A new thought kept threatening to break through, one I could only whisper in the dark.
I looked down at Inara. As I scratched behind her ears, I released a breath. “She’s not even into all that stuff. She’s not like that,” I whispered, my voice barely audible, covered by the window AC unit a foot away from my bed. “She—that’s nother, you know? Which means someone is forcing it on her.”
Inara stretched out her little toe beans.
“I hate her, Inara. I hate her, but I never want her to suffer like she did in that sick, twisted home and our nowhere town ever again. I just want her to be safe. She shouldn’t be my responsibility.I know that, okay?”
Inara slowly blinked.
“Maybe she doesn’t deserve me, but she didn’t deserve what happened to her either. None of us did.”
Damnit. I closed my eyes and dropped my e-reader onto my chest.
I knew what I had to do.
I was going to enter The Circle.
“We need disguises,” Delilah said, her blue eyes wide. Her hands moved in exaggerated gestures, animating her flowy green dress.
Hudson threw her an exasperated look. The sunlight from the windows illuminated his gorgeous features, his lightly tanned skin, his silky brown hair. I was convinced he chose this white tunic and brown pants specifically, because it was givingcult.“Wedo not need disguises. We’re not the ones entering the freaky secret society.”
Delilah’s enthusiasm didn’t waver. “I’mwearing a disguise.”
Hudson’s dry gaze pinned me next. “We will convene at the diner two blocks away as soon as you’re done. Any sign of trouble, call us. Do not let them take your phone, and, for thelove of God, do not get human trafficked. And let the record reflect, I still do not support this decision whatsoever.”
“The record says you have made that abundantly clear,” I said as I smiled at him. “Thanks for looking out for me.”
“Don’t get gooey. It’s manipulative.”
I laughed.
“Don’t fall for their bullshit. No buying two-hundred-dollar classes so you can wear a cunty little blue scarf, okay?” He was referencing the NXIVM cult. We’d watchedmanycult documentaries together.
My grin fell. “You know I won’t. I’ve been made immune to this kind of thing, remember?”
Hudson sighed. “You want more coffee?”
My smile returned. “Please and thanks.”
“I wonder if you’ll see any celebrities there,” Delilah continued, characteristically oblivious to every emotional tone shift. “It all sounds very Gwyneth-Paltrow-esque to me.”
“I’ll let you know if I see her.”
Delilah placed a hand on her heart. “Thank you.”
“No way. No fucking way.”
I paced in front of a massive Gothic church. I’d quadruple-checked the address. Maybe I’d gotten it wrong?Orthis was what Lorelei’s stupid heart-church emoji was in reference to. Not religion or marriage—the intended usage of that symbol—but a literal fucking church.
Were you even allowed to use an old church for a sex cult? Was that covered under a standard deconsecration package?
I laughed softly to myself, momentarily distracted by my own wit and the absurd situation I had found myself in.
No, the absurd situation that had beenthrust upon me against my will.
This dress was a bad idea. Who wore a sundress with strawberries on it to a Gothic dungeon? I should’ve gone with all black.
I shouldn’t have had that second cup of coffee. Even my nerves had nerves. I couldn’t stop pacing, but luckily, I was in Manhattan, which meant virtually no one noticed, and if anyone noticed, no one cared.
