Chapter Nine #2
By the time he got a crackly response, his face had traded annoyance for respect, and he bowed a little at Henri. “The Master Jeweler said he’ll meet you in the foyer.”
Stifling a sigh, Henri nodded. “Fine.”
My skin crawled as we all started walking again.
I expected the drawbridge to clang up and lock us inside, but it seemed we weren’t the only tardy ones. The three guards manning the entrance turned to face the dark runway again, their eyes peering through the night for more stragglers.
Rachel glanced at me. “I don’t know if I’m hoping no jewels will show up for rollcall or all of them.”
Mollie nodded. “What if a few jumped?”
“Then I guess they’re better off than we are.” Rachel staggered.
I grabbed her hand, stopping her from falling. Despite my pain. Despite our mutual exhaustion...we were in this together.
I glared at the castle as it loomed closer and closer. The manicured gardens with its animal hedges and fountains swallowed us deeper and deeper. Time quickly ran out of our hourglass, stealing our ability to speak.
I whispered under my breath, “What you mentioned in the caves...we need to talk about it.”
Mollie stiffened. “We can’t—”
“The kitchens. May—that kind cook—said no one hears what they say down there—”
“You want to use the kitchens as our war room?” Mollie hissed back.
I nodded, flicking Henri a look.
His shoulders bunched from carrying Peter. His back rippled beneath his bloody t-shirt. But he showed no sign of hearing us.
“The minute we can get away and meet there...we’re planning something,” I muttered.
“You’re even more crazy than Peter, and he was high.” Mollie rolled her eyes.
“Crazy or just determined?” I smiled sadly.
“I think it’s the same word in this case.”
“Hush, both of you,” Rachel whispered. “No one speaks of this again until we can meet in the kitchens. Agreed?”
“Agreed.” Both Mollie and I dropped our chins in silent acceptance. And just like that, we started gathering troops for battle.
A chill darted down my spine as we traded the empty beautiful gardens for the erotic tapestry-decorated foyer. The familiar sensation of evil wafted over me as my eyes landed on Victor.
He stood beside the curving staircase branching to the left.
Arms crossed, pristine navy suit soaking up the scant light from the crystal-dripping chandelier, his smile seemed crocodilian.
The sense of déjà vu from the night I’d been flown here threatened to overlap this one.
That night, I’d still believed I could escape.
Now...I wasn’t so sure.
But I’ll try...
“Ah, there you are!” Victor grinned with welcome, his greying-blond hair dancing with rainbows from the crystals above. “I was beginning to think you’d all drowned.”
Henri shifted Peter in his arms and stopped before the man who ruled all our lives. “Vic.” He bowed a little. “Like I told your guards, it’s been a long fucking day. Can I have a shower and some sleep before participating in whatever annoying debrief you have planned?”
“Found even more ego out there, I see.” Victor looked past him with a raised eyebrow, smirking at the three of us, red and bruised behind him. “My, my, it has been a long day. I told you to shoot one gem, Henri. Not all of them.”
Henri forced a tired chuckle. “I got lucky.”
Victor frowned at the red coating Henri. “And you also shot yourself?” Reaching out to smear Henri’s bloody bicep, he scowled. “Wait, that’s not—”
“You’re right.” Henri backed up, Peter dangling over his arms. “It’s not paint. Not all of it, at least.”
Victor’s friendly welcome turned arctic. “Explain.”
“I was attacked by a Master in the caves. He stabbed me.” Angling his arm, Henri arched his chin at the wound in his bicep. “I retaliated. It got...messy.”
Victor huffed. “Please tell me you haven’t killed any more of my guests, mon ami.”
“No.” Henri kept a cool expression. “I’ve learned my lesson not to disobey you. I...I merely defended myself. I got injured for the effort, but I left him alive. He was still in the cave when the tide came in. I didn’t see what happened after that.”
“You’re saying a guest drowned? Who?”
Playing a dangerous game, Henri gave a name. “Kyle.”
“Kyle?” Victor gave him a careful look. “Kyle drowned?”
“Well, he said his name was Kyle. I didn’t exactly ask for ID.”
“I wasn’t aware you’d had interactions with him.”
“I haven’t.” Henri huffed, rearranging Peter again. “He was with Charles when we first met. Charles introduced us on the beach.”
“I see.” He inhaled a little harder as if sniffing for lies.
“They went ahead. I didn’t see Charles again, but I did bump into Kyle. He was...having some fun with a jewel and a knife.”
I shivered and fought the urge to touch my neck where Kyle had started to slice.
Victor didn’t speak for a while before nodding slowly. “It’s true he is a violent fellow. I’ve had to educate and discipline him more times than he’s worth.”
“Charles said he was the reason for all your cameras.”
