Page 49 of Road to Redemption

“Maybe we were here at the same time.”

“I don’t know,” Kiera laughed. “I think I would have remembered an annoying little weirdo bouncing off the walls.”

With that, she headed for the saloon door, leaving Leo, Dom, and I to handle the car.

“What makes you think I was a weirdo? I was super cool!” I scoffed.

“You’re a weirdo now, Spencer.” She rolled her eyes.

“A cool one?” I asked, nearly tripping over Lady as I sped after Kiera.

But she wasn’t laughing anymore. Her eyes were locked on an old piece of parchment nailed to the saloon door, dripping with red… ink?

Please god, let that be ink.

I had half a mind to rush ahead of her and grab the note, but she was already on it by the time that Leo asked, “What is it?”

“A warning…” Kiera bit her lip before passing it over to Dom. I pushed in beside her, reading the runny scrawl over her shoulder:

The light cleanses what the night claims. Don’t come out after dark. Unless you’d like to play.

28

KIERA

The note felt heavy in my hand, the ink still wet.

If it is ink.

Goosebumps rose on my skin as I looked at the closed saloon-style doors. The vibes of this whole park made it seem entirely likely that it was blood. An animal’s at the very least. But knowing who The Oracle associated with, it wouldn't be a shock if it was human.

From behind me, Leo’s brows furrowed. “This is the safehouse?”

I couldn’t stop myself from looking over my shoulder, checking every movement in my periphery. “Whole place is creeping me out.”

Dom pushed past us. “Crazy motherfuckers will scare off any threats.”

She knows more about them.

As usual, Dom had more information than the rest of us.

Before I could ask her, Dom threw open the rickety saloon doors. A plume of dust exploded into the air, forcing each of us to cover our faces as we stepped inside.

Coughing, Spencer tried to look around the dusty saloon. “How cozy.”

“Let’s go.” Dom grumbled as she moved through the abandoned bar.

Dust covered empty beer bottles on the table, a stool knocked over next to an old-timey piano. In the dust were broken chairs, sharpened legs with dark brown stains on the points.

“Seriously, what the fuck?” I gasped as I stopped in my tracks.

Uninterested in answering, Dom pushed on toward a staircase leading to a mezzanine that overlooked the kitschy saloon.

But I jogged ahead and grabbed Dom’s shoulder. “I’m not kidding. Where the fuck are we?”

Dom whipped around on her heels, a few steps ahead of me and towering over me more than usual. “Friends of friends, Viper. Don’t be ungrateful. They’re doing us a favor and we’re going to be gracious guests.”

The snarl didn’t leave much room for negotiating. Instead, Dom pushed up the stairs and toward a shiny metal door.