I open and close my mouth, not sure what the hell I’m supposed to hit her with. Laura gasps for air, her hands continuing to claw at her throat and at Monique. She kicks her legs, but Monique holds her well, surprising for a girl her size. Rushing to the side of the bed, my heart thrashing wildly in my chest and loudly in my ears, I grab Skull’s heavy white stone lamp and yank it out of the wall.
Laura makes eye contact with me and I see desperation in their watery depths. I’ve never hit anyone with an object before. I freeze. Shit. How hard is too hard? What if I kill her? She’s not a good person, but she doesn’t deserve to die.
“Emily!” she snaps. “Hurry up!”
I stare at Monique. She looks wild—feral, almost. Who the hell is this girl? She’s tiny, but holy hell, she’s scary.
Giving up on me, Monique releases Laura and shoves her forward. She crashes onto her hands and knees and violently gasps for air. All I can do is watch silently, clenching a heavy lamp in my grasp.
She crawls forward, her arms and legs barely able to support her weight, as Monique grabs a big, black hair dryer and descends on her, slamming the handle of the dryer into the back of Laura’s skull. Crack! Laura collapses and ceases to move. Monique’s heavy exhale and the clicking of a wax pot as it heats up in the background is all I hear over the thrumming sound of my heart in my ears.
“Jesus,” I whisper, crouching low.
I place the lamp on the floor.
“Help me carry her into the bathroom,” Monique orders, tucking her long blonde hair behind her ears before rolling Laura onto her back.
I inch forward and reach out for Laura’s slender wrists. “The bathroom?”
Monique slips her hands underneath Laura’s knees and I follow her cue to lift together. Thankfully, Laura weighs next to nothing, making it too easy to carry her and lock her away in the bathroom. I shut the door, ignoring the ripple of excitement on my skin as Monique rushes around, looking for something to jam the door with. This whole time I’ve been looking at Monique like a naïve child I need to protect. It’s clear now that she’s perfectly capable of taking care of herself.
“Watch out,” she orders, pulling me from my thoughts as she saunters by with a sleek black stool in her grasp.
I step to the side as she jams it under the handle, trapping an unconscious Laura inside.
Now we have to get out of here. Skull isn’t going to be happy when he sees what we did—and Laura…well, she’s going to want our heads on a pike. Monique touches my arm and I lift my stare to hers.
“You look like you’re going to puke.” Her lips quirk at the corners. “Are you all right?”
I nod, but I’m sure it’s not convincing. “I’m fine.”
“Good, because I’m going to need you to play your part if you want to get out of here, okay?”
I nod again. I’m not sure how I feel putting my fate in her tiny, slender hands, but I’ll be the first to admit she’s made it further with her escape plan than I ever have.
Monique turns away from me and searches through Laura’s beauty bags, looking for something.
“Grab something sharp,” she orders. “Something that can be easily concealed, but can kill someone if needed.”
Like what? I move toward the suitcases, my gaze zeroing in on a clear box filled with nail polishes and files. I open the box and grab the biggest file I can find.
“How’s this?”
She looks over shoulder, slipping a small pair of salon scissors into the pocket of her satin robe. “That’ll do.”
She smirks. “That terrified look on your face is excellent.”
Terrified? I’m not terrified. Shocked and a little confused, maybe, but I’m not terrified.
“No, don’t hide it. We’re going to need it for this next part to work.”
I frown. “Are you going to fill me in on your plan? I’ve never been good at improvising.”
She shakes her head, taking my leash in my hand. “Just follow my lead.”
I suck in a lungful of air as she escorts me to the door and unlocks it. To my surprise, there’s no one on the other side. Does Skull trust Laura that much? Better yet, does he think Monique and I are that weak? That we couldn’t get past Laura even if we tried?
The mansion is quiet and eerily calm, like the eye of a hurricane. I try not to think about the consequences of playing in the storm, knowing very well that whatever punishment awaits us if we get caught will be truly awful.
