Flint frowns, watching them, and I suddenly feel like we’re missing something.
“You can tell him,” Nico says eventually. Then turns back to the window.
Mal sighs. “Nico thinks he saw one of the hunters at the fight rings.”
“Fucking hell,” Flint spits, both hands fisting his hair.
I’m not entirely sure of the significance of Nico’s declaration, but judging by the look on Mal and Flint’s faces, it’s nothing good.
“How sure is he?” Flint asks Mal, like Nico isn’t in the room. But to be fair, his body might be, but I don’t think his head is.
Mal grimaces. “Not a hundred percent.” He glances back at Nico and snarls. “But I believe him.”
I do too, for what it’s worth. He looks like he’s seen a ghost. And from what he told me about his time in the fight rings, it probably feels like that.
Flint groans. “We can’t tell Lynx yet. He’ll fucking kill them.”
“I know,” Mal says, looking like he’d gladly help. “You can’t let them come up here. They can’t see him or Tyler. If Nico’s right...” He shakes his head, and even I don’t need it spelled out for me.
“Shit.” Flint tugs at his hair, panic written all over him. “We need to get back down there,” he says, glancing at me. “We’ve been gone long enough as it is.”
No part of me wants to walk down those stairs, but I don’t want them to come up here either. Nico looks like he might fall apart any second as it is. I push down the panic threatening to overwhelm me and straighten the leather cut Jet gave me.
Flint smirks, and oddly enough that gives me enough confidence to get the words out. “Let’s go, then.”
With a nod, Flint reaches for the door then pauses. “You know what to say?”
“Pretty much everything I told you lot when I first came here wanting to join.”
“Yeah. Right up until you decided to have a sleepover in the forest.”
I shudder at the memory, and he winces.
“Too soon?”
“Way too fucking soon.” I glare but he just laughs and opens the door. His amusement dies as soon as we hit the stairs. “Don’t let them intimidate you,” he murmurs. “You’ll be okay.”
Famous last words.
Any calm I’d achieved on the walk down here vanishes in a puff of smoke the second I step into the room. There are five hunters in there, along with Jet, Callum, and Lynx. I know I’m supposed to be the lowest of the low as far as the club’sconcerned, so instead of going to stand by Lynx like I really want to, I stay close to Flint.
Three of the hunters perch on the table, while the other two hug the back wall. Flint leads me over to stand beside Jet, and I try to regulate my breathing.
Stick to the story and you’ll be fine.
They’re humans, I remind myself. Just like me.
Except, not gonna lie, they still scare the shit out of me. Especially the one who’s looking at me with serial-killer eyes. That’s the first thing that pops into my head when he smiles at me like that.
Evan Fox.
That’s what he said his name was.
I wonder if that’s who Nico thought he recognised. Fuck, maybe best not to think about that right now.
“You can all leave us if you want,” Fox tells Lynx. “We can take it from here.”
Lynx deadeyes him. “Don’t fucking think so.”
