Exhaling, Jai glares. “No. I wouldn’t leave you behind.”
I knew it. “Then you agree with me? We leave together or not at all.”
“Don’t be st—”
“Stupid?” I cut in. “You’re speaking to the girl who followed you from a train in the middle of the night.”
His glare deepens, his ocean blue eyes becoming tempestuous. “I wish you didn’t. I wish you were never on that train. I wish I never met you.”
I fight to hide my flinch. Ouch. I know he doesn’t mean it the way my heart wants to take it, but it still hurts to hear.
“You could have left me outside the warehouse that night and saved yourself the trouble, but you didn’t. You could have let that Russian woman decimate me in round one and I’d be free, but you didn’t.” I step toward him, placing my small hands over his. “I’m not leaving you here.”
He snaps away from me, baring his teeth. “Goddammit, Emily!”
I flinch, unable to hold it in this time. “Why are you being—”
“Because he can’t do to me what he does to you,” he shouts, his booming voice bouncing off the walls, making my heart race. “He can’t hurt me like he hurts you.”
Oh. My face falls, I feel it. That’s his concern. I swallow the lump before it can form in my throat. I don’t want him to see how much it affects me that Skull is the one snuggling up to me at night, not him. It fucking bugs me—no—it makes me sick to my stomach that it’s Skull’s lips sliding over my flesh, his inked hands teasing and rubbing, pinching and pulling. It kills me to think that when Skull touches me, Jai might love me a little less each time.
“Skull can’t hurt me. No matter how hard he tries,” I tell him, looking him dead in the eye. I’m proud I manage to keep my voice calm and even. For a second, I almost believe what I’m saying. “And I’m not going anywhere without you, so you can stand over there and sulk or you can come here and let me touch you.”
I tilt my head, trying my damn hardest to make him less formidable, to make him give up fighting me. I don’t know how much time I have left with Jai, but I don’t want to waste it fighting. I don’t want to waste it on opposite ends of the room.
Jai strolls back to me, defeated and unimpressed. It’s all I can ask for. I slip my arms through the bars of his cell and he slides into them, wrapping me up in his own arms. I bury my face in his gray tee and inhale his soapy scent. According to Laura, Skull feeds the boys well and he keeps them clean. I asked why, but she didn’t reveal Skull’s motive. I often wonder if he even has a motive or if he’s just plain crazy.
“I’m sorry your plan didn’t amount to anything,” he utters, planting a soft kiss on the top of my head. “I wish it did. I fucking wish it did.”
I lift my head. If the cell wasn’t in the way, our foreheads would press together. Regardless, I kiss him between the bars and the feel of his lips revive me. It ignites my dormant soul and sets fire to my blood. Skull has been the only person to kiss me in weeks. I started to believe I’d never enjoy another kiss for as long as I live, but this is impossible not to enjoy.
I kiss him harder and he reciprocates. I give it my all because who knows when I’ll kiss him again. Or if.
I don’t know how much time has passed when I break the kiss.
Maybe a minute.
Maybe an hour.
“Instead of killing a bad man to escape, I killed him just to kiss your lips again.” I brush my nose against his. “Escape or no escape, it was worth it.”
“Emily?”
I pull out of Jai’s arms and turn to face Monique. Her eyes are red and puffy, her cheeks glistening with tears. “We can’t stay here. Laura is unconscious, and a guard is dead—”
“It’s okay.” I step toward her and lightly touch her biceps. “I’m going to figure this out, all right?”
“There’s nothing we can do. When Laura regains consciousness…she’ll tell Skull everything. I’m as good as dead.”
“You really think he’s going to believe you did all this on your own?” I swallow. “No. He’ll blame me for it anyway, so we’re going to play this off as my idea, all right?”
She gives me a look, one that suggests she’s hiding something from me.
“Emily,” Jai barks, but I can’t bring myself to look at him. “You’re not serious?”
