Page 53

CHAPTER

THIRTY-EIGHT

SARAH

“Are you sure about this?” Erin asks. “Do you really think it’ll work?”

“Of course,” I say. “If I can hardly tell us apart, no one else will.”

After giving Erin a makeover and style re-haul, looking at her is like staring into a mirror. Our eerie likeness is unnerving.

“What if Max can tell?” she says.

“Boys don’t pay real attention when they’re trying to get into your pants,” I say. “Just smile and laugh at whatever he says. You’ll have him eating out of the palm of your hand in no time.”

She giggles nervously, and her cheeks flush. When was the last time I saw her this happy? I’m struck by a sense of pride. Maybe I’ll turn my obedient sister into a rebel after all.

Erin shakes her head. “I still can’t believe I’m doing this.”

“You’ll do great,” I say, adjusting the hairline on my itchy wig.

With Erin pretending to be me, I needed a disguise. I cut a black wig I once wore for Halloween into a sharp-cut bob, like Uma Thurman in Pulp Fiction .

“Are you still not telling me where you’re going?” she asks.

We wait under the streetlights on a street corner a few blocks away from home, waiting for two separate cabs to take us to our next locations.

Climbing out of Erin’s window and sneaking through the backyard was easy.

Mom has friends over—they’re too busy drinking and complaining about another woman in their book club to notice our absence.

I shake my head. “I told you, where I’m going doesn’t matter.”

“Well, I hope he’s worth it,” she replies knowingly.

I can’t help but grin. They are.

The first cab comes to a stop in front of us, and I give Erin an encouraging push.

“Have fun,” I say.

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” she says, pausing before getting in. “And, Sarah?”

“Yes?”

“Thanks for… you know.”

I wink. “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t.”

I watch her drive away as my cab arrives seconds later.

“Where to?” the driver asks. He frowns when I give him directions. “The highway to hell isn’t safe for a young girl at night. You know what they say about that stretch of road.”

“I can take care of myself,” I snap, although I sense his lingering hesitation. Before he objects further, I wave a wad of bills in his face. “I’ll pay double.”

His reservations vanish instantly. Cash is king, after all.

Thankfully, he doesn’t talk for the rest of the drive, giving me plenty of time to think. Being close to the guys is the only good thing about our upcoming move to Pasturesville.

My stomach flutters with excited butterflies as we get closer, and I reapply my lipstick for the third time. I’m not the only one taking a risk tonight. The guys are risking everything to see me. They’ve planned their escape for years, and this will be their first time out of the asylum’s walls.

The cab slowly climbs the mountainside. We pass many warning signs, urging drivers to be careful around sharp bends and steep drops.

A sign directing to Sunnycrest has been graffitied over with the warning ‘Abandon all hope, ye who enter here’.

The same text that sits over the Gates of Hell. Spooky.

“You can stop here,” I say, checking the map on my phone.

We’re close to the trail where we’re meeting. From there, we’ll hike through the woods to the cabin.

“Here? Are you sure?” the driver asks. “The crazy house is a few miles up ahead. They say you can hear them screaming at night. Lock ’em up and throw away the key, I say. I can still turn around…”

“Here’s fine,” I insist firmly.

After passing him the cash, he shakes his head. “Look after yourself.”

“I plan to,” I say, stepping into the night.

I zip up my black leather jacket. The cold nips my knees, making me regret my choice not to wear tights with my high-waisted tartan skirt. At least my Doc Martens should withstand the walk through the undergrowth.

The cab’s rear lights vanish down the hill. Aside from the rustling trees, it’s ghostly quiet. I check my phone. Still no word from Lex. They should be here soon. I don’t know how they’re planning to travel from the asylum, but I assume they’ve arranged some kind of transport.

I slink into the tree line to wait, hoping they won’t be much longer. Twigs snapping behind me makes my head whip around. Is it a bear? I clutch onto my tiny purse, cursing myself for packing mascara instead of bear spray.

Silence descends once more, and goosebumps pop up on my arms. I squint into the dense woodland but see nothing. I step forward, edging closer to the road, back to safety. Maybe the cab driver had a point…

Without warning, a shadowy figure lunges and wrenches me backward. Hands smother my mouth to muffle my scream, and I stare up at a masked face. My heart thunders, thinking that I’m about to die, until I breathe in the familiar smell of burning wood.

“Shh,” Lex purrs. “I prefer you blonde.”

Explosive giggles erupt from my mouth as he releases me, and I punch his shoulder playfully.

“You scared the shit out of me!”

“You need to be careful in the woods, Miss Acacia,” he says. “Bad men could be lurking around.”