“He was.” Victor nodded again. “Alright, tell me the rest. You interrupted his little filleting fun, and he ordered you to leave. I’m guessing you didn’t?”
Henri shrugged, his biceps bunching under Peter’s unconscious form. “He seemed high as a kite, if I’m honest. The moment I stepped into the cave, he came at me because he knew I’d tell you what he’d gotten up to.”
Mollie, Rachel, and I didn’t dare move as Victor mulled over Henri’s half-truths. “Okay...say I believe you on that. What happened next?”
“I got lost in the caves and barely made it out as the tide came in. I managed to swim, but in my escape, I saw a few bodies floating that weren’t so lucky.”
“A few?”
“Three maybe?”
“All Masters?” Victor asked far too calmly.
“I can’t be sure. But there were definitely a few bodies floating around.” Henri widened his stance as if Peter’s weight grew too much. “Look, Vic, as much as I want to—”
“Rachel.” Victor narrowed his eyes on his favourite gem and the unwilling mother of his unborn child. “You’re very good at telling me the truth, my pet. Did you see any of this?” He waved at Henri’s bleeding arm. “Did you see him get stabbed? Is what he said true?”
I stopped breathing.
Henri didn’t look over his shoulder, but the muscles in his back tensed.
Not looking at me or Mollie, Rachel bit her bottom lip.
She had the power to murder Henri.
She could collaborate or deny, and Victor would decide who he believed.
“Start at the very beginning if you’d be so kind.” Victor never took his reptilian gaze off her. “Don’t spare me a single teensy detail.”
What she said before the bullseye was painted on us echoed in my ears.
She’d said she was on our side. That she was in on whatever suicidal mission Peter and I cooked up.
But that didn’t mean her courage would hold up beneath direct questioning from the very man who’d made her doubt her feelings several times.
Goosebumps covered me from head to toe as Victor added, “Before you answer, my sweetling, allow me to tell you what will happen if you lie.” His face turned dead and terrifying.
“If you lie and I find out you hid something from me, I will carve out that child from your belly while you’re still alive, then serve it to you as a special snack before killing you in the most drawn-out way possible.
” He crossed his arms. “Now, go ahead. In your own words. What happened out there?”
Mollie fought a tremble, but Rachel didn’t so much as blink with fear.
Either she’d tipped over the edge of terror or gone into shock just like Peter.
“From the beginning? Sure, Sir V. Your wish is my command, as always.” She practically curtsied.
“You saw us all run as one. We left the castle and ran through the forest. Some of the jewels thought about swimming away—”
Mollie gasped, cutting off Rachel’s story and adding weight to what she’d said.
Victor smirked, enjoying Rachel spilling everyone’s secrets. “Go on.”
“If you’re missing a few jewels tonight, Sir V,” Rachel murmured. “You might find more took you up on the offer to jump than you would’ve liked.”
He shrugged. “No matter. It was getting a little stale in here. I’ll just tell my team to gather a few more while on their hunt.”
Rachel nodded, still numb, still vacant. “We managed to stay together until we reached the Temple of Facets.”
Victor sucked in a breath, arrowing a look at Peter. “Naughty boy. Seems as if someone has been tattling.”
Rachel didn’t stop. “Most of us couldn’t handle what we saw in there, so...we split up. I don’t know where most of the jewels ended up, but we chose the wrong direction and got stuck.”
I gave her a subtle look.
If she mentioned the cave with the skylight, Victor could easily go and see how much she fabricated. He’d see all the blood. See the droplets as we carried corpses up the steps and tossed them over the cliffs.
But all my doubt in her loyalty vanished as she said, “We had to backtrack. Wading into water when the caves were filling up was petrifying.” She shivered dramatically. “We stumbled into the cave where Kyle was having his own little party and witnessed him stabbing Master H. They were fighting.”
“Please,” Victor said softly. “Do go on.”
“I’m aware of Master K’s tastes and didn’t stick around to see if he’d kill Master H. We scattered. We barely made it out before the sea poured in. But...” She swallowed hard as if resisting the urge to gag. “I-I saw what Master H saw. I’ll never forget the sight as a few bodies floated past and—”
“Mollie,” Victor snapped. “If you lie to me, I’ll allow Roland to share his ultimate fantasy with you.” He paused with a smile, knowing full well what that fantasy was and how painfully Mollie would die. “I’d like to hear your version.”
“Yes, Sir V.” With a shallow inhale, Mollie bowed. “I saw the bodies too, Sir V. Masters, not jewels. I spotted Master H wading out after us. His arm bled so much it left a ribbon of red on the water.”
Victor pinned his eyes on me. “And where was Peter in all of this?”
I swallowed hard, hoping I wouldn’t let the team down.
The fact that they covered for Henri?