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The poor deserve to die.
The rich deserve to flourish.
It’s a sick, demented mentality that makes me regret ever having money in the first place. I’d rather be penniless and happy than be a millionaire and as fucked up in the head as Harvey is.
Somebody brushes their shoulder against mine, and I jump a foot in the air. Dominic whirls toward the masked intruder, violence lining his shoulders…
Before he instantly relaxes.
“Shhh, princesa, it’s just me.” Zane’s soft voice does wonders toward soothing my frayed nerves. I lower my shoulders, and the knots in my stomach begin to loosen.
“Zane, what are you doing here?” I glance inconspicuously toward Harvey, who’s engaged in conversation with two masked POP members. So far, he seems oblivious to our new arrival.
“I followed you, obviously.” He scoffs as if he’s shocked he even needs to explain himself to me.
“No, I meant here. Inside.”
“Oh.” Zane shrugs a single shoulder. “I may have stopped a car on the way to the mansion, took care of the driver, then stole his robe, mask, and ID. Oopsies?”
“I’m glad you’re here, man.” Dom reaches around me to pat Zane on the shoulder. “This is…”
“Weird?” Zane fills in. “Yeah, I agree. I don’t know what I expected when I stepped inside, but it certainly wasn’t this.” I don’t have to see him to know he’s wrinkling his nose. It’s something he always does when he’s disgusted. “This is more boring than the last business Christmas party my parents dragged me to. And that’s saying something, because it’s the first Christmas party I’ve ever attended that didn’t result in the Santa popping a boner the second I sat on his lap?—”
“Don’t jinx it.” Dom pretends to take a sip from his own champagne flute. We’ve wordlessly agreed not to consume any alcohol while we’re here in order to maintain our wits. “This… This, I can handle. But anything else…”
I give his hand a reassuring squeeze and then turn back toward Zane, only to see that he’s disappeared in the crowd. And with everyone wearing a mask and black robe, it’s impossible for me to tell which person is him.
But I know he’s watching and protecting us. Even though I can’t see him, I can feel the heat of his gaze on my skin, the softest of caresses.
The reason for his sudden disappearing act becomes apparent when Harvey returns to us. He slings an arm over both of our shoulders, and my skin crawls with revulsion, like an army of fire ants have been set loose and are skittering across my arms.
“Come.” He guides us toward a set of doors near the back of the room, which are now propped open. Most of the conversations have halted, and all the POP members are streaming through the doors, congregating in the room beyond. My unease ratchets up a dozen notches, especially when Harvey says, “The show is about to start.”
23
ELLIE
We’re corralled toward what appears to be the edge of a pit nearly ten feet below.
My heart races in nervous anticipation, and my hands are slick with sweat.
“What do you think this is?” I whisper to Dom, making sure to keep my voice low, so Harvey won’t accidentally overhear.
“I have no idea.”
More and more masked POP members enter and crowd around the pit, peering down. The waitstaff continues to hustle about, supplying the patrons with fresh, bubbling champagne and hors d’oeuvres. It’s almost sickening in its normalcy.
My heart claps like thunder as I stand up on my tiptoes, attempting to get a better look at the pit. It’s nothing remarkable—just a circle in the ground, with two doors on either side, padlocked shut, and another door that leads to a steel staircase that exits the pit.
Dom’s hand in mine is suddenly punishingly tight. He leans forward, and I can practically sense the tension lining his shoulders and neck.
Harvey, on Dom’s other side, chuckles and rubs his hands together, his sleeves rolling away from his wrist to reveal his expensive Rolex watch. For some reason, the sight strikes me as comical. Perhaps it’s the appearance of such a mundane object in the middle of…whatever the fuck this is. Or maybe it’s something else entirely, like the blatant display of wealth after his macabre speech in the art gallery.
Either way, a slightly hysterical laugh bubbles in my chest.
But any and all amusement fades when Harvey breathes, “He’s here,” and bows his chin reverently.
All the POP members lower their heads in respect, and it only takes a moment for me to understand why.
