Page 64 of Haunted Prey

“I cannot believe this,” came the woman’s voice. “I didn’t think you’d actually bring her here. And with her friend? What the fuck were you thinking?”

“Ask him,” said a familiar voice. Clown-face, or Lez, as Emery had called him. “He’s been adamant about grabbing her.”

“I told you,” Emery said, low and threatening. “I wanted Eve with me. That was the deal.”

The woman laughed. “Deal? We never agreed upon a deal. Micheal said he’d consider getting her out when the time came.”

“Yeah, well, she got out,” Lez answered. “And Dom kept an eye on her for us.”

“And that was it! We were going to watch her and discuss with Micheal the next move. You idiots couldn’t wait, huh?”

There was a tapping sound and a brief pause of silence.

“Dom says this was the best move,” said Lez a moment later. “Cops and Severfalls security were out for her. She’s got information we could use. If she got nabbed again and locked up, we wouldn’t have this edge. Plus, Emmy over here was starting to get on my nerves with all the stalking and pacing. Dom tracked them to some party, and we made a split decision.”

“Without me or Micheal,” the woman snapped.

“I was going whether anyone wanted to or not and no one was stopping me,” Emery snapped back. “Dom agreed to help, and Leslie wasn’t letting Dom go without him.”

“Doesn’t mean I agreed with what we were doing,” Lez remarked.

Another tapping sound and short pause.

“Dom says—”

“I don’t care!” the woman yelled. “You all did this without talking with the rest of us.”

“Cassidy, we’ll figure this out,” Andrea chimed in calmly. “For now, they’re here.”

“They aren’t one of us. You brought a Martel into our den, of all fucking people.”

“She’s not responsible for what happened to us,” Emery growled.

“Oh, yeah? Guess you’d know, wouldn’t you?”

I peered around into the main room just in time to see Cassidy in a police uniform, and Emery, in the black long-sleeve shirt and combat pants from the night before, almost nose tonose, glaring at each other. The others hung around them with their backs turned to me. I stopped just within the shadows. Lena stayed behind me.

“As hard as this is, inside information could be vital,” Andrea argued as Emery and Cassidy looked like they wanted to rip each other's throats out. “Eve knows things and that will help when we make our move.”

Cassidy’s eyes narrowed. “Right, can’t make them go now since that would compromise us. No thanks to you,” she hissed at Emery. “Had to have your little toy, didn’t you? Had to have your little revenge first. Too obsessed to give a fuck about the rest of us and what we’ve been fighting for. But we will get something out of her, mark my words.” Emery glared at her as she jabbed his chest with one finger. “I say we get what info we can while we can. Then they stay locked up till we’re done with Severfalls.”

“I’m not opposed to this,” said Leslie, crossing his arms.

Emery smirked, leaning down, getting close so they were eye to eye. “You honestly think I’d let you lock her up like she’s a prisoner?” He tilted his head. “Eve stays with me. If she wants to talk, she will, but she isn’t your hostage, she isn’t getting locked in a room. And if you want to fight me on this, I gladly will.”

They glared at each other again; Cassidy not giving in despite how terrifying Emery looked, yellow eyes filled with fire.

“We wait for Micheal,” Andrea said, trying to keep the peace. “We’ll talk things over then.”

I must have moved in some small way because Emery’s eyes left Cassidy and met mine. He straightened, the fire in his gaze still burning, but now he looked less angry.

The others grew silent as they turned and looked at me and Lena.

“Great,” Cassidy said under her breath. “Well, I’m tired.” She broke past Andrea and Lez, coming toward me. “I’ll be in myroom. I’ll shoot anyone who comes in unannounced. Wake me when Micheal is here.”

She slipped past me and Lena without another word as if we were a piece of furniture.

I stood there, unable to speak. Cassidy, whose photo I remembered seeing with the dozens of others in the files in Dad’s safe. The videos of her as a child as they made her do puzzles down in the basement of the warehouse. She was alive. And she hated me.

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