As we reach the landing at the top of the stairs, one of Skull’s men wanders into view. My heart leaps into my throat and fearful heat settles in my cheeks. He cradles his rifle in his large hands, a thick index finger tapping the neck as he bobs his bald head to the silence.
We pause.
Beside me, Monique gulps.
The man at the bottom of the staircase is easily six-foot tall and two feet wide. He wouldn’t be as easy for Monique to take down as Laura was. I mean, for starters, his neck is as thick as the rest of him. Her chain would snap long before he runs out of breath.
“Excuse me,” Monique utters and the brute’s body tightens.
He slowly turns to face us, his hands white as he squeezes his gun. I hold my breath.
He bares his teeth, an ugly sneer morphing his face, and lifts his rifle.
“What do you two think you’re doing?”
Monique was right. I am terrified. I’m terrified of being shot again. I’m terrified of being caught and beaten, regardless of how well I grit my teeth and bear it, but most of all, I’m terrified of not making it out of this house alive.
Monique raises our leashes, the leather grips dangling in front of us. “Laura says you have to take us to the cells and lock us up.”
The brute cocks a thick eyebrow and inches closer, not daring to lower his gun. “And where is she?”
“She’s getting ready,” I chime in, my eye twitching as he lowers his face to peer down the length of the barrel. “She can’t keep an eye on us and do her beauty regime at the same time.”
He lifts his head, his sneer slipping, but he doesn’t speak. Instead, he makes his way toward the stairs and climbs them, one giant boot at a time. My pulse increases with every step he takes. Sweat bubbles along my upper lip and my hands become clammy as he closes the distance.
“For how long?” he asks, peering toward the bedroom door.
“Until she comes to get us,” Monique answers, her voice cunningly quiet. “She also said we had to hurry, that Skull better not find us out and about while he’s not home.”
I can’t believe how easy it is for her to play the meek victim. This whole time I thought she wasn’t strong enough when she just might be stronger than me.
He eyes us both carefully. “I don’t believe you.”
“I can go get Laura if you want, but if she cracks her charcoal mask, she’s not going to be happy with you.”
She turns on her heel, tugging me along with her. Behind us, I hear the man’s heavy boots as he climbs the rest of the stairs. My heart races in my chest and a nervous heat blooms over my body, settling in my cheeks. I hold my breath as we walk toward the bedroom, drawing nearer and nearer. If he wants to speak to Laura, he’ll see the chair against the bathroom door. He’ll know what we did. I glance sideways at Monique but she doesn’t seem phased in the slightest.
“All right,” the brute grumbles, his voice low. “I’ll take you downstairs.”
We stop and a subtle gush of relief leaves my lips. Turning around, we stalk forward and hand him our leashes. He rests his gun against his shoulder and tugs us down the stairs. I try to work out Monique’s plan, but I can’t for the life of me. What does she expect us to do once we’re in the cells? How do we get Joel and Jai out? How do we escape the premises without weapons? The more I think about it, the more I realize we might’ve made a mistake. We haven’t thought it through. A nail file and a pair of scissors aren’t going to help us, not when we’re going up against handguns and rifles.
&n
bsp; I’m lost in my thoughts until we’re stopped outside the heavy doors that give entrance to the cells. I glance around the stark, concrete corridor. Holy shit. The brute bangs on the door and it’s opened from the inside by another guard, the one I assume must hold the key.
“Laura wants these two in a cell.”
“What for?”
“I don’t fucking know.” He nudges us forward. “Feel free to go up and ask her.”
The doors close behind us, clanking loudly, and my stare finds Jai immediately. His ocean blue eyes are wide as he lifts himself off his cot.
“Come on then,” the guard snaps, turning his back to us.
As we follow him, I take in the wide expanse of his back and his broad shoulders. I don’t know what Monique expects to do now. I mean, it’s not like we can fight him. He’s at least six feet tall and the palms of his hands are the size of my face. I peer sideways at her and she flicks her head at the guard while removing the small pair of hair scissors from her pocket.
My stomach lurches, my eyes go wide, and Monique launches forward. She jumps onto the guard’s back, wrapping her long, slender legs around his waist. Swearing, he spins and reaches for her, but she slams the scissors into his neck, forcing him to grab at it.