I won’t let Monique take the fall for this. Skull has already proven to me that he’d kill her without giving it a second thought. He won’t kill me, though. He’ll punish me. He’ll really hurt me since I promised I wouldn’t give him any more trouble, but if it saves Monique from death? I have to do it. We have a better shot of getting out of here if there are two of us and, to be honest, I’ll need her crazy if we’re going to pull it off.
“When Skull sees what we’ve done, he’ll know it was…”
“He won’t.” I allow myself to look at the dead body on the ground for the first time since I buried my nail file in his neck. My stomach churns and I hunch slightly as my organs cramp at the sight of his black eyes that are glazed over. “I’ll…I’ll hide the body.”
Clank. Monique and I gasp, and I clench her arms in my hands. She slips closer to me, her muscles tightening under her flesh. Fear manifests on the surface of my skin and burns like hellfire as the worst-case scenario makes itself known.
Pale skin. Black ink.
I want to throw up.
Skull saunters into the room, each step intended to drive terror into our hearts. I hate that it works. I hate that I’m terrified of him. He surveys the scene in front of him with curious eyes as the double doors slam shut. I expect him to get mad. I expect him to rage, to destroy us right here and now…
…but he doesn’t.
He simply…smiles. Lifting his head, our stares lock.
“Oh, girls. What have you done?”
FIVE
Jai
Envy
I grip the bars in my fists, my face tightening into a scowl as he moves so fluidly in his expensive pinstripe suit and patent leather shoes. He looks ridiculous, like the last cheap skeleton in a bargain store on Devil’s Night. While his presence is almost comedic to me, I realize that’s not the case with Emily. He terrifies her. I see it in the way her body language changes in his company. I hate that I notice it, but now that I have, it’s all I can see. She cowers ever so slightly, almost submitting to the mere sight of him as she clings to Monique. What has he done to her? What does he do to her? My Kitten has always been strong and defiant, even when she shouldn’t be. The night I met her, for example. She didn’t back down from me or Steve, Skull’s ostiary. She fought me every step of the way and now…well, now it looks like Skull is wearing her down.
When I was on the force I witnessed a few cases similar that remind me of this. A woman trapped at the mercy of a madman who only wants to break her apart. He succeeds, of course, and the woman is so broken, so dependent on him, that she can’t live without his cruelty. Every day Emily’s here is another day Skull can torment her, pushing her closer to breaking point. And I fear that when I try to get her out, she won’t want to come with me.
Skull crouches by his goon, Nate, and surveys the damage done to his neck. They made a real mess of him, his flesh looking more like he was mauled by a large dog than a tiny woman with a pointy strip of metal. Reaching out, Skull plucks the murder weapon from Nate’s neck and holds it out for examination. It’s a fucking nail file. Of all the weapons she could find in this place, she chooses a nail file? I clench my jaw, irritated. She’s lucky it worked, or this situation would be very different right now.
“Interesting.” Skull chuckles darkly under his breath. With a long, slender finger, he touches Nate’s neck, his fingernail tracing a larger wound by the jugular vein. “This one is bigger and a little more calculated than the others. The smaller ones seem panicked, almost.”
Tossing the nail file onto the wide expanse of Nate’s chest, he grins up at the girls as if to ask, “so whose is whose?” I hold my brea
th, hoping Monique comes clean about the whole thing so he doesn’t completely decimate Emily.
She doesn’t. Instead, she lowers her head.
Yes, Emily’s multiple stabs helped kill the guy, but he would have bled out after Monique’s attack anyway. All Emily did was speed up the process. This whole incident was spearheaded by Monique. She’s the impulsive one—surprisingly. Emily has been here long enough to know busting in here and expecting Joel and I to walk out isn’t that easy. She’s smarter than that. Monique, however, seems to throw caution to the wind.
“They’re all mine,” Emily admits and I close my eyes, exhaling. “I did it all.”
Skull stands up, drawing himself to full height, and squares his shoulders. “Is that so?”
She nods and he averts his gaze to Monique, who stiffens.
“You know what I find funny? This attack has your method of operation written all over it.”
