“Who?” I finally heard him ask.
And I swallowed, hearing a couple of quiet laughs go off around the table.
“Rika,” Trevor growled. “She’s mine.”
I heard Michael breathe out a laugh, and out of the corner of my eye I saw him push back his chair and stand up. He tossed down his napkin on his plate and grabbed the milk.
“Who?” he asked again.
Will bowed his head, laughing louder this time as his body shook. I looked up, seeing Damon, smiling wide and looking smug.
I wanted to fold into myself and disappear. That stung.
I must’ve been amusing today. A momentary distraction for Michael, and now it was back to being nothing but something to sidestep as we passed each other in the house.
Trevor’s anger radiated, and I stared ahead while they all got up from their chairs, laughing and gloating as they followed Michael out of the dining room.
I wasn’t sure who I was most angry with: Trevor or them. At least I knew what Trevor wanted. He didn’t mind-fuck me.
Trevor sat back down, hard breaths making his chest rise and fall fast.
I pushed my plate away, no longer hungry. “Trevor…” I started, feeling guilty, but I didn’t know what else to do with him. “I’m not yours. I’m not anyone’s.”
“You’d fuck him in a heartbeat if he looked at you twice.”
I scowled, hardening my jaw. I was sick of being pushed around. Shoving back my chair, I bolted up and stormed out of the dining room.
My eyes burned with anger, and I charged across foyer, noticing the door leading to the garage open. I glanced up, seeing Michael toss a black duffel to Kai who stowed it in the G-class.
He turned his hooded eyes on me but then immediately dropped them, carrying on with loading his car as if I weren’t there.
I jogged up the stairs and powered down the hallway to my room. Slamming the door closed behind me, I breathed hard, shaking and running my fingers over the top of my hair, trying not to cry.
I needed to get out of here.
The Crist house was becoming a cage. I constantly had to fend off one brother while putting up a front of indifference with the other, and I needed some fun.
Noah. He was no doubt hitting the warehouse tonight. I’d call him and see when he was leaving.
Slipping off my flats and tearing off my uniform, I opened a dresser drawer and dug out some clothes I kept here. I unhooked my bra, discarding it on the floor.
My skin crawled, and I yanked on a tank top and pair of jeans, wanting nothing more than to scream my fucking lungs off.
Assholes. All of them.
Slipping on some sneakers, I grabbed my black hoodie off the hook in the closet and hurried back down the stairs, hearing the shower running in the bathroom as I passed. The guys were probably getting ready to leave.
I grabbed my phone and keys from the entryway table and left through the front door, pulling on my hood and stuffing my hands into the front pocket of my sweatshirt.
Only October 30th, and the chill in the air already had a bite. Nearly all the trees were bare, and all the brown, orange, yellow, and red leaves that had fallen now graced the lawn. Mrs. Crist never made the gardeners remove them, knowing it would be the last bit of color we’d enjoy before the snow started in a few weeks.
The cold washed over me, and I slowly started to calm as I walked down the driveway.
The towering branches above, like veins across the sky, melted together, creating a bare, dead canopy over the driveway that would be right at home in any Tim Burton film. I half-expected to see some creepy fog floating across the ground at me.
Jack-‘o-lanterns lined the driveway, glowing with their firelight, and I inhaled the smell of burning wood coming from somewhere. There were several bonfires going tonight, everyone either enjoying the mischief or taking part in it.
There were also some parties, and I hoped Noah was up for some fun tonight. I needed a distraction.
Reaching the big gate, I stuck my key into the adjoining door which allowed anyone on foot to enter or exit without needing to disturb Edward, the butler, to open the larger gate. I used it often, since my home was close enough to walk back and forth, and Michael used it, since he took jogs off the property.
Closing the smaller gate—it automatically locked behind me—I turned left and kept to the side of the road as I made my way home.
