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He grabs my phone, turns it around, and breaks open the case to get the battery out. Then he looks over my phone very carefully, as if there is a tracker on it.
“Give it back.” I can’t believe I still have the guts to tell him what to do.
It seems like a horrible idea. The second guy, who had bowed to Zane earlier, presses my back with his rifle, which makes my body jerk forward. My heart stops almost.
“Just get inside and stop whining.” He puts the barrel against my back again to make me walk quicker. He doesn’t think twice about being mean to me now that Zane is out of sight. “Don’t even think about breaking the rules.”
What is he talking about? Are there any regulations I need to follow?
What should I do if I don’t have my phone with me to get in touch with Tyler and Kate?
“But my phone—” I don’t even have time to complete my complaint before the guy pulls me through the door and shuts it.
What is going on inside the mansion surprises me. I’m scared stiff, like a statue.
It’s really different here than it is outside.
It’s loud and crowded here, so it’s no surprise that they have a dozen automobiles parked outside.
I didn’t think I would be stepping into a party, a party with people drinking and dancing and having a good time. I can hear deep, banging music in my ears while I look around the room.
I walk into a vast space with a high ceiling that makes me feel like I’ve just walked into a ballroom, but it’s not like that in a fairytale. Everything inside is dark, and the furniture is too. It feels like I have walked into an old castle.
There are two spiral staircases on either side of the hall. When I glance up, it simply makes me think how grand this place is. There are hallways on the second story that lead to further rooms and more of the home.
When I look back at where I’m standing, all I can see are people. And even more people. They’re having a conversation. Laughing. Kissing. Kissing. People are moving in time with the music.
The only thing that keeps coming to me is that I don’t belong here. What the hell am I doing here?
I hear a loud chuckle from far away, and then someone hits me hard on the shoulder.
“Sorry,” the person says to me.
I see a gorgeous female with dark complexion and black eyes as I turn. I couldn’t respond to her apology since I’m still overwhelmed by my surroundings. All I can do is stare at her blankly.
She stands unsteadily and squints at me, a curl of hair falling across her face.
A man with light brown hair and fair skin stands next to her and puts his arm around her shoulder. He looks at me with interest. “I haven’t seen you in a while.”
I feel uneasy inside. “Yeah, I’m kind of new.”
The girl’s eyebrows knit together. “Who brought you here?”
I swallow. “A guy named Zane.”
She looks like she’s struggling to understand what I said, and then her eyes get big with shock. “Are you kidding me? Zane Maddox?”
I don’t know what she meant by that, but Zane seems to be rather well-known here. I remember that the guy at the door sank to his knees right away when he saw the tattoo on Zane’s wrist.
“Actually, I don’t know his last name,” I murmur.
The girl laughs. “There’s only one Zane in this family, and there’s no way he just hired you.”
Before I can say anything, the guy says to her in a funny voice, “Technically, he could,” which makes me want to tell her that Ethan Carter hired me to take care of his blind brother. “He’s a Knight.”
The girl rolls her eyes. “Of course. What I’m saying is that he wouldn’t hire just anyone. Zane wouldn’t.” She looks me up and down and almost laughs. “And she doesn’t look like she can fight. I’m pretty sure she’s not the kind of newbie Ethan would like.”
I really don’t know where I am. I don’t understand what they were talking about or what this is all about.
“You mean Ethan Carter?” I ask again.
The girl looks at me in shock. “Now you’re talking like you don’t even know our king.” Suddenly, her face changes to one of sympathy. “Did someone bully you in Truth or Dare? Or are you here to make a bet? This kind of thing never gets old.” She shakes her head and sighs.
“Seems like the first one,” the guy says, sounding like he’s trying not to laugh, and giving me the same expression of pity.
I truly want to leave this area because they make me feel even worse, yet a part of me wants to know what they mean.
“By the way, I’m Tasha, and this is my boyfriend, Nico.” She reaches out her hand to shake hands, and Nico starts to giggle, as if she just made up their names.
I don’t want to shake hands, yet I do.
“Who are you?” She raises her eyebrows in surprise.
“Emily,” I say.
Tasha takes my arm and pulls me farther into the house. We end up standing under the stairs, away from the people who are dancing and talking, even though the music and other sounds are still very loud in my ears.
“Well, Emily.” Tasha stares at me closely and lowers her voice. “Normally, we don’t do this. If you dared to step into this place, you’d expect to be buried six feet under. But…” Her eyes sparkled with mischief. “Think of this as our kindness. We won’t tell anyone that you snuck in.”
“You’re f*****g crazy,” Nico says to her, but he can’t disguise how much he loves her when he looks at her. He might like her because she is so brave.
“Come on, I was bullied too,” she says, leaning against him and gently touching his chest. “Truth or Dare is always my thing,” she says, looking back at me and smiling. “So…Emily.”
I hold my breath without meaning to while she sighs, getting ready for what she’s about to say. The more I stay here, the more nervous I get because of the things I find that I didn’t expect.
“You and your friends might think that using the names of our leaders, like Zane or even Ethan, would save you and make it less suspicious. But…” She tsks. “You’re f*****g wrong. If you don’t get how things work here, you’re going to be in big trouble.”
***
“No, it won’t just be trouble. It will cost you your life. The people here won’t hesitate to shoot you in the head, and that will be the most merciful way to end your life here, besides the other things we can do to you.”
My mouth falls open. I don’t want to believe her, but the things I saw and heard today, especially my talk with Zane and what occurred with the guards outside, make me think she’s telling the truth.
“Tell me, how much will your friends pay you to get out of here alive?” She moves closer to me, making me feel trapped against the wall under the stairs. “How much will they pay you to break into the Eagle Wings’ house?”
I feel like I’m going to freeze like a statue. What did she just say? The Eagle Wings?
She squints because she still can’t hear me.
I can only tell the truth. “I’m not here because of a dare or a bet.”
She rolls her eyes.
“Are you saying that you’re one of us?” Nico says, but he doesn’t sound like he means it. It sounds like he’s putting me to the test.
“I don’t know if your leader will hire me,” I say. “I don’t care about that, to be honest. I just want to see Lia.”
“Show me your tattoo,” Tasha says.
I look at her blankly. “What do you mean?”
“Your tattoo,” Nico says again, sounding angry. “Your identity. It will show that you are one of us. The tattoo is proof that you are a part of Eagle Wings.”
Of course, I don’t have that. I don’t ever want to be a part of the Eagle Wings or whatever group it is.