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Vaughn groaned, clearly grumpy about the entire thing, from being stuck as Robin right through to having to wear tights. “Can we please get this show on the road? The sooner we’re all back home safe and sound and out of wedgie pants, the better.”
I strode for the door. “Couldn’t agree more. Let’s go.”
We piled into Vaughn’s car, and he traversed the streets of Providence, most of the houses all decorated for the holiday. In Saint View, we didn’t bother, because people just stole stuff right off your lawn. But Providence was like a scary funhouse tonight, with skulls and witches and ghouls all out on the town, ready to party. It was nearing eleven, and the streets had cleared of trick-or-treaters, but the adults had come out to play.
As we drove into Caleb’s neighborhood, a growing sense of unease settled over me. His entire street was lined with expensive cars. There were clearly a lot of people at this party. I wasn’t sure if that was good or bad for us, and I wondered if the guys were trying to work it out too. All four of us in the car lapsed into silence when an obnoxious Lamborghini pulled up in the driveway and Caleb got out.
Every muscle in my body was stiff, watching him stroll to the front door and letting himself in.
Kian broke the silence. “Sticking together as a group might not be possible,” he said softly. “Not if we want to watch all three of them. But at least one of us is with Rebel at all times.”
I opened my mouth to complain and shut it again when he glared at me.
“Don’t even think about it. You are not ready to take them on yet.”
It drove me nuts that he was right, but he was.
He softened when he saw the expression on my face. “Not yet, but soon, Little Demon. You need time.”
I nodded. Seeing Caleb, even from a distance, had reminded me we were playing with fire.
“Good, we’ve got that all agreed on,” Vaughn murmured. “Because I’m parking the car up here. We’ll have to walk the rest of the way in.”
Fang looked to me, a question in his eyes. “Last chance, Pix. We can still turn around.”
But I shook my head. I needed to do this. Needed to see the place where it had happened.
I got out of the car, slamming the door shut behind me, knowing they’d all follow.
They surrounded me. Kian to my left. Vaughn on my right. Fang at my back. Their strides fell in time with mine as we strode toward the house from my nightmares. All of us marching into a war I couldn’t escape from. Not until I could end it myself.
A short line of people waited at the side gate where a bouncer stood guard. It was clearly the way in, so we joined the tail end. I fidgeted with my purse, straining to see around the group in front of us. The bouncer let a couple of guys in but then stopped a man and a woman.
The bouncer handed the man a form on a clipboard and a pen. “Sign this.”
“What is it?”
“Disclaimer for the event.”
The guy skimmed through the three pages of text, flipping the pages up while he squinted at the small writing in the dark. “This so we don’t sue?”
The bouncer didn’t answer. “You need to hand your phones over too. There’s no recording allowed.”
The guy signed it without reading anything, put their phones in a big bucket that was already half full with other people’s property, and the couple were let in.
“No phones?” Kian muttered. “What the hell?”
There was no way for the guys to hide theirs. They literally had their phones and wallets in their hands because their costumes didn’t come with pockets.
“Don’t worry about it,” I said beneath my breath. “Just go along with whatever he says.” I reached inside my purse and slipped my phone into a hole in the lining, obscuring it from view.
The group of guys in front of me passed no problem, but the bouncer put his hand up in front of us.
He looked at me with a sneer. “Who’s responsible for the slut?”
My mouth dropped open. “Excuse me?”
There was a titter of laughter from behind me, and I spun around to glare at whoever it was. All I could see was Fang’s broad chest though, which practically vibrated with anger.