Page 85 of Pin-up Girl

I didn’t know that, I just knew I stayed as far away from them as I could, staying with Emmett or Milo almost every night. My parents tried to fight it in the beginning, but then they just…stopped, as if they were too saddled by their guilt to force me to see them.

“How did she die?” Elise whispered.

Justin laughed. “She also had bad luck. Anyone in Infinity may have let her live and just held you over her head. But he hated defiance in any form. From what I heard, after he took what was his, he strangled her.”

She twisted her head to the side like she was going to be sick. I wanted to help her, but I was too caught up in my own nightmare.

Suddenly, she screamed. It was tortured and hate-filled. Elise stood and yanked the gun from Derek’s hand, catching him completely off guard. Before anyone could move, she aimed the gun at Justin and fired, catching him right above his left eye.

Blood spattered the back wall, and he slumped over without a sound.

Chapter Twenty-Three

Emmett

“Let’s fucking go.” I called through the condo. Milo woke me up this morning and said it was time to collect our girl, but he was taking his sweet ass time.

“I’m done!” He came jogging out of the master bedroom, his keys in hand. “This early, we can probably get there in ten or fifteen minutes.”

“Speed,” I said as I followed him to the elevator. “She didn’t respond to any of my messages last night.”

Milo raised a brow as he checked his own phone. “Did you actually think she would?”

“Yeah. I thought she would know it didn’t actually happen and get over it.”

“And you’ve met Elise?”

The doors opened, and we stepped through. Every second that passed felt like a year. A nervous energy engulfed me, bringing out some of my worst fidgeting. I bit my thumb and shook my other hand by my side while I waited for the car to land. “Yeah, and she’d kick a Girl Scout to get her sister free. I’d think she’d understand why I did it.”

His head popped up. “She would not kick a Girl Scout.”

“Yeah, okay. You keep believing that. I know she’d do it, because I’d do it to save you guys.”

He grunted, but kept any other comments to himself.

“Anything from Frick and Frack? Legolas?”

He chuckled. “Yes. I had a nice message from Felix this morning letting me know what a nutcase I sent them home with. But she’s okay, that’s the important part.”

We both scanned the garage, looking for anything that even smelled like the organization. Then we were off. Speeding down the highway before taking a less traveled road into the foothills. Jules’ parents were more down to earth, in the fact that they didn’t have a sprawling estate like Milo’s dad or my parents. Not to say their house was small, it wasn’t. It was also secluded, just less flashy than ours.

They always seemed like they didn’t fit. It didn’t matter how they were though, we all hated them.

Milo entered the code at their gate, which was electronic instead of manned by an actual member of the staff. The driveway wasn’t paved, so he slowed down. Beautiful aspen trees lined the road, a stunning view with their yellow leaves and white bark against the light blue of morning.

“Did you let Jules know we were coming?” I drummed my fingers against the passenger door.

“Nope.” He took the long curve around the house with practiced ease, like he’d driven it a million times. But he hadn’t. None of us had. “Jules might have tried to tell us no, or taken her somewhere. I don’t think there’s too much he wouldn’t do when it comes to Elise.” His tone turned reflective as if he forgot I was here.

The front of the house came into view and Milo punched the gas, forcing us against the seats from the acceleration. “What the fuck?” I whispered.

A black Maserati was parked in front of the house. As we pulled up next to it, he craned his neck to see if anyone was inside.

“Nothing. Whoever came here, they’re all inside.”

“We don’t know if there was more than one person.” I turned in my seat to catch the front license plate as we drove by. “How do you know that’s not his parents home early?”

“They would park in the garage. Besides, Jules’ parents aren’t elite status.”

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