Page 90 of Run Like the Devil

“Currently? Twelve. Well, actually, I guess with you, it brings us up to seventeen! I don’t think we’ve ever had so many. People only show up here one at a time.”

“We ain’t staying,” Hale snarled.

“Most people say that, but they don’t mean it. A day or two here convinces them to stick around.” She opened the front door to the largest house at the end of the street, but when we walked inside, it appeared more like a lobby or communal space than an individual home.

I paused at the doorway, something telling me to be wary.

She turned back toward me, but the smile on her lips felt more dangerous than it had. Or maybe that was my own doubts, my own fears…

“We use this house for community meetings.”

“So no one lives here?”

“Well, the first of us lives upstairs here.”

“The first?” I asked.

“Yes. The one who founded this place, who created a safe place here in the Path for those of us who wait.”

“And what are you waiting for?”

Nona widened her smile, reminding me far too much of Yazmor. “Why don’t we discuss that over dinner? We’ll have a meal with the entire group, you can meet everyone, including the first, and ask all the questions you want. Until then, follow me.”

She headed to the left of the first room, and somehow the house seemed larger inside than it had outside. Was that some magic bullshit or was I just really bad at estimating sizes? Maybe a lifetime of men telling me that four inches was really eight had skewed my perceptions.

“There are open bedrooms here, changes of clothing inside them, and a bathing area. Please clean yourselves up and rest for a while—I’m sure it’s been a tiresome trip here. I’ll come back and get you when everything is ready for dinner.” She didn’t wait for us to agree before turning and leaving the house, closing the door behind her.

Yazmor made a low sound in his throat before he grasped the handle of the door and tried to open it.

Nothing.

He swung his arm at the door next, but it didn’t so much as groan beneath the hit.

Which meant that Nona had managed to lock us in here.

“I knew this place was bad news,” I muttered, then turned around.

“Where do you think you’re going?” Tyrus called out to me.

“If we’re trapped here anyways, I’m not missing the chance for a bath or a change of clothing.”

“You know we might die, right?” Hale asked with so much sarcasm I was a bit shocked he didn’t slice his own mouth on those sharp words.

“Yep, but if I’m going to die anyway, I might as well get to soak for a while first.”

* * * *

“They may be nutjobs who locked us in, but they have a pretty good sense of style.” I came out of the bathroom, brushing my hands down my front, over the incredibly soft fabric of the dress that I’d found in one of the closets.

Or maybe it was better to say that there were so many different types of clothing that something had to fit with my personal like.

I lifted my gaze when no one said anything to find all four men staring at me as if I’d come out naked.

No, wait, if I’d been naked, it would have been more lust—hopefully—and less confusion.

I glanced down at my front, wondering if I’d broken some unwritten rule. I’d picked a boho-style maxi dress because why the fuck not? It was made of the softest cotton I’d ever felt and was a mix of black and grays. I’d paired it with some boots, lined in fur. The whole outfit made me want to plant my ass in a hammock and nap in the sun.

But, given where I was, I had a feeling that both the hammock and the sun were far outside of my reach at the moment.

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