Page 4 of Obey

“Devil,” I breathed. The beating, the rough carpet, the handcuffs...

It was classic Devil. Letting me know exactly where I stood and exactly what he could have done to me. And demonstrating in the most direct way possible that I couldn’t get away from it.

I’d known there was a chance I’d fall into his hands again with my plan.

But I hadn’t truly thought it would happen. I’d thought I would be killed trying to kill him, and I’d never accepted the idea that I might become his prisoner again.

Now that I was here, I was terrified.

And furious. This wasn’t how it was supposed to have gone. I’d had a gun, dammit, and though I might be a horrible shot, I’d had a straight line right to his chest! I’d made that shot, he’d gone down, and...

And he’d gotten back up.

Well. I might have failed the first time, but I wouldn’t fail again. And now that I was sure I was in his camp somewhere, I had the ideal chance to take him out, once and for all.

First things first, I told myself. I had to figure out where I was and who was with me. I knew most of his people from my time with his crew, and if he’d left guards with me, I was betting I’d know them.

One look and I’d be able to figure out whether they were going to be of any use to me or not.

“Who’s out there?” I shouted. “Where the hell am I?”

Sure, they were stupid questions. No guard worth their salt would tell me who they were or where I was. But they’d almost certainly taunt me, probably show their face.

And that was all I really needed. To see who they were.

The door opened and a woman I only vaguely recognized appeared on the other side, all wild black hair and strong features. Her eyes were black as night, her mouth drawn down in a frown like talking to me was the last thing she wanted to do.

But if she was the guard on hand, she didn’t have much choice.

“Why are you shouting?” she hissed. “What do you want?”

Right. A man guarding me would have been more dangerous, perhaps, given how much bigger they were, but I’d always found men to be easier to manipulate.

A woman—and one I didn’t know—could prove to be a challenge.

Or she could be a hidden ally.

“Bathroom,” I said clearly. “I need the bathroom. Now.”

The woman looked closely at me like she was trying to figure out whether I was lying, but didn’t move.

“What do you think, you’re going to be able to tell whether I need to pee just be staring at me?” I asked, letting a bit of humor leak into my voice.

I might not be able to make her feel sorry for me. She’d be too clever for that. But I was betting I could make her sympathize with me.

She breathed out through her nose in something that wasn’t quite a laugh but also wasn’t as stern as it could have been. “Bathroom’s down the hall,” she said. “First door on the right. And there’s no way to get out of there except through the door. Which will be guarded.”

I tipped my head, wondering. That was a whole lot of information she hadn’t really needed to give me. “I’ll keep that in mind,” I answered carefully.

Her eyes narrowed and her lips thinned, but she didn’t say anything else. Instead, she walked toward me quickly, her leather pants squeaking as she walked. I eyed those pants, wondering if she actually had a bike of her own. She didn’t look like the sort of woman who would wear such uncomfortable pants just for fashion.

Or maybe she did. Her face was blank enough that I couldn’t get a good read on her. And actually...

She was shoving a key into the lock on my handcuffs now, her hands steady at their job, and I realized that in a moment, I was going to be free. In just a second, if I timed it right, I could jump up, run for the door, and—

I twitched, my body moving ahead of my brain, and went with it, jerking my wrist out of the handcuff and sprinting for the door before I could think any further. Get through that door, I realized, and I might be home free. This woman might be the only guard here, and she didn’t look fast. I just needed to get out of the house and into the wilderness, and I’d be able to hide.

Get away from anyone who took money from Devil. Find someone with a phone. Call Knight.