Page 93 of The Monster of Hotel No. 7
I turn to look at him as I hear chair legs scraping against the floor, but Sullen holds me tighter, gripping me harder and not letting me see.
“I’ve gotta make a call, but you all have fun without me,” Cosmo says.
Fuck no.
All at once, I push away sharply from Sullen, as if I’m suddenly awake after living in the haze of him. He releases me and I stumble into the table.
I hear Cosmo laughs as he asks, “You good, Karia? You need me totake care of you,fucked up as you are?”
I rub my fist against my eyes, turning to glare at him across the table.
Sullen’s hand comes to the back of my thigh, squeezing hard, like a warning. But Cosmo has his phone out, and I know what he’s going to do. His green gaze on mine as everyone stares at us, there’s a glint of cruelty in his eyes.
“I’ll… I’ll be right back.” I stumble over the words as I twist out of Sullen’s grip, then I’m rounding the table, crashing into the side of it, Fleet’s hands darting out to steady me.
Music plays through the speakers, pounding inside my head. “I Hate Everything About You,” but it’s distorted and garbled. The bass seems to pound in time with my heart as I reach Cosmo.
He’s grinning at me, holding his phone close to his chest. “You want me to do what he wouldn’t?” he asks, arching a brow.
Fuck you.
But before I can say anything, something louder,deeper,rolls over our head.
The storm raging aboveground seems to shake the entire Emporium, rattling down through the basement. The lights flicker, but only for a moment.
That rolling thunder rumbles again.
The lights flick once more.
It’s like I’ve done this before.
Duplicity.Doubleness.
I turn to look at Sullen.
Maude’s mouth is too close to his face, even though she’s not touching him.
I want to leap back across the table. I want to break a wine glass and cut her with the shards.
“You want me to invite Isa over after I tell her who’s here and we get rid of the trash?” Cosmo asks softly, his voice a low drawl.
“You?” I counter, turning to stare at him.
He smiles down at me, phone still cradled to his chest. “Actually, I was thinkingyou.”He flicks his gaze up and down my body. “You’re looking a little messy right now, baby.” He jerks his chin, indicating the storage room. “Let me clean you up. You can call Isa with me. You should be happy I’m not breaking his neck myself. I thought the little princess of Writhe had a heart, unlike the rest of them.”
I ignore that. I feel a little heartless at the moment. Like I wouldn’t mind if Sullen pulled both Cosmo’s and Maude’s spines from their backs.
As it is, no one is watching us anymore. No one but Sullen.
“If they come, theywilltake me. If you call Isa, you’re fucking me over too.” I speak lowly as my chest grows tight when I glance across the table and see Maude lean in to whisper against Sullen’s ear. The way Sullen stiffens, I can only imagine what she’s saying.
“No,” Cosmo stupidly insists. “I won’t let that happen.”
“You can’t stop them.” I speak the words to Cosmo but I’m staring at Sullen. That same strange sense of déjà vu rolls over me again, despite the fact nothing is anything I’ve ever experienced before.
But Cosmo laughs beside me, and I know what he’s going to do.
He’s going to ruin us all. Sullen most.
