Page 49 of Broken Princess
Five minutes later, I reached the end of the tunnel. It was closed off with an oak door, unlocked like all the others, and on the other side lay a snow-dusted path. A tall wrought iron gate lay at the end of the path, guarded by two men in white outfits, each holding semi-automatic weapons. A hulking manor loomed about a quarter-mile beyond the gate.
It was the same Lilith Hall I saw in the old photo earlier.
I was right to believe that it hadn’t really burned down. Every light in the palatial place was on, and I could see people wandering the halls and grounds. Way off in the distance, a helicopter was landing in a field, and another was taking off at the same time. I could see several planes as well, with airstairs jutting out the sides. I couldn’t tell whether the people on the stairs were getting on or off the planes, because they were too far away, but either way, it seemed obvious that the place was a hive of activity.
I looked to the left and then the right with furrowed brows, searching for a way up to the mansion that would allow me to skip the guarded gate. It wasn’t possible. Both sides of the tunnel exit were fenced off, so the only way to go was forward.
I took a deep breath, lowered my hood, and smoothed down my jacket and pants. There was only one way to play this, and that was to march right up there like I owned the place.
With a neutral expression plastered on my face, I trudged up to the gate and nodded briefly at the guards. “Evening.”
“Good evening, sir,” one of them replied, eyeing me warily. “Please state your business.”
I raised a brow. “You know why I’m here. The auction.”
“Do you have the papers to prove it?” the other said, shifting his weight.
I scoffed and narrowed my eyes, giving him the most withering look I could muster up. “Are you kidding? Do you have any idea who I am?”
“Sorry, sir. We can’t let you pass without proper documentation, no matter who you are.”
I sneered and took a step back. “You know Liz Thorne, right? Tall, blonde. Used to be Liz Hale. She owns this place. Runs it, too.”
“Uhh… yes, sir,” the first guard replied.
“Well, she’s my mother,” I said, whipping my wallet out. I grabbed my driver’s license and held it right up to his face. “Is that good enough for you?”
He took the ID card and eyed it with a frown. “Hm. You really are Logan Thorne.”
“Yes.”
“Well, I’m very sorry, Mr. Thorne,” he began in a reluctant tone. “But we can’t let anyone in without express permission, even Mrs. Thorne’s relatives, and I don’t recall anyone informing us of your visit tonight.”
I shrugged. “Fine. I get it. I’ll call Mom and ask her to come down here to let me in. She probably won’t be happy, but like you said… I can’t come in without permission, right?”
Without waiting for a response, I pulled my phone out and pretended to dial a number. The guards exchanged nervous glances, and one of them finally held up a palm. “Wait, sir… it’s okay. I’m sure we can make an exception for Mrs. Thorne’s son.”
“Are you sure?” I asked, cocking my head to the side. “I really don’t mind calling her and getting her to come down here. She doesn’t hate the cold thatmuch.”
“No, it’s all right. Just go through,” he said, hurriedly stepping aside as the other guard fumbled with the lock on the gate.
I gave them a thin smile and headed through. When I reached the other side, I turned around and snapped my fingers to get their attention again. “Look, I understand that you were just doing your job, so I won’t tell my mother about this trouble. Okay?”
They both nodded, and the one on the right let out an audible sigh of relief. “Yes, sir. Thank you.”
My promise to keep them out of trouble with their boss ensured their reciprocal silence about my arrival.
When I finally reached the manor, I headed up to a side entrance and slipped inside, being careful to keep my head down in case my mother showed up somewhere nearby.
Even though this place was obviously a viper’s nest, I had to admit it was beautiful. The hardwood floors in the passage stretching ahead of me were bathed in golden candlelight from the ornate candelabras that hung from the ceiling, and high windows with stained glass and oil paintings lined the paneled walls. An expansive foyer with marble tiles and a grand double staircase lay at the end.
On one side of the foyer, there was a table with black and gold Venetian masks. I took one and slipped it on, grateful for the disguise. Then I ventured farther into the mansion, taking a right down a wide hall which seemed to run all the way through the ground floor.
The doors around me were open and the rooms were buzzing with activity. Masked men in various states of undress were fucking or playing with submissive, smooth-skinned girls who looked like they were barely out of their teens. There were a few masked women there too, lying in the laps of naked young men.
None of the naked young people in the rooms were smiling with pleasure or grimacing with pain. Instead, they were completely devoid of expression. Their impassive eyes stared ahead as they were fucked from behind or beaten with braided whips, like nothing was even happening to them. They weren’t making any noises, either.
With my lips set in a grim line, I kept heading down the hall, deeper and deeper into the den of iniquity.
