Total pages in book: 138
Estimated words: 132582 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 663(@200wpm)___ 530(@250wpm)___ 442(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 132582 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 663(@200wpm)___ 530(@250wpm)___ 442(@300wpm)
“Did you have to stab that one’s eye out?” I focus on Rowan.
Rowan shrugs, unbothered. “He tried going for mine first.”
Willow makes a gagging noise, and when I look back, she’s covering her mouth.
“Get over it,” I tell her, and I hate to sound so harsh but this is serious. If she fucks up even once, we’ll never get my cousins back. I have everything riding on her tonight, and something tells me she can do it. “I need you to focus.”
“Juniper and Killian are inside, probably in the caves,” Rowan says. “Juniper’s transmitter has been at this location for hours. They must have it.”
“Right. We send Willow in, and she can find out where exactly they’re keeping them.” I turn to look at Willow, and her eyes widen as she stares down at the bodies again. “Don’t look at them. Look at me.”
She swings her gaze up, but that doesn’t stop her from shaking like a leaf.
“When you go in, see if you can find any doors that lead you to a holding cell or cages. If you can’t find any, look for a man with a shiny red tooth. He goes by Rami. When you find him, let me know.”
“What if I can’t find him?” she asks.
“Oh, you will. You can’t miss that fat, arrogant cunt,” Rowan grumbles.
“How am I supposed to let you know?” she asks me, panicking.
I tap my temple, and when it registers, she nods. “What if you don’t hear me? You always have your mind wall up and—”
“I’ll hear you.”
She looks me deep in the eyes, then nods. “Okay.”
“Just be confident,” Rowan tells her, reloading his gun. “They love confidence. But not too confident or you’ll have them fighting over who gets to fuck you first.”
“You make them sound like dogs.”
“They are dogs,” Rowan goes on. “Disgusting ones at that—like stray dogs, you know? The kind who eat their own shit.”
“Good to know.” Willow sucks in a deep breath.
“Take this.” I hold out one of my handguns.
“Where do I put it?”
I look at her from head to toe, then settle on the waistband of her shorts. I pull the waist of them out, careful not to touch her belly, and she shudders a breath when she feels the coolness of the metal pressing against her pelvis. “Keep it hidden unless you need it.”
“I’ve never shot a gun before.”
“It’s not hard. Just aim and pull the trigger.”
“Okay.” She steps back and makes her way to the door. “When I call for you, you’ll come right in?”
“Yes. Just make sure you find out which cave Juniper and Killian are in first.”
Forty-Six
WILLOW
Rowan opens the door ahead, revealing a dark tunnel. “That door down there will lead you into the club,” he says. I tug on my shorts, then press a hand to flatten what’s left of my shirt. I don’t feel appealing at all in these clothes, but I have to remember what I find appealing may not be to the people of Vakeeli.
I walk in, swinging my eyes to Caz and Rowan. Suddenly, I’m scared shitless. What if I’m caught? Or one of these Rippies tries to take advantage of me because they do think I’m a whore.
“I won’t let anything happen to you,” Caz says. “Just call for me. I’ll be there.”
I nod, sighing.
Rowan bobs his head at me, providing a boost of reassurance, and then closes the door. When it clinks shut, I draw in a breath and face the other end of the tunnel.
Lights attached to the wall, ensconced in metal, give me just a bit of leeway to see the battered door at the other end. The hallway reminds me of an underground tunnel, one that would’ve been used to help people escape, and I wonder if that’s what it was to Ripple Hills before. Did they keep people like me enslaved, and this tunnel was made to help them flee? The idea makes me shudder, but I keep walking.
I’m fortunate not to see bones scattered on the floor, or anything out of the ordinary, just a simple dirt path leading to another door. Through the gaps of the door, flashes of neon lights fill the spaces. I make my way toward it, the music growing louder, the bass drumming, until I’m standing in front of it. I twist the rusted handle, and the door lets off a light moan when I pull it open, and as soon as it is, the music grows twice as loud. The bass thrums through the soles of my shoes, and the lights are damn near blinding, flashing all over the place.
The stench of sweat and body odor smothers me when I close the door behind me. The crowd is thick, and for a split second, I don’t think there’s any way I can get through. People are shoulder to shoulder, facing a stage of performers, cheering wildly. Couples dance and gyrate, bumping into other people without a care in the world, and half-naked women stand on tabletops and counters in thick, platform heels.