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“I’m sorry,” I told her sincerely, bumping my shoulder with hers. “I can’t even imagine.”
“I know.” Another heavy sigh laden with fear and uncertainty shook her body. “I just wanted to say…” She blew out a breath. “Thank you. I mean, for thinking of me. For taking me with you. Most people would’ve just left me behind, but not you.”
My throat closed up with emotion, so instead of answering, I placed my hand on her shoulder and gave it a squeeze. She licked her upper lip, glanced in the direction of all the guys, and then scrambled to her feet, extending a hand for me to take.
“Come on. We should go check in with the others before they come over here and throw us over their shoulders.” She tried for a smile, but in her gaunt face, it looked strange. Awkward, almost.
I nodded and accepted her hand, allowing her to pull me to my feet. She didn’t release me right away, and I couldn’t help but feel the strangest sense of kinship with the tiny girl. Familiarity. The moment lasted only a second before she turned towards the others, towing me along after her.
Kelly only released me when we reached the others, moving to stand next to her men. They surrounded her instantly, Caleb barking at her for leaving them, while Travis checked her for injuries. Sev and Brett stood silent, their arms folded over their chests in almost identical poses. I would’ve smiled if my guys didn’t do the same to me.
Beau and Kace both glanced over me for injuries, the former placing his hands on my shoulders and staring deeply into my eyes.
“Are you okay?” Aiden barked.
“I’m fine,” I replied, rushing to assure him. “And you guys…?”
“We’re fine,” Tanner told me curtly, but he didn’t look fine. He looked anything but fine. There was a thunderous rage in his eyes that I’d never seen before, and I realized, somewhat vaguely, that Maria had been his friend. She’d been friends with all of them.
“I’m sorry about—”
“Don’t,” Aiden interrupted. He pushed Beau’s hands off my shoulders and replaced them with his own. “Don’t fucking apologize. This isn’t your fault. At all.” He moved his narrow-eyed stare in Heath’s direction, as if he knew exactly who to put the blame with. Heath, for his part, regarded us all with a face so pinched, you’d think he’d just swallowed a lemon whole.
“I have done nothing but help you guys. I don’t appreciate all of these accusations,” Heath said calmly…too calmly. I had a feeling he was a ticking time bomb just waiting to be lit and detonated. There was something almost manic beneath his even tone.
“Shut up.” Tanner glared at him. “Where the fuck are we now?”
“You don’t see it?” His brows scrunched together as he nodded over our heads.
“Don’t see…?” We all turned at the same time, and my mouth dropped open at the sight before us. The sight that had most definitelynotbeen there mere seconds earlier. “What the fuck?”
My words were echoed by Caleb, Tanner, and Aiden.
Where there was once nothing but darkness now sat the entrance to a theme park shrouded in a dusky red glow. Two plastic clowns stood on either side of the opening, their white faces covered in soot and dirt and their red-painted lips stretched into matching, macabre smiles. They looked so lifelike, I almost believed they were real. Almost.
But they weren’t, were they?
They couldn’t be.
Horror squeezed my heart in an iron vise, and I took an automatic step closer to…well…anyone I could find.
“The fourth circle.” Heath gestured tiredly in the direction of the theme park before us. “Welcome to Greed.”