She’s done this before? Who is this little psycho? Monique looks like your typical timid girl, but I guess there’s something dark simmering under the surface of her cute exterior. She stammers like the guilty and Emily inches in front of her, shielding her from Skull’s glare.
“It wasn’t her.”
He takes a step closer, curving his back to lower his face to her level. “Would Laura agree? Provided she’s still alive, of course.” He looks to Monique again, his face gleaming with devilish excitement. “I know your bloodlust gets the best of you sometimes.”
“Laura is alive.” Monique’s voice is calm, quiet. “I didn’t kill her.”
“It’s not like you to hold back your rage,” he teases, holding out his hands, one for each girl. “Let’s go and see if you’re telling the truth, shall we?”
Emily glances over her shoulder at me before she slips her hand in his. The moment their skin touches, Skull flicks his volcanic stare to mine, and for the first time ever, I can’t read him. There’s no humor or amusement. There’s no anger, no threat of punishment, and it’s terrifying.
All I can do is stare back, begging him in my mind not to do anything, begging him not to hurt her—or Monique, for Joel’s sake.
* Emily *
Skull takes Monique and I back to the bedroom. He stands in front of us, surveying the mess without a word. The scene before him is pretty self-explanatory, and even if it wasn’t, what lies beyond the bathroom door is all the evidence Skull needs to nail our coffins shut. I knew I should have talked Monique out of her plan. It seemed irrational and weak at best, but I didn’t want to miss the opportunity if it worked. Now…all I feel is remorse and anger that Monique failed to mention she’s pulled this stunt before.
Bang!
We jolt as Laura bangs against the wooden bathroom door. Shit.
Stepping over an open suitcase filled with tall, tall heels, Skull saunters toward the door like he has all the time in the world. My head thumps, and my neck heats. I steal a glance out of the corner of my eye at Monique.
“Shit,” she whispers. “She’s going to rat me out and Skull is going to kill me.”
“Shh. Let me deal with him.”
I rub the back of my neck to ease the nervous heat that dances along my flesh. Whatever comes next isn’t going to be good. I don’t know what I’m going to do to convince Skull not to hurt Monique, assuming it goes down that path.
Another bang shakes the wooden door and Skull kicks the stool away. I jump as Laura bursts out and the wood slams against the wall. Her stormy eyes lock onto Monique.
“You bitch!” she seethes, her nostrils flaring.
Laura bares her teeth, her small body tightly coiled, and launches forward. Cursing, Skull catches her by the waist, hauling her back.
“I’ll kill you!” she screeches, thrashing against him.
Relax,” he orders, tightening his grip. “Relax!”
Laura manages to rip herself from his grasp and turns to him, pushing her hair out of her face. “Relax? She jumped me!”
She shows Skull the angry red marks on her throat and stabs an angry finger in Monique’s direction. “She choked me half to death and then had the audacity to hit me over the head and stash me in the bathroom like I’m the fucking prisoner!”
“Well,” Skull says on exhale, turning his amused expression on us. “I guess that solves the case of who killed Nate.”
I steel my spine and Monique shifts closer to me, her pinky finger finding mine as Laura’s expression turns from sour to excited.
“What are we going to do to them?” she asks.
“Them? Nothing.”
Her excitement falls. “Nothing? I was hit over the head and they killed Nate. They deserve punishment.”
He shrugs his shoulders, his posture slipping into boredom. “I couldn’t care less about Nate. If he can’t fight off two small women, then he’s of no use to me.”
“And what about me?” Laura demands, crossing her arms angrily over her chest. “Where am I situated on the list of things you have use for?”
“Don’t you worry your pretty little head about that. You’re safe.” He dips his head a little. “For now.”
She matches him with a step forward, the tips of her smooth, pedicured toes touching the black leather of his shoes. “Are you getting soft? Do I need to deal with them myself?”
He tilts his chin down, pinning her with a glare from underneath his eyebrows. “Touch them and I’ll kill you.”
Monique and I look at each other, a lot shocked and a little confused. Skull usually jumps at the chance to punish us. What makes today different? Maybe he wants to dish it out himself instead of letting Laura do it.
