Page 97 of Jerk

“I’d like to see them try.” Eden looks at Krystal with the intensity of the midday sun. Krystal meets her stare. Her glare? There’s anger in her face. There's a softness, too. One that makes me wonder if I should leave and give them the cabin before Eden speaks, “Fine. If we’re doing this together, we’re doing this together. Break your words and… I’ll kill you. Got it?”

“Got it,” Krystal says, a quiver in her voice. “Crystal clear.”

Eden looks at me. “You too, Duchess. But listen up. We only have enough time to go through this once.” She pulls out a folded paper from her sweatpants, laying it on the floor. Crouching, she tells us all about the plan. Security times. Staff schedule. The schedule of the Father. His weaknesses. Blind spots and safe spaces. “So when Bernard the Security Guard goes for his three o’clock piss, we move. We’ll only have twenty minutes to do it, but there are three of us. It should make it easier, but don’t fuck this up. If any of us gets caught, there’s going to be a big consequence. Escapees don’t recover here.”

Thinking back to what I’ve been through since I’ve been here begs the question. “What’s the worst that can happen?”

Eden swings that deadly gaze at me. “Didn’t you learn last time?”

My brows knit. “They let me go.”

Her head drops to one side before something hits her. “Was it the guy with green eyes? Heart tattoo?”

I blink. “How’d you?—”

“He’s a piece of work, don’t let the nice act fool you,” Eden says. “He might have given you mercy, but I promise you, you don’t want to get caught. Not doing this.” She laughs. “You two are the only brave enough fucks to attempt this with me. And you’re already in the isolation cabin. You’re lucky you have each other, or it could be so much worse. We have one shot. You sure about this?” She looks at me first.

“I’m sure.” Then it hits me. My freedom depends on Krystal and Eden. But it also depends onhim.

And that’s the riskiest part.

My muddy socksmeet the cold stone floor. No shoes. Eden’s orders.

While it should make it easier to get around, I’m not one for filth and rough surfaces.

“Remember, Eden’s meeting us at the Lavatorium,” Krystal reminds me as we move down the hall, passing large bookcases and old religious statues. “Then we’ll go to the loading docks together.”

I nod, trying to hide the fact that my heart might burst right out of my chest.

Rye didn’t respond when we told him where to meet us. We had limited time using the phone in the chapel and had to leave before we confirmed.

Will he show? Is he still mad at me for what I did?

Is this a royally stupid idea?

The sconces on the wall flicker. Once, twice. Blackout. Courtesy of Eden.

“Start counting, Alfonso.”

The way Krystal says my name reminds me that I’m giving all my trust and power to them. To him. I gave him the power to ruin me. Again. He controls this narrative, and that could be the death of me. It was once before.

Either way, we have to keep moving. We have six minutes until the alarm sounds. And another six until the emergency power comes on. With our hoods over our heads, we move quickly. We stay close to walls, ducking inside rooms and unlocked closets until we find Eden.

She's in front of the ‘Lavatorium' in her cloak, pacing beside a giant mural of angels. Her eyes hit ours, that intense face softening.

“What took you guys so long?” Eden’s eyes fall to my face, narrowing. My cheeks sting with heat as I pull the hood further over my head. “Did Princess need to powder her face?”

Okay, so I put on a little foundation. And mascara. And blush. And gloss.

“Is this for your boyfriend?” Eden scoffs.

My stomach twists as radios hiss in the distance.

“They’re coming,” Krystal whispers.

My eyes widen. So do Eden’s.

A whistle sounds nearby.