My hair spilled out of the hoodie, hanging down my chest on both sides as I hurried down the black pavement. It was already dark out, but the roads weren’t completely without light. Lanterns from the Crist estate on the other side of the rock wall and—soon—lights from my family’s property offered some comfort from the fear of being out here alone. Especially with the desolation of having nothing but a forest to my right on the other side of the road.
When you were scared, your senses grew sharper. Fireflies in the night might look like a pair of eyes or the wind in the trees might sound like whispers. I walked faster, feeling the chill seep through my jeans.
But looking ahead, I spotted lights falling across the dark road. I spun around, seeing a car slowing to a stop right behind me.
I pinched my eyebrows together, my heart thumping harder in my chest as I kept walking backward.
What were they doing? They were on the wrong side of the road.
I chewed my bottom lip, holding my hand over my eyes to shield them from the bright headlights. I continued to back away, ready to bolt if I needed, but I stopped, seeing the driver’s side door open and black boots hit the pavement.
Michael stepped in front of the headlights, wearing jeans and the same black hoodie from today.
What was he doing?
“Get in the car,” he ordered.
My stomach flipped at his command. Get in his car?
I turned my eyes on the windows, seeing the three dark forms of Kai, Will and Damon inside.
But I steeled myself, having had enough whiplash from Michael today. He finally says more than two words to me and then turns around and acts like he doesn’t even know my name at the dinner table?
“Don’t bother,” I told him, not even trying to hide my sneer. “I can make my own way home.”
And I turned around, heading for my house.
“We’re not taking you home,” he said, his voice dark.
I stopped and turned my head, my heart thumping in my chest. His light brown hair, still wet from his shower, shined in the light, and I saw a dare in his eyes.
He turned around and walked for the passenger door, right behind the driver’s seat, and opened it.
I pivoted my whole body back around, facing him.
His voice was soft and sultry. “Get in.”
I DUG MY FINGERS INTO MY THIGHS, trying to keep myself from fidgeting as the presence of four men, all more than six feet tall and well over one-eighty each, filled the pitch black interior of Michael’s SUV.
He sat in front of me, driving, while Kai sat next to him in the passenger’s seat. Will sat to my right, and I could feel his eyes on me.
But it was Damon at my back that made the hair on my neck stand up. I tried to ignore the tension, but I couldn’t resist. I inched my chin over my shoulder anyway and glanced at him sitting in the bench seat behind me.
I immediately wanted to hide.
His dead eyes were on me as smoke drifted out from between his lips, floating above him, and it scared the shit out of me how calm he was. Both of his arms hung around the back of the seat, and he tipped his chin down, just holding my gaze.
I quickly turned back around again, spotting Will next to me, chewing a piece of gum and grinning at me like a cocky little shit who knew I was about to piss myself.
I wondered if they knew why Michael picked me up.
Let the Sparks Fly by Thousand Foot Krutch blared out of the speakers, cutting into my ears, and I forced myself to calm down, inhaling a slow, deep breath.
We drove through town, passing restaurants and local hangouts bus
tling with teenagers, and continued into the country. After twenty minutes of nothing but loud music, Michael turned down the radio and veered up a dark, gravel road, his SUV slowly climbing the steep incline into the trees.
Where the hell were we going?
We weren’t in Thunder Bay anymore, but we weren’t that far outside of town, either. I’d never been up here or hung out in the smaller communities outside of ours.
Will reached down between his legs and dug into a black duffel, pulling out masks.
I watched as he tossed Damon’s black one to him, tapped Kai on his shoulder, handing him his silver one, and set Michael’s red one on the console between him and Kai.
Will smiled at me, flaring his eyes like a little devil before slipping his horrid white mask over his face.
Jesus, what were we doing?
I prayed that I wouldn’t have to watch them jump some poor guy who’d mistakenly offended them or witness them robbing a jewelry store. Not that I’d ever heard of them doing things like that, but I really had no idea what I was in for.
I definitely knew we weren’t merely toilet-papering a car or spray-painting a street sign, though.
