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Mich looks around like he struck gold and won the lottery. He doesn’t know he is in the church of hell.Keep smiling, asshole.You have no idea what you signed yourself up for. I roll my head, hearing the crack in my neck, and try not to lose my patience. Lack of sleep will do that to you when you keep trying to find more information and keep hitting dead ends on a particular girl. There is also the added pressure of having to help Dravin kill Warren under the radar and make sure him or his brother marries Gia. We can’t keep Warren holed up in a cage forever.
When the introductions are done. The twins step forward and the look on Warren’s face is priceless when they mention Gia as their chosen and the one that they will marry. Warren’s eyes are sunken in with dark circles, reminding me of a raccoon. The guy looks like he came off the set of Resident Evil. Warren looks around like he is lost in space, totally out of it, but no one notices what we do.Time to go back to your playpen, asshole.
My eyes dart over to Veronica, seated two pews down, and the smile on her face is priceless, but I also find her staring too hard at Mich. Probably her next victim. Poor guy. She will fuck him dry by the time the week is out. Hopefully, she will forget about Warren and we can get rid of him as planned, without her getting hung up on the idea of him when he is gone. Like the saying goes, loose lips sink ships.
There is a meeting taking place after the Order with the sixty-six members of the Consortium. Draven disposed of the barista, sending a message to Warren, but the bastard thinks he is going to be absolved of his sins by going away for a while. He wants to fuck with the sons of Kenyan, but he forgets that no one fucks with us. No one.
Garret turns slightly, the wood creaking from his weight on the pew and our gazes meet. He knows there is tension in the church. You can sense death knocking at the church’s door waiting to collect. Beginning with Warren.
For the next thirty minutes, the Bedford twins remind everyone of the rules when it comes to Prey.They choose. Whoever breaks the rules dies.It is all simple really. The same bullshit narrative. Just follow the rules and you will have the power that is meant for you and the wealth that you are entitled to. I get it, if rules aren’t followed, where will that leave everyone, with the crazies.
CHAPTER10
Jess
“I’m fine,” I say to Gia through the phone, counting the minutes in my head on my prepaid phone plan. I have to pay as I go. It’s not like I have an income to pay a cellphone bill.
“Are you sure you don’t want me to stay the night? Or you could come to Dravin’s house.”
I think of Reid being there and I know that is not going to happen. I can’t forgive him for what he said and the fact that I’m attracted to him doesn’t help the need inside me to purge my own demons of looking like a desperate woman vying for his attention. Not happening. That would be like walking into the devil’s lair and expecting to come out baptized by God. The reminder of my need to shower and scrub causes my heart to beat in anticipation. Seeking relief.
“I’m sure. I’ll be fine. I swear.”
Gia whines. “Are you sure, Jess?”
I nod, even though she can’t see me. “I’m sure. We’ll catch up tomorrow at Babylon. We can have a couple of drinks since it’s Tuesday. Ladies’ night.”
It’s fun to hang out with her, and because it’s ladies’ night tomorrow, I can get free drinks, despite being a broke college student. We can shoot the shit and I can assure her that I’m fine.
“Fine, but make sure you show up after class. Happy hour.”
“Happy hour,” I repeat. “I’ll see you tomorrow. Bye, Gia.”
I hang up, closing my eyes and taking a deep breath as I grip the handle of my shower caddy, tossing my cheap basic track phone on the bed, and head to the shower with my towel under my arm.
It is already ten, which is lights out on school nights. The perfect time for me to head to the shower when no one is there.
The hallway is dark, with only three lights separated by the fire alarm. I make my way down the dark corridor, but a nagging feeling has my nerves on edge. Taking a few more steps, the hairs stand up with the feeling that someone is watching me. I stop in the middle of the hallway, awareness creeping through me. The light shines down on me, between the dark sections of the hallway, and I turn around, gripping the handle of the caddy with my fingers. My knuckles are white from the effort, and a sheen of cold sweat slides down the base of my spine.
My eyes try to focus, but it’s dark, and no one is there. The hallway is empty.
I'm probably just feeling paranoid because of Michael and the fact that he is close by and knows exactly where to find me. He is always near when I think he isn't, but with Michael, he always calls. I hold the change of clothes wrapped in the towel under my arm and let out a slow breath. I blink hard to ensure my eyes are not playing tricks on me and head to the women's shower.
I’m under the hot spray and I’m scrubbing my skin like I’m filthy, but all that stares back at me is reddened skin. I scrub every part I remember he touched. My mouth, my thighs, and I close my eyes, letting tears slide down my cheeks mixing with the spray of the water.
“You know. There are other ways to deal with flashbacks of things you’d rather forget.”
When I hear a man's low baritone voice, I drop the loofah from my fingers, closing my eyes. When I open them again, it's as if someone has sucked the oxygen out of my lungs. Across from me, a man in a plague mask leans against the wall, his leather beak pointing directly at me. The eyes and head on the mask cover his entire face.
My back hits the tile behind me, and I'm about to scream, but his voice keeps the scream locked in my throat. "I wouldn't do that if I were you. I'll just leave, and then they will think you're crazy and unstable. Seeing things. Hearing things that aren't there. Then you will tell them you think someone is watching you. What do you think they would do to you then?"
“Wh-o the fuck are you and why are you following me?”
When he tilts his head, dread spreads over me. The thought of being naked in the shower in front of a psycho stalker has left my mind, replaced by the pure instinct of survival. Or, I’m losing my mind. No, I'm not losing my mind. In the corridor, he had been watching me. Waiting. Gia said that she couldn't identify the individuals at the church where the lifeless barista was crucified and were all wearing masks like they were protecting themselves against the plague. The plague meaning the death of evil. And, recognition.
The silence stretches and the shower runs like rain between me and the man in front of me. I look down and cover myself with one hand on my sex and my left arm across my breasts.
“Don’t be afraid, Jess. I’m here to save you from yourself.”
