Elliot smiles slightly. “You won’t be expected to do anything strenuous yet. Your first few days are for observation.”
I swallow hard. “Observation for what?”
“For how you adjust.”
Their table manners are perfect. Their voices stay relaxed. It creates a false calm that makes my skin crawl.
Sophie tilts her head. “You should know that we eat together every night. It helps with discipline. It also keeps everyone accountable.”
“Accountable for what?” I ask.
That earns a short laugh from Knox. “You’ll learn.”
Asher cuts into his chicken. “We have fun here…You’ll see.”
Fun. The word feels wrong.
Elliot rests his hands on the table. “Brooke, I want this transition to be smooth. You aren’t exactly a prisoner. You’re a participant.”
I hold his stare. “I didn’t volunteer to be here.”
“You’re right,” he chuckles. “But you’re here now so why not make the best of it?”
My palms grow sweaty. I force myself to breathe evenly and eat more.
Sophie speaks again. “There are house rules, but nothing unreasonable.”
I glance at the television mounted on the wall. “Can we watch the news?”
There has to be coverage by now. The Everspring Hotel massacre. 50 something people dead. A public tragedy. A bloodbath. If Seth is still alive, I’ll see it in a headline.
If he isn’t, I’ll know that too.
Elliot shakes his head. “No. Not tonight.”
“Why?”
“Because tonight is about us,” he says. “We are getting to know you. And you’re getting to know us. The outside world doesn’t matter right now.”
He sets the drink down and picks up the remote. “How about some music instead?”
He clicks it once.
“Goodbye Horses” by Q Lazzarus starts playing over the speakers—smooth, eerie, and instantly unsettling. I know this song.Silence of the Lambs. The skin suit scene. They are playing it on purpose. My skin crawls, heart pounding harder with every note, like the room is closing in, like someone is watching and waiting for me to break.
The door opens.
A guard enters and leans down to whisper something in Elliot’s ear. Elliot nods, eyes still on me.
“Bring tonight’s entertainment.”
The guard leaves without a word.
Knox turns slightly in his seat, studying me. “So John. He’s not your blood uncle, is he?”
I shake my head once.
He smirks. “Figured.”
