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But his reply has me ceasing all movement because there’s no way there is any truth to what he just said.
“Because Phil has your little boyfriend upstairs, and if we don’t move now, he’ll put a bullet in his head—just like he did to that stupid old man.”
“Don’t youdaretalk about him that way.”
I roughly pull out of my father’s grip and turn around to face him.
I don’t care if he shoots me because there’s no way I’ll allow him to speak about Hank as if he were nothing. It’s bad enough that they have Quinn, but to speak so callously about Hank has my rage bubbling.
“You killed an innocent man, and for that, you will pay, and you’ll pay in the most painful way possible.” I calmly inch toward him, my eyes narrowing as anger clouds my vision.
But he places the gun flush against my stomach, stopping my advance. “One more step and he’s dead,” he warns, referring to Quinn.
“He’ll kill Phil before Phil has a chance to pull that trigger,” I growl, fury lacing my words.
Deep down, I knew Quinn was missing because something sinister had occurred. I just never imagined this would be the cause.
Looking at my father in disgust, I realize this is the first time I’ve seen him since the night he killed Hank. My feelings of hate and loathing are amplified tenfold, and I decide this asshole doesn’t deserve the title of being my father.
“Thomas,” I sneer, and I don’t fail to see him flinch at my formality. “If you’re holding my boyfriend as collateral, then good luck with that. He’s a bigger pain in the ass than I am.”
I chuckle with indifference, hoping I’m doing the right thing. I don’t want him to see how affected I am that they’re holding Quinn prisoner.
If he knows how much he means to me, he’ll be the one leverage they have over me, and I won’t risk his life that way.
The shock is clear across Thomas’s hollow face, and it’s only now I realize he’s also dressed for the ball in a cheap suit, his mask pushed back off his face.
“Maybe I’ll just kill you in front of him, then. Or even better, kill him in front of you.”
The thought of Quinn’s life being in danger kills me, but I must remain composed and make sure my poker face doesn’t slip.
“Fine, let’s go,” I spit, shoving past him.
“Slow,” he hisses between clenched teeth, replacing his mask just as I do mine. “You make a scene, and I shoot the first person I see. Here’s hoping that person is your whore of a mother or her bastard child.”
I freeze when he mentions them, as there’s no denying the sheer vehemence in his tone. I have no doubt he’ll shoot them because they are of no value to him. But I am. Why? What does he want with me? I’m almost too afraid to find out.
“You make one wrong move, and I’ll make sure you regret it,” Thomas says, roughly grabbing my bicep and leading me through the sea of clueless people as he conceals the gun in the waistband of his pants.
The black-and-white effect, which I once thought clever, is now utterly disturbing, and the masks, blinding people to what is happening before their eyes, now seem ironic. But would anyone help me if they realized? I knew this day would come sooner or later, and I refuse to bring another soul down with me.
Considering my circumstances, I walk as casually as possible, trying to avoid eye contact with anyone and blend in with the crowd. As we walk through the den, I pray we don’t bump into Polly or Cynthia, afraid for their safety if we do.
Once we pass, invisible to the happy partygoers, we only have the living room left—the hardest room to pass through undetected. I wedge through a swarm of strangers who are thankfully too intoxicated to notice my startled appearance and heavy breathing.
We’re steps away from the foyer when Polly calls out to me. I curse myself for celebrating prematurely.
She runs over, holding her gown in her hands so she won’t trip.
I attempt to lunge forward, but Thomas squeezes my arm. “One more step and I’ll kill her.”
A breath hitches in my throat at his threat because I know it’s not empty.
“Mia, my mystery man has gone missing. Have you seen him?” she asks, oblivious to the man grinding his jaw behind me.
“No, I haven’t. Now move,” I abruptly say, attempting to push past her.
The hurt that passes over her face crushes me, and I know I’ve just undone whatever headway we’ve made.
