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More flashes, each one revealing again and again the sight of the soiled mattresses on the floor. And the chains bolted to the wall above them.

“What the fuckisthis place?” I whisper, horrified.

Chapter 28 – Rustle

Nadia

“Let’s go,” Cole says, his voice cold.

Rose turns and starts to protest, but when she sees his face – and then my body pressed to his – her brows rise, her words failing.

Cole doesn’t say anything, stepping towards the stairs. His arm drops from its place around my waist, but he takes my hand, pulling me along. I go, my feet moving absently while my mind stays fixed on the horrible sight of those ruined mattresses – evidence of somethingterriblehere –

My mind darts around to all the awful things it could mean, settling on nothing, constantly producing more and worse ideas.

“At least leave me the light!” Rose calls, frustrated.

“Come on!” Cole shouts, out of patience, taking me up the stairs. When we come back into the light of the foyer, I suck in a deep breath –

I hadn’t even realized I needed it, but apparently I’d stopped breathing down there. I didn’t want any of that fetid air in mylungs– in anypartof me –

I stare down into the blackness of the basement that looms like a well –

“Nadia.” Cole takes my face in his hands, turning it towards him, looking down at me, worried. “Are you all right? Tell me.”

I stare up at him for a second before I narrow my eyes. “You know something.”

He frowns.

“You do,” I say, stepping away from him, suddenly wary, looking back and forth between this Prince and the stairs. I point down them. “You know something about that room –“

“Nadia,” he says, sighing. “I don’t –“

“Youdo!” I snap, shaking my head. “Don’tlieto me, Cole!”

He sighs, his head hanging.

But before he can say anything else, Rose’s footsteps hurry up the stairs. Her face is pale, drawn, but she holds up her camera for a moment. “Okay, I got it,” she whispers, looking between us. “Let’s…get out of here.”

“You feel it too?” I whisper, kind of surprised.

She frowns at me for a second. “Listen, I know we don’t get along or whatever? But I’m not immune to people’s suffering. It affects me too, Nadine.”

“It’sNadia.”

“Whatever.” She flicks her beautiful blonde mane back over her shoulder, striding for the door. “Come on, we’ve got to check out the rest of this place. Hopefully, it’s not so grim. We need a little spark of hope to really make this story shine.”

Cole and I both stare after her as she moves out the front door. “Well, she’s persistent, isn’t she?” I murmur.

“Yeah,” Cole says with a sigh, stepping to me and reaching for my hand again.

I snap it out of his reach, glaring up at him like he’s crazy.

“Nadi –“

“Oh, back off, you big elephant,” I mutter, storming after Rose for the front door.

He stays behind, baffled. “Elephant?”