Page 54 of Haunted Prey

I stared at him, confused. Before I could ask where exactly that was, the pair from before finally located us and entered the room.

“Time to go,” said Clown-face.

I shook my head, still scared, but Emery lifted me into his arms easily.

As he held me close, he followed the pair out into the passage. They slipped through the Labyrinth as if they already knew it by heart.

Instead of taking the stairs, they steered to the right toward a door I hadn’t noticed. As one of them pulled it, the elevator by the stairway opened.

“Eve!” Lena wheeled out and came toward us. “What the fuck—” she stopped, her eyes widening in horror.

“Fucking hell,” Clown-face said. He stepped around us, taking out a knife hidden somewhere on him.

Somehow, I was able to snap out of my daze in order to shout at him. “Don’t touch her!”

Clown-face ignored me, flipping the knife so the blunt side was aimed toward Lena. He raised his arm, ready to strike. “Sorry, lovely.”

Lena gasped, backing into a wall.

“Lez,” Emery called, and Clown-face stopped to look at him.

“She’s seen us leaving with her,” Clown-face said. “She’s her friend—she’s going to talk. I told you, if anyone who knew her saw us take her, they’d have to go.”

Emery’s hands tightened around me. “Bring her.”

Clown-face laughed as he dropped his arm. “You can’t be serious.”

The silent one in the black mask tapped on the door and pointed at his watch.

“Do it.” Emery seethed.

“Motherfucker,” Clown-face said, sheathing his knife. Even with the mask, I could tell how exasperated he was. He went toward Lena, and I snarled at him like a damn cat, warning him again not to touch her.

Once more, he ignored me. Lena swiped at him, and he caught her arm to pull her up. She went to scream, but he quickly shoved his hand over mouth. She struggled against his hold, but he remained calm as he adjusted her into a position to carry her.

“Don’t hurt her!” I squirmed in Emery’s grip but he held me tight.

“Dom, get the chair,” Clown-face ordered. The silent one did as asked. With us in tow, they slipped through the door. They made their way down the dimly lit passage, then up another set of stairs that led into a garage full of storage. They made their way out to the back alley until we came upon—

My blood went cold.

The Mustang with the red stripe down its side.

Severfalls.

No, I won’t go back.

I tried to rip myself from Emery’s arms. Not my Emery. He wouldn’t do this to me. This phantom son of a bitch betrayed me. I swung at him, catching him on the jaw, but he refused to let me go. He pulled me onto his lap in the car, trying to calm me, but I refused.

Lena was fighting her own battle as Clown-face went around the other side and mirrored us, forcing Lena on his lap. Only, he wasn’t having any of it. He pulled out his knife again and set it against her chest. “Quit fighting. I really don’t want to use this.”

She did stop, albeit while trembling and cursing under her breath over and over.

The trunk behind us slammed shut as the silent guy put Lena’s chair in the back. Then he got in the driver seat and started the car.

I should have been there for her. I should have been the one comforting her. That was my damn job. But I was so afraid they were taking us back to Severfalls, that I was going to be locked up and put under, I couldn’t think straight for one second. I hit the phantom, screamed in his face just like I had before, what felt like ages ago at my family home. Even then, Emery held me without a word.

And no amount of anger from me or pleas from Lena stopped the driver from pulling out onto a street, driving off into the dark, and taking us away.

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