Page 45 of Sins of Autumn

Someone laughed.

“I have our dog. He’s coming home withus.”He paused, letting his words sink in before asking, “You want to go home, don’t you?”

I swallowed hard, my mind spinning. Was this a trick question? There was no way to tell, not with his mask concealing his every expression. He chuckled softly, able to read me without issue. “It’s a yes or no, Mint.”

I nodded once, forcing the words out. “I want to go home.”

As soon as I said it, I swear I felt him grin behind that mask.

His gloved fingers brushed my jaw tenderly.

“Good,” he murmured. “Let’s wrap this up then.”

Wilder straightened, his towering form casting an even darker shadow as he stepped back. He turned his head slightly, his tone shifting to one of calm “KJ.”

KJ.The name from their group chat? Why had I not tied that together until right then? She stepped forward, her mask eerily doll-like, her movements unnervingly graceful as if she were enjoying every second of this. She made her way to Liza, who was still tied to a chair, her face streaked with tears.

“No!” I yelled, my voice breaking as I saw what she was about to do. “No—don’t.”

KJ grabbed a fistful of Liza’s hair, yanking her head back with a vicious jerk. The chair rocked with the force of it.

Liza’s broken plea ended in a choked gurgle, KJ’s blade slashing a clean line across her throat.

Blood sprayed in rivulets, streaking across the mahogany table. Liza’s body jerked once, twice, before going limp and her head lolled forward. Muffled screams came from the others, their cries stifled by their gags. My mind screamed at me to do something, anything, unable to even process what I’d just witnessed.

Wilder’s voice broke through to me low and steady. “Lesson one, Mint, no one disrespects you and gets away with it. Not even your friends.”

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

I watched her closely, studying every flicker of emotion that crossed her face. The defiance was still there, simmering beneath the surface, tempered now by fear and temporary grief.

Across the room, Thorne circled Naija like a predator. He gripped her face and forced her to look at him. She squirmed in the chair, but his hold didn’t waver. Jason stirred, groaning as he began to wake. He was saying something, not realizing we couldn’t understand.

Lucian tugged his gag down. “Start again.”

His voice was weak, cracked with fear, but he managed to croak, “Why? Why are you doing this to us?”

KJ giggled. “Because it’s fun.”

There was no other explanation needed.

This was about control, about power, and about the simple fact that they’d been in the wrong place at the wrong time.

He wasn’t supposed to be on this trip.

Naija whimpered, and I turned my attention back to her. Thorne’s grip tightened, his fingers digging into her broken jaw until she whimpered. “You’re not going to beg?” he asked, his voice dripping with mock curiosity. “No desperate pleas for your life? No promises to do whatever we want?”

She spit at him. It was a weak attempt, but her intent was clear. Thorne laughed as he wiped the small blob from his mask. “Good answer. That makes this all the easier.” He pulled his knife free and plunged it into the center of her chest.

Her gasp was sharp, her body locking up as he twisted the blade, shoving it deeper until something cracked, her body convulsing and then going still. A small sob came from Cherish. Jason groaned again; his eyes now clearer, wide with horror as he took in Naija’s lifeless body.

“Fuck, you-you didn’t have to do that to her.” he stammered, his voice rising in pitch. He struggled against his restraint, his movements frantic but useless. He had to know it would be his turn soon. “Please… please, man. You don’t have to do this.”

“I want to do this,” I replied fluidly.

His head rolled back, and he laughed dryly. “Youfuckingpussy. At least make it a fair fight.”

What a change-up. “Fairness only benefits you. And in case that blow to the head scrambled your brain, it was a fair fight. You lost to a fire poker.”

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