Page 29 of Splitting Secrets
My eyes remain on the council as I’m replaying the memory in his mind, though I keep him locked in my peripherals. I’m tracking the discomfort in his face as his eyes ping around the room in search of whatever is holding him hostage in this memory.
It scared the shit out of him. So much so, he’s unsure if he’s going to share what happened with James when he asks for confirmation that he followed the order and killed Matilda.
I file that little bit of information away for later, then set the intention for him to keep it to himself.
I play the memory over again three more times to ensure I’ve absorbed every detail before I release my grip on his psyche. It’s been so long since I’ve tuned in to the argument happening around me, I have no idea what they’re debating at this point. Based on the constant back and forth between the members and the council, I can guess they still haven’t reached an agreement.
So, I take the opportunity while they’re distracted to slip out the door behind me and rush through the halls, toward the cells.
17
Sonny
Idon’t know how long it takes for me to wake. There’s never been a way to tell how long we sleep down here, but it bothers me more now than it ever has before.
They killed Matilda. They did it to send me a message and I have no doubt they’ll be back to kill each of my friends off one by one, until they finally take me, too.
“Is everyone okay?” I call out, my voice hoarse.
“We’re fine,” Ava answers. “Areyouokay?”
“I’m okay,” I sigh.
“What happened?” Beatrix asks. “You went a little crazy, and then zonked out for a while.”
A while?Fuck. Time is too precious to have spent that long doing absolutely nothing.
I scramble up to my knees and get to work on feeling around for the key Raze told me to find.
“They killed Matilda,” I explain weakly. Saying the words aloud feels surreal. Have they come back to retrieve her body yet?
“Yeah, we gathered that much,” Beatrix snarks back. “What I’m asking is what the fuck happened to you to make you go completely psychotic? You had the lights flickering and everything.”
My hands pause their search. “That wasn’t me.”
“I’m pretty sure it was,” Beatrix insists. “You were screaming your head off.”
I purse my lips. That wasmescreaming? “I don’t know. It was like I felt every single thing Matilda was feeling. She was pouring it into me until I couldn’t take any more.”
“I thought you said yours and Poppy’s moms weren’t related,” Ava says suspiciously.
“They aren’t. We’re related through our fathers.” I do my best to answer without making it obvious that I’m scaling against every inch of my cell.
Raze didn’t mention if the key worked on their lock as well, or if he expected me to even attempt their rescue at all. I plan on trying regardless, but I don’t want to get their hopes up if it doesn’t end up working.
I also don’t want to hear their opinion on whether I should trust him.
If the key works, I’m leaving this place with them, no matter what. Whether I follow his rules and head to the cabin is still up for debate.
And I’ll leave that decision all of us to make together when I get us all out of here.
“Were they gifted?”
I laugh at that thought. My father and uncle grew up in a mobile home parked on a large lot of land. They were the absolute last choice for either woman to marry. Clearly, they didn’t come from the wealth and corruption that poisons this place. Just a single mom doing her best and a father who ran out on them.
“No, they were not from here.”
They’re silent for a beat too long.