Or maybe it wasn’t “we”. Maybe they didn’t want me to do anything with them at all. Who knew why I was here? Maybe I was the getaway driver. Maybe the lookout.
Maybe the bait.
“Hey, Michael?” I heard Will’s muffled voice. “She doesn’t have a mask.”
I shot my eyes up to the rearview mirror, seeing Michael’s gaze meet mine, a hint of a smile on his face.
“Uh-oh,” he taunted, and Kai laughed at his side. I folded my arms over my chest, trying not to look nervous.
We pulled to a stop on what looked like an abandoned street. I peered out the windows and took in the small, old houses—broken, dilapidated, and dark—with their broken windows and crumbling roofs.
“What is this place?” I asked as Michael shut off the car.
Damon’s large body climbed up from the back, following Will out of the car, and before I knew it I was left alone.
Twisting my head, I saw them step onto a worn lawn in front of a house, Michael having put on his mask, as well.
Were there people up here? The tiny community appeared deserted, so why wear masks?
I hesitated a moment before letting out a sigh and opening the door. I’d kept my hood up, but I pulled it further down over my eyes, just in case.
The light breeze blew my hair as I walked around the car, and I looked up, seeing Will carrying the duffel bag into a house, followed by Damon and Kai.
There was no door.
I stuffed my hands into my middle pocket, stopping next to Michael, who simply stared at the crumbling structure. His hood was drawn, covering his hair, and only the small amount of light coming from the moon showed the red profile of the mask. Inside the house, I saw flickers of light. The boys must have flashlights.
I clutched the small box in my pocket, hearing the wooden matchsticks inside jiggle. I’d forgotten I slipped them in there the last time I wore the sweatshirt.
Michael turned his head and looked down at me, his eyes nearly black voids that I could barely make out. My heart caught in my throat, and I felt like I’d been flipped upside down.
That damn mask.
He reached into my sweatshirt pocket, and I pulled my hands out, wondering what he was doing. He took out the matchbox and held it in his palm.
“Why do you have these?” he asked. He must’ve heard them shake in my pocket, too.
I shrugged, taking the matchbox back. “My dad collected matchboxes from restaurants and hotels when he went on business trips,” I told him, sliding open the box and bringing it up to my nose. “I took a liking to the smell. It’s like…”
Without thinking, I closed my eyes and inhaled through my nose, the sulfur and phosphorous instantly making my smile.
“Like what?”
I closed the box and looked up, feeling lighter for some reason. “Like Christmas morning and sparklers rolled into one. I kept the collection close to me after…”
After he died.
I kept all of the little matchboxes in an old cigar box, but I started carrying one with me after he died.
I stuffed the box into my pocket again, realizing I’d never told anyone that before.
I peered up at him, narrowing my eyes. “Why did you bring me along tonight?”
He faced forward, staring at the house again. “Because I meant what I said in the catacombs today.”
“That’s not what it sounded like at the dinner table,” I argued. “I’ve known you my entire life, and you act like you barely know my name. What is it with you and Trevor, and why do I get the feeling that…”
He stared ahead, unmoving. “That what?”
I dropped my eyes, thinking. “That it has something to do with me.”
Michael finally took notice of me today. He’d told me things that I’d only ever dreamed of hearing, and he put into words everything I was feeling.
And then at dinner, with Trevor, he’d shut down again. Just like the old Michael. I wasn’t even in the room to him. Did I have something to do with why he and Trevor never got along?
But then I shook my head. No. That would be ridiculous. I wasn’t that important to Michael. His and Trevor’s issues stemmed from something else.
He remained silent, not answering, and my cheeks heated with embarrassment. I shouldn’t have said that. God, I was a stupid kid.
I didn’t wait for him to answer or continue to ignore me. Climbing the small incline into the yard, I stepped onto the porch, hearing it whine like a dying animal under our weight as Michael fell in behind me. Hurrying into the house, I spotted the boys flashing their lights around and exploring the various rooms.
