment.