“No!” Joel hisses, slamming his hands against the bars of his cell, pressing himself tight against the metal. “Have you lost your damn mind?”
“Emily!” Monique shouts. “Help!”
I look at Jai, he’s against his bars too, his hands squeezing them so firmly his knuckles are white. “Don’t you dare.”
What choice do I have? The damage has already been done and I’m going to be punished if we’re caught by Skull regardless if I help her or not. I might as well try. The guard swings his body hard, throwing Monique from his back. With a squeal, she slams into the concrete floor, sliding until she hits the wall with a thud.
“You fucking…” The guard pulls the scissors from his neck as I retrieve the file from my pocket with trembling fingers. He tosses the scissors to the ground and, with one hand to stem the flow of blood, advances on Monique, who cradles her ribs on the floor.
Joel rages in his cell, threatening to rip the guard apart with his bare hands if he lays a finger on her. He’s ignored, and he thrashes against his cell door like a madman.
“Emily,” Jai warns, his voice low, but I can’t bring myself to look at him. I don’t want him to talk me out of killing the guard, out of saving Monique. The way I see it, I’m left with no choice.
The guard snatches Monique’s hair in his fist and pulls her off the ground. It all happens so quickly after that. One heartbeat my feet are on the floor and the next, they’re locked at the ankles, my legs wrapped around the guard’s waist. I clench my teeth until they ache and slam my little file into his neck.
And not just once.
I do it repeatedly.
I do it until he drops Monique and staggers backward. I do it until I’m covered in his warm, sticky blood. I do it until he crashes to the floor, taking me with him. I hiss as my head, elbows, and my back slam into the concrete under the weight of this fucking beast.
“Fucking goddamn it, Emily!”
Black specks paint my vision, and my limbs shake uncontrollably, and I let go of the file that’s still buried in the neck of the dead man on top of me.
The dead man.
My stomach lurches.
I killed someone.
Jai and Joel continue to shout and it hurts my ears, but I can’t process a word they’re saying. All I can see is the blood on my skin, painting ugly words on me. It goes away when Monique brushes my hair out of my face and grabs me under my armpits. Grunting, she pulls me out from underneath the dead body and cradles me against her body, her chest rising and falling rapidly.
Why isn’t mine moving like hers? Where’s my adrenaline? All I feel is…shock.
“Are you all right?” she asks, continuously wiping at my face.
I nod, turning my head to avoid another swipe of her thumb against my lip. “I’m fine.”
I’m not fine. I hold up my hands and can barely focus on them they’re shaking so fast. I swipe my palms down the robe that has opened up and pull the fabric back around my body, fastening it tightly to cover my bloodstained skin.
Monique helps me to my feet and I let her walk me over to Jai, who holds his hands out for me. I stare at his hands, a strange mix of relief and trepidation in my chest. When was the last time he touched me? It feels like a lifetime ago now.
I slip between his hands while Monique rushes to search the guard. Tears well in my eyes when Jai skims his hands over my shoulders and my neck to cup my face. I blow out a breath of relief. He feels like he always has and it’s enough to breathe life into me.
“Oh, Kitten,” he whispers, his eyes sad and glistening as he swipes away the rogue tears that land on my cheeks. “What did you do?”
I don’t understand his meaning. My brain is too frazzled, too shocked, to make sense of anything. All I want is to be in his arms, to wake up and be back at the lake house, just the two of us. I slip my hands through the bars of the cell and wrap them around his waist. He fidgets with my collar, his thick fingers fumbling with the metal clip, and he frees me from it, letting it fall to the ground. I press my cheek hard against the cold cell and I close my eyes, pretending there’s no barrier between us.
For a moment, for the briefest moment, I believe it…
…until Jai speaks directly against my ear, wrapping me up in his big arms.
“He doesn’t have a key,” he utters on an exhale.
