Page 55 of Unmask (Crew of Elmwood Public #2)

No turning back now.

I was going to be sick, but my roiling stomach wouldn’t stop me. Nothing would.

The moon barely made it through the thick blanket of clouds above, casting only the faintest silver sheen over the decaying landscape. Every shadow seemed to move when I wasn’t looking, making me jumpy as hell.

I kept going, one foot in front of the other, the soles of my shoes scuffing over gravel, toward the meeting point, an old switching tower in the center of the yard. A perfect place for an ambush. I knew it. They knew I knew it. But here I was

Halfway to the tower, I saw the light. It blinked once, soft and brief. A signal.

My pulse leapt in my throat. I stopped walking, eyes narrowing as I scanned the tower’s windows. A single silhouette passed behind the broken glass.

This is it.

I took a slow, deep breath, forcing my shoulders to relax. Panic would get me killed. I had to be calm. Be smart. I had to think like a Raven, like Kreed. God, he is going to kill me once he finds out what I’ve done.

My fingers clutched my phone in my hoodie pocket as I kept walking. I’d left it on but silenced the ringer, knowing it would ping my last location, knowing Kreed or Brock could easily track me. I was counting on it… Counting on them.

By the time I reached the base of the tower, a figure stepped out from behind one of the boxcars. He was dressed head to toe in black, his face shadowed beneath a hood, but his posture was unmistakable.

“You’re alone,” the man said, voice distorted by a mask.

“You said to come alone,” I pointed out, surprised how level I sounded when internally I was freaking the fuck out. “Where’s Kenny?” I asked, getting straight to business. I wanted this over with, and I wanted to see my best friend, to be assured they hadn’t played me.

The figure tilted his head. “You’ll see her soon enough.”

My fingers twitched at my sides. “You got what you wanted. I’m here.”

“Almost,” the man replied. “Toss me your phone.”

Shit . Of course, they were smart enough to ask for it, but I didn’t have to give it to them.

“Don’t make me search you,” he added at my obvious hesitancy.

The threat sounded like something I definitely didn’t want to experience, his hands groping my body. Here was hoping they wouldn’t destroy it or turn it off. All hope wasn’t gone. I pulled it from my pocket and chucked it onto the gravel.

Another figure appeared then, behind the first. He was taller and watched me with a creepiness that made my skin prickle.

He went to where my phone had landed, lifted his foot, and smashed it down on the screen. I watched in horror as the device shattered. Bending down, he fished through the debris, picking up the chip before crushing it under his boot as well.

“Walk,” the first man said, motioning toward the tower.

My chest deflated, pressure clamping on my lungs. Now was not the time to have a panic attack. I had to stay strong. “I-I’m not going anywhere until I see my friend. Where’s Kenny?”

The two men at the base of the switching tower didn’t flinch. They were silent shadows standing between me and what I’d come for. There was just enough distance between us that I could run. Maybe even make it back to Carson’s car if I didn’t trip. If they didn’t shoot. If they didn’t catch me.

A lot of maybes.

The first one, the one who’d spoken, tilted his head as if amused. “You want proof we’re not bluffing?”

“I want her. Now,” I snapped. “Or this deal is over.”

He held my stare for a long beat. Then he gave a small nod to his partner. “Get the girl.”

The second man disappeared between the rusting boxcars, his boots crunching against the gravel. Stay calm. Keep breathing. Easier said than fucking done. One wrong move and this whole thing fell apart.

A minute later, he returned. And he wasn’t alone.

Kenny.

My knees nearly gave out.

She was bound and blindfolded, her steps stumbling as she was led into the clearing, the little black dress she wore leaving her defenseless against the cold night.

My eyes did a quick scan of her body, searching for any evidence that she’d been abused.

I couldn’t find any outward marks, no cuts or bruises, but that didn’t mean she hadn’t suffered.

I knew all too well that trauma couldn’t always be seen with the eye. At least, she was alive.

“Let her go,” I said, heart in my throat. “Take the restraints off. I said I’d come willingly. No hassle, but not until she’s free.” I wasn’t a complete moron.

The leader glanced at me again, weighing the situation.

I nearly told him to just get Rusty if he was having a difficult time making decisions because, after hearing Carson’s confession, I was fully convinced now that he was the traitor.

Then the leader nodded once more, and the second guy grumbled but moved to untie her hands.