“I was kinda banking on it,” I reply, attempting to regain my cool composure but not fooling him.

Lex snickers as another masked figure emerges from the trees. He’s wearing a Ghostface mask with a large white mouth and eyes that seem to glow. Judging by his height and broad stature, I can tell it’s Aiden.

“Where’s Eli?” I look for him, hoping he’ll appear too.

“We’re still working on getting him out,” Aiden replies.

He reaches to pull up his mask, but I grab his wrist.

“Leave it on,” I say, running my hand over his body, from his chest down to his hard cock bulging against his pants. “I like it.”

“As much as we’d love to fuck you right here, right now, guards use this road at night. We need to be out of sight,” Lex butts in to kill the mood. “Let’s move.”

“Follow me,” I say, holding up my cell phone to light the way.

I lead them to an opening in the undergrowth. The track is seriously overgrown, but we should be able to make our way through it.

“I’ll go first,” Aiden says.

“I’ll lead.” I stand my ground. “This is the twenty-first century.”

To my surprise, he doesn’t push it, and we fall into a line. I stroll quickly. The sooner we get there, the sooner I’ll be able to rip their clothes off.

“How much farther?” Lex complains after we’ve been walking for five minutes.

“Quit whining,” I say.

I start to wonder whether I’d misheard the directions or took a wrong turn when my light finally settles on a cabin roof peering over the top of the twisted branches ahead.

“There.” I point. “See?”

Aiden storms forward, shoving past me to get to the cabin first. He charges down the door with his shoulder, making a massive bang that causes sleeping birds to caw.

I arch one eyebrow. “There’s a spare key under the mat.”

Although, I can’t deny his manly display of strength was kinda hot.

“Fuck that,” Aiden says, although I can tell he’s grinning underneath his mask.

As I approach, he scoops me into his arms. I squeal as he carries me over the threshold like we’re newlyweds.

Lex follows and flicks on the light switch to no avail. “Generator’s out.”

This place hasn’t been used for a long time. I stifle a cough from the dust, but at least no animals have taken over.

“It’s a good thing you know how to start a fire then,” I say, propping my cell phone on a dusty table for light and gesturing at the hearth. “Look, there’re candles here.”

Lex acts swiftly, like a soldier called to arms, and begins setting alight anything he can find with his trusty lighter.

I gaze up at Aiden, seeking his approval. “It’ll do, right?”

“It’s perfect,” he replies.

I roll up the bottom of his mask. Immediately, our mouths crash together in a desperate frenzy. I don’t know which of us needs this more.

“Fuck,” he groans. “I’ve been dying to taste you.”

I lean to kiss him again, but he turns his head and pushes me onto the sofa with full force.

“Spread your legs,” he orders, removing his mask fully and hurling it aside.

I do as he asks and spread my legs slowly. To my right, Lex is busy fanning embers in the fireplace that give off a soft, orange glow.

Aiden lets out a low whistle and drops to his knees to admire my pussy.

“No panties,” he says, crawling to me.

Just as he reaches me, I snap my legs closed. “Aren’t we gonna talk first?”

“Talk?” he scoffs. “We can talk after you’ve come all over my tongue.”

Who can argue with that logic? He wrenches my knees apart, and his head disappears under my skirt to nibble my inner thighs.

Lex chuckles. “You’re starting without me, huh?”

Aiden growls possessively, grabbing my hips and pulling my pussy onto his face.

He licks down my slit, lapping up the pool of wetness at my entrance.

He pushes his tongue deeper, fucking me with it, and tasting me from the inside.

I tug his hair, holding him against me, then gyrate onto his face.

The friction against my clit makes me tremble as we move in tandem, and I chase the pleasure that only he can give.

“I need more, Aiden,” I beg. “Please.”

“No,” Lex says. “You’re getting exactly what you need.”

A pleasure-filled night with psychopaths.

What more can I possibly want? I clamp my thighs around Aiden’s head as he explores me, while Lex sits next to me and removes my jacket.

He kisses my neck, sending shivers down my spine.

Slowly, Lex undoes the buttons on my crop top until it falls open.

I’m not wearing a bra, and my nipples harden as he brushes his fingers over their peaks.

Lex picks up the brass candleholder that’s balanced on the coffee table. Wax is already collecting in the little dish, and he tips it from the holder, dripping a drop onto my chest.

I flinch. “What?—”

“Shhh,” Lex purrs, silencing me with a kiss. “Close your eyes.”

The combination of the wax and Aiden eating me out is in stark contrast to the chilly night breeze.