My body turns rigid, as unmoving and unbending as a thick beam of steel. He doesn’t…have a key? Pulling away from Jai, I glance over my shoulder at Monique, who rakes her fingers through her hair, painting it with blood. Finally, her composure cracks and the panic that I’ve felt from the beginning of this, seeps into her features.
She looks at me, her eyes wide, and I see the fear in their disturbed depths.
“Monique!” Joel snaps, his voice piercing my veil of shock. “How could you be so stupid?” He slams his palms against the bars of his cell. “You think he’d leave a key when his whore is the only one keeping an eye on you two? You think he’s that dense?”
She doesn’t answer him. All she does is sit there in disbelief. She thought we had this. She thought we were going to get out. For a moment, for the slightest sliver of a second, I thought we were too.
“He doesn’t have a key?” I whisper, hanging my head.
My mind races with the possible punishments Skull is going to dish out when he gets home. And Laura…when she comes to she’s not going to be happy. I fear what their sick minds will come up with.
“Skull took it before he left,” Jai says, his rough fingers caressing me through my satin robe.
“He has to have copies of it, right?”
Jai shrugs. “God knows where.”
“What are we going to do? Monique hurt Laura. We killed a guard.” My voice is suppressed as I choke on the unbridled emotion in my throat. I swallow it. “Skull is going to be furious.”
“You two need to get out of here,” Joel says, and I pull my head back to peer around Jai.
Joel rests against the cell bars, gripping one tightly in his hand. The rare slivers of clean, un-inked flesh on his tight, muscular body are covered in yellowing bruises, much like Jai’s. The thought of them down here, taking beating after beating makes my chest ache.
Monique is in front of Joel, standing two feet away, her hands threaded together against her thighs, her head tilted on an angle, like a lost puppy.
“He’s right. You two should get out while you still can.”
Snapping my attention to Jai, I frown. Where does he want us to go? Between Skull hunting us down like dogs and having the Twisted Sons out there, I don’t see us getting very far. I mean, two girls wearing lingerie made of black lace, draped in satin robes? What are the odds of us making it to safety? I’d rather take m
y chances here, against Skull’s entire army.
Jai looks down at me with his sad, ocean eyes.
When we were in those tunnels, he was the brave one. He always had a plan and no one could stop him from seeing it through. Now? He looks nothing like the man that I met. He’s defeated. It’s in the tired lines around his eyes and in the paleness of his skin.
It hurts to see.
Lowering my gaze, I want to look at the damage Skull inflicted to his ribs with the small blade. I reach out and lift Jai’s shirt. I touch his bruise, careful to steer clear of the cut. Jai flinches, sucking his breath between his lips, and I lower his shirt again. If Monique and I got away and Skull saw the dead guard on the floor, he’d torture Joel and Jai for information. Of course, they’d never give us up so, he’ll torture them more, and more, and more until, well, who knows when?
Staying here and taking whatever punishment Skull and Laura decide is the right thing to do. Manning up will be easier to bear on my conscience in the long run. Besides, I can’t go back to my life now—not without Jai—and he said a long time ago, there’s nowhere on the planet Skull can’t find me.
“I’m not leaving without you.”
He sweeps my chin up in his large hand, lifting my face to his. “I’ll get out and I’ll come find you.”
Liar. I shake my head, pulling away from him with a frustrated growl. I’d be an idiot to believe that. I know he wants to get out. I know he wants to think he’ll come find me, but what are the odds? He’s held in a cell with bars as thick as my wrists. The only way Jai is getting out of here is with my help. And I’m not bailing on him.
Jai could have left me for dead on multiple occasions, but he didn’t. He’s kept me safe from the moment we met. Depending on each other for safety, for protection, is the foundation of our relationship.
“Would you leave me,” I ask, cutting my eyes at him, “if our roles were reversed?”
He pretends to ponder my question, as if it’s something he needs to contemplate. If I didn’t know him better I’d be hurt, but there are subtle movements on his face that give him away. The way his eyebrows draw close, like he wants to argue. The diminutive way his jaw muscles flex under his flesh as he grits his teeth, his knuckles whitening with his tight grip on the bars that keep him from me.