The moment the blindfold came off, Kenny’s tear-streaked face found me. Her eyes, puffy and wild, locked on mine. “Kaylor?” Her voice was thick with disbelief and fear. “What—what are you?—”

Before she could finish, the guy gave her a rough shove in my direction. She stumbled forward, her bare feet digging into gravel, and I moved on instinct, catching her before she hit the ground.

“Oh my god,” she breathed, shaking in my arms. “You shouldn’t be here. You don’t know what they’re planning?—”

“I know,” I whispered in her ear as I leaned in, tears blurring my vision. “But you need to listen to me. Carson’s waiting in the car down the road. Go. Run. Don’t stop. He’ll take you to Kreed.”

She pulled back just enough to look into my face, eyes wide. “What? No—no, I’m not leaving you?—”

“You have to,” I said, my voice firm now. “It’s the only way we both make it out of this. You have to tell Kreed everything you know. He’ll find me.”

Her chin trembled. “Kaylor?—”

“Go,” I said again, urgent now, my hands shaking her shoulders as if I could snap her into reality. “Before they change their minds.”

The man behind us gave a bark through his mask. “Time’s up, dolls.”

I turned and pushed Kenny gently in the direction of the road. “Run,” I whispered.

She hesitated. Just a breath. Just a heartbeat. Then she turned and did what I asked. Ran.

“Go after her,” the masked leader roared.

“No!” I screamed, but the other was already moving. Before I thought about what I was doing, I took off, launching myself onto his back, my arms wrapping around his neck. I squeezed with everything I had, praying it would slow him down as I did my best to make a nuisance of myself.

It didn’t work for long. He was bigger and stronger, and with minimal effort, he had me flipped off him.

The asshole tossed me to the ground, hard, and I landed with a jarring thump on my back, a jolt of pain lancing through me, but I rolled, lifting my head to see Kenny disappear into the night.

Only when I couldn’t see her anymore did I push myself to my feet, glaring at the masked douchebags.

“You got what you wanted,” I said, raising my chin a fraction. “Let’s finish this.”

The leader motioned toward the tower. “Pull a stunt like that again, and you won’t be as lucky as your friend.” His furious eyes shifted to his partner. “Go after her.” He grabbed me under my arm. “You. Inside. And move your ass.”

I hesitated for a breath, and then I commanded my feet to go. As I climbed, splinters caught my palms where the railing had long since rotted. My legs felt like lead, like I was dragging fear up each step with me. I walked slowly.

When I reached the top, the door to the tower groaned open, and as I crossed the threshold, the air changed. He followed behind. Inside was empty… Except for a chair bolted to the floor and a camera set up on a tripod facing it.

A horrible thought sowed terror into my mind, and before I could run, before I could scream, the prick came, a piercing sting in the side of my neck. My hand flew up, but it was too late. The world tilted, and my legs buckled.

As I crumpled to the ground, my captor’s voice echoed distantly, as if it were already behind glass. “You’ve given me quite the run for my money, kiddo.”

It was no fucking surprise that I recognized Rusty’s voice, and the last thing I saw before darkness consumed me was the lens of the camera blinking red.

Recording.

Then nothing.

Just dark.

When I came to, it was like surfacing through tar. My head throbbed with every heartbeat, my limbs were heavy, and my thoughts were slower than they should have been. The smell hit me first, lilies and fresh linens. So out of place I was sure it was a trick.

I sat up with effort, blinking against the warm amber lighting overhead, and realized I wasn’t in a cell.

I was in a room. No, a suite. My head fucking spun, and my hand immediately flew to my temple, the other stabilizing myself on the bed.

Whatever drugs they gave me, they were potent, the side effects lingering in a nasty, unpleasant way, much like a hangover.

The irony wasn’t lost on me. I’d drugged the Raven Crew to get here, only to be drugged myself.

Talk about karma being a motherfucker.

The dull throbbing beating against the sides of my head didn’t subside, but eventually my vision cleared, and I got a clearer look at my surroundings.

What. The. Actual. Fuck?

Ornate crown molding trimmed the blush and gold walls. The bed I lay in was massive, layered in silk sheets with thick, fluffy pillows that smelled like a luxury hotel. Plush rugs muffled the sound of my bare feet when I swung my legs over the side and stood.

It was beautiful.

And terrifying.

Nothing about this place screamed prison, but I felt the bars all the same.

The windows were tall and curtained but sealed. No way to open them. No sound came from beyond them, no movement, no air. When I reached for the glass doorknob, I wasn’t surprised to find it locked from the outside.

Of course, it was.

A gilded cage was still a cage.