A window directly below us creaks, and both Landon and I tense, turning to see over the banister.
“What the fuck?” Landon growls as a figure bedecked in black slips through the open window. They’re followed by a second, then a third, all their features obscured from view.
Panic pummels me.
POP?
Have they found us? Are they here? Have they known about this place the entire time? And if it’s not them…
Who the fuck is here?
I nimbly reach for the dagger I always keep in my hoodie pocket and move toward the stairs, Landon behind me.
It’s been way too fucking long since I’ve murdered someone.
A wicked smile tugs up my lips as I quicken my pace, each step purposeful.
The three figures are still standing by the window, talking in stilted voices. Beams of moonlight illuminate the ski masks on their faces.
Landon grabs one from behind and shoves his dagger to the person’s throat. A feminine squeal escapes her.
Without hesitation, I grab a different intruder and do the same. “Who the fuck are you, and why are you here?” I hiss in the person’s ear.
“Don’t hurt us!” a somewhat familiar woman screams. Where have I heard that voice before? It prickles at my awareness… “We’re just trying to find Ellie!”
“She borrowed my iPod a few months ago, and I was able to track it here,” the girl being held by Landon says, her voice shaking.
“Who the fuck has an iPod anymore?” Landon grumbles.
That voice…
I shove the intruder away from me, and immediately, she reaches for her ski mask, pulling it off her head and throwing it onto the ground. Shiny garnet hair cascades around her in waves as she glares at me.
“You don’t touch a lady without her permission!” Her French accent turns more pronounced in tandem with her agitation.
Landon quickly releases his intruder as well, taking a step backward. Shock splays across his face. “Victoria?” Disbelief rides his tone.
The other two women remove their ski masks as well, revealing Piper’s freshly dyed fuchsia hair and Jane’s blushing face.
“What the hell are you three doing here?” I demand.
But Piper ignores the question and stomps forward until she’s directly in front of me, wagging her finger in my face. “I think the better question is—what the hell are you two doingalive? Aren’t you fuckers supposed to be dead?!”
Oh.
Fuck.
23
ELLIE
“Reece?” I whisper-hiss, flying down the hall as fast as my legs can carry me.
The hallway seems to be never-ending, with numerous forks, rooms, and passageways for us to explore.
Reece could be in any of them.
“Reece?” I say again, this time softer. The last thing I want to do is draw attention to him if he’s nearby. I don’t see any of the other Paragon or Prosperity members, but that doesn’t mean they’re not nearby. Most left Kaila’s body as soon as the life dissipated from her eyes, but some…