A ripe, pungent scent hit my nose, and I winced as I looked around and took in the old house.
The place was uninhabitable.
Old furniture, stained and ripped, was strewn about, while piles of wooden debris, looking like it had once been chairs and other furniture, sat in corners. Probably waiting to be used as firewood.
All the windows I could see were broken, and I dropped my eyes, seeing garbage and puddles on the floor among small glass vials, pipes, and needles.
I twisted up my lips, hating this place already.
Why would Michael want to come here? I couldn’t deny that dark and dangerous held a lot of allure, but old filthy mattresses on the floor, stained with fuck-knows-what, and dirty needles strewn about?
This place was ugly. I didn’t want to be here.
I cocked my head, peering in front of me and seeing an open door ahead. When one of the guys’ flashlights danced across the room, I vaguely made out spray paint on a white wall inside the door. It looked like the entry to a basement.
I definitely didn’t want to go down there, either.
But then I lurched forward, a body passing mine, shoving my shoulder.
“You shouldn’t be here,” Will warned, walking past and looking over his shoulder at me. “This house isn’t safe. A girl got violated here a few months ago.”
“Raped,” Damon taunted, whipping around to stand in front of me and getting in my face. I immediately reared back.
“She was drugged and taken downstairs.” He jerked his head behind him, gesturing to the basement, with thrill in his eyes.
My breath shook as I swallowed the lump in my throat.
A girl got attacked here? I pinched my eyebrows together, fear speeding up my breathing.
“Yeah,” I heard Kai’s voice at my back, “she was tied up, stripped naked...Can’t tell you how many guys went at her. They were lining up for their turns.”
I spun around, backing up in the other direction as Kai inched toward me with a look in his eyes.
But then I ran into another body at my back and stopped. This time it was Will, his green eyes heated as he cocked his head down at me like a challenge.
What the hell were the
y doing?
I whipped my head around, seeing Damon close in, too, his black eyes looking like a void in the darkness of his mask.
Kai looked up, asking Will in a light voice, “I don’t even think they caught them all, did they?”
“No,” Will said playfully, “I think there’s still a few running around loose.”
“Like four.”
I heard Michael’s threat, and I jerked my head, widening my eyes as he closed in on my side, completing the cage.
Shit. My lungs emptied, my heart jackhammered in my chest, and I caught sight of the dirty mattress sitting on the floor.
Bile rose in my throat.
But then all of a sudden, laughter broke out, and I jerked my eyes up, seeing their bodies shaking with amusement as they backed away from me.
“It’s just a crack house, Rika,” Michael assured. “Not a rape site. Relax.”
They were kidding? I crossed my arms over my chest, scowling.
Assholes.
My stomach was tight with knots, and I inhaled a few deep breaths to get my nerves under control.
I watched as they all squeezed kerosene on the walls, floors, and around the debris, and even though it didn’t take a genius to guess what they were doing, I kept my concerns quiet. I wasn’t sure if I was having fun yet, but I didn’t want to argue or try to stop them and lose the foot in the door I’d somehow gained.
Not yet, anyway.
“Fire up!” Michael called out. ”Time to clean out the garbage.”
They all came to stand next to me, all of us facing into the house, and I watched as they lit matches, the glow of the small fires lighting up their masks.
Michael’s hazel eyes flickered in the light, and my heart skipped.
Digging into my middle pocket, I pulled out my matchbox and lit a match, the burst of flame consuming the tip.
I smiled to myself, looking around at all the shit on the floor and thinking about all the bad stuff that had probably happened in this house. Given the amount of drug debris laying around, I guessed violence had come with it, too. People had probably been abused here.
Maybe even children.
I turned my head right, seeing Michael watching me. Looking to my left, I saw Kai and Damon staring at me as well. Will held up a cell phone, clearly recording what was about to happen.
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