porcelain mask. The room is well lit, yet as her anger amplifies, it seems as if she pulls the shadows from the corners of the walls and shrouds them over her face. Her chin is dipped as she glares at me, but I’m not fucking scared of her.
I’ve faced far worse than her already. All it does is reignite that thrill that I’ve been missing for so long. My adrenaline is rushing, and this—this I could get off on.
“You’re a pest, Sydney.”
“And you’re going to die,” she murmurs. I laugh in her face.
“Then I’ll take you down with me, bitch.”
I shove her deeper into the vanity, pushing off her and causing a few more things to knock over.
When I turn my back to her, deliberately letting her know I’m not afraid, I find Gloria staring at me with wide eyes beneath her big glasses while Jillian gets dressed in the corner, minding her own business.
I make it two steps before Francesca’s loud footsteps bound up the steps and
into our room with a smile on her face. Sydney times it just right, creating a fake
coughing fit the moment she heard Francesca coming.
And when she sees Sydney sprawled against the vanity, coughing as she
clutches her neck dramatically, I already know what she’s going to pull.
“What happened?” Francesca barks.
Sydney points at me. “She choked me! Pushed me against the vanity and
choked me.”
Francesca’s eyes turn to me, and I meet her stare head-on, making sure to keep my face neutral.
I’m not going to get into a she started it fight and present myself as emotionally unstable as she is.
Her brown eyes assess me closely, but the adrenaline has taken hold in my bloodstream, and all I can feel is… elation. Heat has warmed every inch of my body, sinking low into my stomach.
If Zade were here…
I force those thoughts out of my head before they sweep me away. If I let that
happen, I’d be humping the air, and not only would that be fucking
embarrassing, but I’m also in the number one worst place in the world to get horny.
After a pregnant pause, Francesca meets Sydney’s stare.
“You probably deserved it.”
I smother the smile before it can emerge, but fuck is it hard when she gasps loudly in response.
“Go to your room until I call you down,” she orders harshly.
Sydney rushes past me, but I feel her intention from a mile away. I step out of
her path before she can knock into me, which only serves to make her angrier.
Her head whips around, and the glare she shoots my way is pure hatred before
she disappears.
Clearing my throat, I lower my head. Hopefully Francesca sees it as
submission, and not a last-ditch effort to contain how pleased I am.
I feel her eyes boring into me, and a bead of sweat forms on my hairline.
Knowing the drill, Gloria and Jillian line up beside me, effectively distracting her.
“Tonight, is about having fun, but make sure you present yourselves as ladies.
Don’t act like sluts but be docile and compliant. You all are allowed one drink tonight. I won’t tolerate any of you making drunken fools out of yourselves.”
She pauses. “Make me proud tonight, girls.”
Chapter 16
The Hunter
The Basilisk Brotherhood lives in a bank in a suburb of Portland. Obviously,
it was abandoned, though the sign outside the building still stands, the old name
in bold blue letters. The entire front wall has been replaced with black slate, assumingly because it used to be glass when it was a business.
What’s more interesting is that they turned it into a mini skyscraper. I know
damn well this bank didn’t look this good when it was active, and it sure as shit
didn’t have at least five floors on top of it.
I swing open my door and inhale my cigarette one last time before stubbing it
on the ground with my boot.
Stop littering.
Yes, baby.
I grab the butt and throw it in a little trash bag hanging in my car, the recyclable sack full of orange filters already.
Exiting my Mustang, I slam the door shut and slowly approach the building.
The parking lot is empty, so I’m assuming their cars are hidden in a garage somewhere.
Several cameras watch me as I approach the front door. Glancing up, I stare
directly into the lens hanging above the entrance, and seconds later, the door clicks.
Two of the four brothers are waiting for me on the other side. Ryker and Kace, the former with his arms crossed and a frown tugging on his lips, and the latter with his hands tucked into his front pockets and a stoic expression.
They both eye me closely, so I put my hands up.
“I swear I’m not here to rob you. Scout’s honor,” I say with a grin.
“You’d be dead already if you were.”
I drop my hands, the smile on my face growing. Deciding I’ll push their buttons one at a time instead of all at once, I remain quiet.
We’re standing in what used to be the main room; the teller station now closed off completely. Now, it’s four walls, dimly lit with shiny gray wood flooring and deep navy blue walls. A single black leather couch is pushed up against the wall to my left, and I imagine this is where all unwelcome or untrusted guests are vetted before they’re allowed into their home.
“You have two minutes to explain what the hell you want,” Ryker says.
“Well, fuck, no pressure, right?” I widen my stance and cross my arms,
appearing at ease. “Long story short, my girl was kidnapped by the Society. Sold
off into the skin trade.”
“You’re Z, and can’t find her?” Kace challenges.
I keep my face blank as I meet his stare. His blue eyes are ice cold and unflinching, unconcerned with questioning my skills.
“I’m capable of a lot of things, Kace,” I say quietly, unleashing a little bit of
the darkness that’s been festering inside my body. “Including finding exactly where your twin sister stays. Claremont Drive, right? Her twin girls, Kacey and Karla, are getting so big already. Eleven years old, am I right?”
He snarls and takes a step towards me, the first sign of emotion sparking in
his eyes. Ryker’s hand snaps out and lands on his chest, stopping him from advancing.