“You’d choose them over me?”
I wince at her fighting words, words that are wrapped in jealousy and anger. My original plan of using Laura’s jealousy against her resurfaces. The seeds have already been planted, it seems. All I have to do is water them and they’ll grow like weeds.
“Darling, I’d choose my next meal over you.” With a slow, gentle hand, he brushes her blonde hair off her cheek. “But that’s never been a secret between us.”
Ouch. Frustration simmers along the edges of my ribcage and I curl my fingers at my sides, squeezing Monique’s pinky finger too. It’s almost sad to watch Laura’s heart break in her face. She has given up a lot for Skull’s love—her heart, her life, her ability to bear a child—and he’s given her what in return exactly? Money? Sex?
Is it worth it? Deep down in her mind, body, and soul, does she honestly believe it is? Surely he’s proven time and time again how little she means to him. She’s his toy, like the rest of us, only she’s so blind to it he doesn’t need to keep her in chains.
Even from where I stand, I see tears well in her eyes. “Damien…”
“Don’t cry at me.”
Her face twists, her lower lip quivering. “Why are you being so mean to me?”
“Don’t—”
“What did I ever do to you?”
He throws his hands. “For fuck’s sake, fine. Take Monique—do whatever you want, but don’t you dare lay a finger on Emily. Understood?”
She straightens her posture and squares her shoulders. Her lips cease to tremble, her tears drying up immediately. “Yes.”
I blink at her. So, that was all fake? What a psycho.
Laura starts forward, her bared teeth and thinned eyes narrowed in on Monique, who curses under her breath, but makes no move to defend herself. She’s really going to stand here and take it? Maybe she feels she deserves it after what she did to Laura, but she’s only nineteen. She’s just a girl. I slip in front of Monique, my arms stretched out in front of me, my palms splayed. “Wait.”
Laura stops, her chest an inch from my hands. How can she feel comfortable beating on a tiny nineteen-year-old?
“Get out of my way,” she seethes, her white teeth clenched.
I peer around her at Skull, who does up the top button of his jacket, seemingly uninterested in anything else.
“Can I talk to you? Ple
ase?”
He lifts his stare and his black eyes pierce me under straight brows that slant inward. “So, talk.”
“Alone.”
His jaw shifts as he pulls the inside of his cheek between his teeth and lightly chews. The whole room is silent, waiting for his answer. I flick my stare to Laura, who watches me with a smug quirk on her lips. She doesn’t think he’s going to give me the time of day. Maybe she’s right.
“All right. Fine. Color me curious.”
Or maybe she’s wrong. Laura’s smirk falters as Skull flicks his bald, tattooed head toward the bathroom.
“First, you have to tell Laura not to touch Monique until we’re done.”
Laura’s face turns dark, her glare burning my skin from underneath her perfectly manicured brows.
“You can’t save her from me,” she grinds out.
I flick my attention to Skull, doing my best to soften my features, to plead to him without opening my mouth. I need him to think I’m genuine. That’s what Monique would do. Shit. I guess I did learn a thing or two from her.
“Keep your hands to yourself until we come back,” he orders her, not breaking eye contact with me.
Laura snaps her head over her shoulder. “You’ve got to be kidding me?”
I slowly inch away from Monique, moving toward the bathroom. Despite Skull’s order, Laura doesn’t move from her spot. I hesitate for a moment, but I don’t think she’d defy him. He’d kill her.
I cross the room to Skull. He stands by the bathroom door, letting me enter first. Once inside, he closes it behind me, trapping me in with him. I gulp, the air in the room suddenly dense as if only the hot water taps are running, filling the air with steam.
“Well?” Skull prods and I slowly turn to face him. “I haven’t got all day.”
He leans against the dark, wooden door, bending his leg at the knee. I think back to the first time I saw him and how different he looks now. Up there on that ledge he wasn’t so terrifying, but at eye level, I can’t think of anything scarier than the man I’ve come to know as Damien Wolfe.