Total pages in book: 177
Estimated words: 178117 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 891(@200wpm)___ 712(@250wpm)___ 594(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 178117 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 891(@200wpm)___ 712(@250wpm)___ 594(@300wpm)
“My father?” Dylan mutters.
“He spoke with Eve the night she—”
Right then, I smash the tape over her mouth. Fuck this nonsense.
“What did she just say?”
“Doesn’t matter,” I say. “She’s making up shit just to avoid responsibility.” I turn to look at them as they tie up both her legs. “But we know the truth now. She’s been trying to take our families and us down from day one.”
Alistair frowns. “You really think that’s why?”
My face darkens. “Bring her to the car.”
Penelope moans and groans through the tape, but her words are gibberish, and I’m not gonna remove the tape to listen to what she has to say. Not until we return to our safe spot; the Skull & Serpent Society.
“Catch,” Alistair says as he throws me the rope, and I tie it around her wrists.
Then we carry her to the car.
She wriggles around in our arms, but it’s no use. With ease, we push her into the car's back seat, and I shut the door while Dylan and Alistair hop inside.
I fetch my helmet from the grass and haul my bike off the ground. “I’ll meet you there,” I yell at Dylan, who rolls his window back up, and the car speeds off.
As I jump onto my bike, hooting owls make me pause. Something about being out here during the night is ominous. Something is off, but I can’t put my finger on it.
All I know is that I should’ve trusted my gut.
Once a rat, always a rat.
And I kick-start the engine and race off.
PENELOPE
I wriggle around in the ropes as best I can, but they tied them so harshly I can barely move. It’s almost like they’ve done this before, and you know what? It wouldn’t even surprise me.
I know who these boys are just as much as they now know me.
We’re all part of the same crooked life, the same fucked-up story.
Only this time, they’re not the ones who committed the crime. And I am damn fucking proud of it.
Still, the way Felix looked at me chilled me to the bone. I’ve never seen him that upset. Like he wanted to rip my heart out of my chest and stomp on it.
Or like I stomped on his.
Not that it matters. What’s done is done. I can’t and won’t take it back.
That place can burn down for all I care. I did what I had to, to avenge my sister. But I can’t let them take out their rage on me.
“Ignore the firefighters,” Alistair tells Dylan.
Firefighters? So they’re already putting the fire out? That’s quick.
I groan loudly to capture their attention, but they ignore me.
I have to get out of here, but how? I can barely move my body except for rolling around, which is no use. And if they take me back to the society, I’ll never fucking see daylight again.
Maybe I can bite through the tape. At least then, I can call for help.
I start chewing away, trying to ignore the disgusting taste of the glue that sticks the whole thing onto my face, but the material is chewy and tough to get through.
By the time I’ve gotten through a tiny slit, the car stops, and Dylan gets out. Within seconds, the back door opens, and my feet are hoisted out. I mumble against the tape, trying to yell. “Huuu!” Of course, I sound like a cavewoman.
Dylan throws me over his shoulder. “You get the door.”
I can hear Alistair run up the steps.
Fuck.
I can’t let them take me in.
I look around, hoping there’s someone around to witness this, but it’s the middle of the night, and everyone is either sleeping or busy with the fire.
Fuck!
“Nummm!” I groan, pushing my tongue through the tape until I create a tiny hole. “Don’t do this!”
Felix’s bike stops right behind us. “Dylan, wait,” he says, and he gets off, puts his helmet down, and pulls the tape out of the back compartment.
“HELP!” I scream as best I can.
“Oh no, you don’t,” Felix growls, and he slaps an even bigger piece of tape onto my mouth.
Shit. All my effort down the drain.
They bring me up the steps and into the society house, and when the doors close behind us, my heart sinks into my shoes.
Guess escaping is off the list.
At least I got to avenge her. That’s all that matters.
“Where to?” Dylan asks.
“Upstairs. My room,” Felix says.
They all walk up the stairs, with Felix right behind me. Sometimes I catch a glimpse of his stone-cold eyes. And all the greediness that once shone so brightly has now been replaced with pure hatred.
I close my eyes and let out a sigh.
If I’m going to go down like this, at least I’ll do so with my dignity intact.
Dylan breathes heavily as he reaches the top. “God, this isn’t fucking easy when you haven’t slept.”
“Sleep later,” Felix says. “We’ve got work to do.”