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SAGE
Iflew down the stairs and across the foyer, reaching the front door. Gripping the knob, I twisted it and then pulled. It didn’t budge.
“Come on,” I muttered, spotting the keyhole.
Geo was right. Only a key would open it. Maybe the kitchen door was unlocked, though I doubted it since it had been locked earlier. Eric had said there were many other rooms throughout the first floor. Maybe one of them had another door. Or a window I could slip out of.
Noise came from the great room, and I tiptoed closer to the cracked door. I needed to see the men who had murdered my sister. Because if I got out of here and went to the police, I wanted each face committed to memory. Holding my breath, I peeked through the opening.
There were five men sitting on the sofas. Two of the men looked older, maybe in their sixties. The other three were younger. A sour taste filled my mouth as my eyes fell on the guy on the edge of the couch. Not a guy—a kid. He couldn’t be older than twelve. They really did raise them in this life. I recognized the guy next to him. Eric. Of course, he was involved.
After staring for a couple more seconds, I realized I knew another one of the men. My blood ran cold. It was Detective Thomas. The man who oversaw the investigation of my mom’s death. Niko was right; they were everywhere. I quickly backed away from the door when Eric and one of the older men stood from the couch.
Glancing at the stairs, I was surprised the twins weren’t in sight. I was sure they were going to follow me. They were so arrogant. And they’d both been convinced there was absolutely no way out of this house. The fear that they might be right wouldn’t disappear as I ran into the dining room.
There were no lights on anywhere, except in the great room. I kept moving toward the kitchen, relying solely on the moonlight that was streaming in from the windows. Cracking the kitchen door open, I peeked in and checked that it was empty before stepping inside. The chair I had pushed against the basement door was lying on the floor.
My body sagged in defeat when the kitchen door was locked just like the other one. Scanning the kitchen, I looked for anything that could help me get out of here. It didn’t take long since the counters had nothing on them. I opened the drawer closest to me. Empty. Going to the next drawer, I pulled the handle, but it didn’t move. I brushed my fingers down the front, and I clenched my teeth. Another keyhole.
Filled with apprehension, I focused on the basement door. There were weapons down there. If anything, I could use one of those knives against anyone who tried coming after me.
The thought of going back to that room paralyzed me. Lacey’s screams were still haunting me, and going back down there was the last thing I wanted. My body trembled, and I glanced around again, hoping I somehow missed something I could use instead of going back down there. But there was nothing. Swinging the door open, I looked down the steps and took a deep breath, then I began moving again.
A sob caught in my throat as I reached the bottom of the stairs. I couldn’t break down yet. I had to wait until I survived this. For Lacey. Fear slid through me as I stepped into the room. It looked the same as when I had first come in here. But now I knew, and it would never leave my nightmares.
It was a room wrapped in evil and warped with pain.
There was a heaviness in the air that would never disappear. The back of the room was cast in darkness, and I didn’t even know if Lacey’s body was still down here. I forced myself to turn away, knowing I wouldn’t have the strength to leave if I saw her. My tears flowed freely as I went to the table with the knives.
The one I picked up looked like a five-inch blade and had a silver hilt. Good enough. I’d never handled more than a kitchen knife before, and it felt heavy in my hand as I looked for anything else to take. There were a few packs of matches on another table. I grabbed a pack and slid it into my pocket before turning toward the wall.
Crossing the room, I stopped in front of the book that Alex had forced me to read. After hesitating for a moment, I grabbed it and flipped to the end of the book. There were four names written on it; the newest one was dated from last August. I tore out the piece of paper, folded it, and shoved it in my back pocket with the matches.
For the last time, I looked to the back of the room. I wanted more than anything to lay eyes on my sister one more time. But I couldn’t. Because then I wouldn’t leave. My sanity was hanging on by a thread. If I saw her again, I’d fucking lose it.
Racing up the stairs, I stepped back into the kitchen and froze when a pounding came through the silence. I spun around toward the sound with my breath caught in my throat. It was coming from a small door on the other side of the kitchen. I was about to bolt from the room when I heard his voice. Running over as quietly as I could, I pulled the dead bolt free. Jamie nearly fell on top of me after he shoved his way out. A cry left me when he raised his fist, ready to attack until he realized it was me.
He pulled me from the floor as my eyes trailed over his wounds. There was a huge gash near his temple with dried blood all over the side of his face. A rush of guilt flooded me. I had thought this was all him.
“Jamie, we have to get out of here,” I whispered.
He nodded and spotted the knife in my hand.
“I was going to try and pry the door open with it.”
“Nothing is going to pry that door open. It’s reinforced or something. I tried,” he told me, holding his hand out. “Here, let me hold on to it. I’m sure I can do more damage with that than you can.”
I hesitated. “I think I’m going to hold it.”
“You still don’t trust me?” he hissed.
“I…would just feel better if I have it,” I said apologetically. I didn’t think he had anything to do with everything, but I couldn’t part with my only weapon.
“Did you find Lacey?”
Pain filled my chest, and I lowered my gaze. He didn’t know. I didn’t know if I could even tell him what happened. Not without breaking down.
I opened my mouth to somehow tell him, but we both went rigid as a noise came from the dining room. Panic swelled, and I fought against the hysteria trying to claim me.
“Come on. There’s another door,” Jamie said in a hushed voice. He grabbed my hand and pulled me to the far side of the kitchen. I silently hoped the door wouldn’t be locked as he twisted the knob. My heart raced as it opened, and the second I was through, I shut it behind me.
The large room was lit by a floor lamp. We kept moving, and I realized it was a library. There were five aisles of shelves, all filled with different types of books. In the corner was a reading area filled with oversized couches and chairs.
“I’m so sorry, Jamie. I feel so guilty that I thought you did all this,” I whispered, unable to handle the silence anymore. And I wanted to start the conversation before he asked about Lacey again. The old wood floors creaked when we moved faster, so we went slowly. Even though every bone in my body told me to run.
“Yeah, well, it was my idea to stay here,” he said bitterly.
“But I let my thoughts get the best of me. You were just acting so crazy upstairs—”
“They shot me up with something, but I didn’t get the full dose. It still messed me up though.”
“I’m sorry for doubting you. It was your idea for this whole trip. And the other day when you were all secretive about what your family does. It all made me think it was you when I saw you upstairs.”
He laughed darkly. “My family grows pot. That’s my big secret. They grow it and sell it. They moved to Michigan because it’s legal here now. I didn’t want Lacey or you to find out and think badly of me. Doesn’t seem like such a big deal now.”
I didn’t answer. Nothing I said was going to change what had happened or make anything better. We saw another door as we got closer to the other side of the library. I licked my lips as Jamie pushed it open. I hated not knowing what was in the next room. This house was like a maze. But hopefully it was a way out of here.
Suddenly Jamie was gone when a hand came through the doorway and yanked him inside. I leaped back, raising the knife in my shaking hand. I didn’t know what to do. Run the other way or go help Jamie. I stepped toward the door, already making my decision. I couldn’t leave Jamie alone. I still hesitated to go into the room. If there was more than just one person in there, I didn’t think one small knife would help. I could hear Jamie fighting with whoever had grabbed him, and it sounded like someone got slammed into a wall. Before I could make another move, a familiar voice rang out.
