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Sawyer locks his hands to the back of his head. “This is why we want to take Hayley from here. What he had done to her...it was irredeemable and inexcusable. What he’s done to your performers is just as bad.”
“We had a deal. I can’t believe it.” Opal purses her lips and blinks the tears from her eyes.
It takes her a long moment of silence to gather her nerve and strength to get back to her feet. Reaching down, she grabs my hand and helps me to stand. I know that Sawyer told me that I’d have to choose between leaving and being under his protection or staying and risking my life. I had made up my mind in the matter and was going to go. As much as Opal cares about me and has been here all my life, she has never truly protected me like the Bella Crew. Her alliance lies with Alexander and has forever. They have eternity when my life could end in a couple years, months, or days even. I could die in an hour. That’s how vulnerable and small my life is in comparison to an immortal. With the Bella Crew, it doesn’t feel that way.
“This is why you need to let us take Hayley. She wants to go, and we can protect her.” Sawyer steps closer and takes my hand, tugging me away from Opal. “I think you care enough about her to let her go. Don’t leave her to the fate of your coven brother.”
Opal hisses and rakes her fingers through her hair, her emotions going wild. “You don’t understand. She needs me. You think you can take care of her but there is more to it. You have no idea what—” A chime rings through the air, cutting off Opal’s argument. Her eyes shift around the room, and she looks more frazzled than I’ve ever seen her. Tugging her com device from her pocket, she glances at the screen and then to me. “My answer is still no. Hayley isn’t just a performer to me. I will fix this. Alexander needs me to make this work, and I will remind him. The show won’t go on otherwise. My gems will not perform. That’s a promise.”
Sawyer, Knox, and Monroe all growl. My heart sinks into my stomach. I thought that perhaps after Opal saw what Alexander had done that she’d trust the Bella Crew to keep me safe. I thought that this could lead to a possible truce between them. Now? They’re more angry than ever.
“Ms. Aris, please reconsider,” Sawyer says, tightening his jaw. “Let Hayley go. He will kill her. You didn’t see what he put her through.”
She squeezes her eyes shut and darts to grab onto Mya. “He won’t. I will protect her. Now don’t make me fight you. These girls will get hurt being in the middle. Just let us go.”
I whip my head back and forth. “I’m not staying, Opal.”
“Hayley,” she argues, clenching her fingers into fists. “This isn’t up for discussion. You don’t even know who you’re truly dealing with. The Bella Crew murders people. They’re vile and disgusting monsters. You think they’ll treat you any differently? You won’t—”
“You’re a fucking hypocrite,” Monroe snaps, growling with his words. “You’re far worse than anything we could ever be. We—”
Swinging Mya by her arm, Opal throws her in our direction. No one has a chance to react or fight as Mya awakens from her haze and crashes into me. A strong hand locks onto my ankle and another on my wrist. I screech in pain as Opal and Sawyer both refuse to let go of me, stretching my body between them.
“You’re going to hurt her,” Knox says, unsheathing a dagger. “Just—fuck! Drop her now!”
“No!” Opal hooks her fingers to my other leg and pulls harder, using all of her vampire strength.
I wail in pain, feeling as if my body will rip in half. Sawyer gives in and releases me, his growl reverberating through my bones. Throwing a knife, Opal strikes Sawyer in the chest and drags me to her. She abandons Mya and darts away with me, running at vampire speed. I scream and try to fight against her as the world blurs. She turns and heads into one of the corner suites. Sawyer calls for Monroe and Knox to split up and head to the lobby. I tilt my head back and stretch my arms, reaching for Sawyer. He’s too far away though.
Opal races to slam her hand on one of the palm pads of the suites, and the door unlocks and swings open. I hadn’t realized it, but the sun hangs low in the sky. I rarely ever pay attention to the world outside the tinted windows. I’ve already lost track of time with my lack of schedule the last couple days, and now I feel disoriented. Fearful even. Opal slams and locks the door and charges toward the door leading to a balcony. She’s going to take me outside. She’s willing to risk sun exposure to keep me away from the Bella Crew.
Oh-fucking-no.
“Opal, please. Don’t do this. You’re going to get burned.” I dig my nails into her arm, trying to get her to let me go.
Opal sets me on my feet and spins around, searching the room for something I’m unsure of. “You’re worth the risk. I know you don’t understand it now, but I’m thinking about what is best for you. I know you think you like those guys. I know they’ve treated you unlike any man has treated you in your life. If you were any of the other dancers, I wouldn’t fight so hard. You’re special. I made your mom a promise all those years ago to look after you, and that’s what I’ve been trying to do.”
Anger rushes through me at her words. Opal snatches the duvet from the king-sized bed and wraps it around her. Grabbing a pillow next, she strips the case off of it and adjusts it over her head. She’s creating sun-protection gear.
A loud bang knocks on the door, shaking the thick wood. Opal hisses under her breath and runs to the balcony door, hitting her palm on it to get it to unlock. If it were another guest, it would remain locked until sundown to stop anyone from trying to use the sunlight against a vampire—because I guess that has happened in the past between vampires and donor companions—and it freaks me out that Opal lets the light in.
I squint and shield my eyes, the light as intense as what I’m used to smiling through on stage. Opal stands just out of the way of the streak of sunlight and rubs her hands together. The second she shifts toward the door, testing out her sun protection gear, I break away from her and run toward the exit leading into the hallway. I don’t make it far. Opal materializes in front of me, stopping me from unlocking the door.
Lifting me up, she forces me to hug her with my whole body. If she wasn’t rushing toward the balcony, I’d try to fight her, but her quick movements trick me into holding on tight. Light engulfs us, blinding me as my eyes try to adjust, and I hear Sawyer yell and the door smashes to the wall.
I scream and try to fight Opal. All she does is tighten her arms around me and swings her leg over the balcony. My chest clenches at the sight of the drop toward the street. We’re at least twenty stories up, maybe more. She’s going to jump. I know she’s going to. My mind whirls with fear, and my eyes blur with tears. I’m not usually afraid of heights or risking falling, but this is too much. Opal is being careless. She can survive splattering on the ground, but I fucking can’t.
“Opal, please,” I beg, squeezing her as tightly as I can. “I’m scared.”
“Don’t be. I’ll keep you safe, my gem. I’ll do better from now on. You’ll see.” Opal balances on the ledge, and I jerk my attention to see Sawyer’s figure within the room and just out of the sun’s rays.
“Sawyer, please! Help me!” I reach around Opal and lock my hand to the bar, trying to hold on and stop Opal from jumping.
“Trust me, Hayley. Now brace yourself. It’s going to be a quick drop.” Opal counts to three under her breath.
Sawyer charges from the room, braving the sun without anything to protect him with, and I call out his name again. I expect Sawyer to snatch me in time. I expect Opal to lose her nerve and to just give me up. What I should’ve expected was that Opal would jump before Sawyer could reach us.
He hollers, shouting my name, but his voice gets lost on the wind, My stomach jumps to my throat. I can’t scream or fight or even breathe as I wait for the ground to shatter every bone in my body. This isn’t how I imagined my life to end. I thought I’d die by Alexander’s hand or by some other cruel vampire’s fangs. This seems far worse. I trusted Opal. I never expected that she’d be the one to kill me.
