18. Sebastian #2
I give her the side-eye. “The manor is nicer and better kept up, if you ask me.”
“Of course it is, Sebastian.” She smiles playfully.
The driver opens the door for her, and she steps out. Our hands release, and I’m eager to touch her again.
“Thank you.” I climb out, then join Stevie on the other side of the car.
He nods, placing both luggage items on the cracked cobblestone steps.
I slip him a generous tip. “Sunday at eleven a.m.?”
“Right on the dot.” He smiles, then gets back into the car and drives away.
I turn to Stevie. “Shall we?”
She runs a hand through her tousled curls as her cheeks balloon, blowing out a weighted breath. “Let’s do it.”
We enter a large foyer with tall, thick marble columns and bouquets of mixed white flowers.
“What do we do now—”
“Hello.” We’re suddenly greeted by the same woman from the library. She wears a three-piece pantsuit, and her hair is slicked back into a tight bun. “Dark Prince and Ms. Annabel Lee.”
Stevie glances at me. She recognizes her, too.
“Hello,” I reply.
“Nice to have you join us.” Her smile is exaggerated and a bit off. “My name is Clara, we didn’t have the chance to formally meet last time. I work for Silas, and he has asked me to show you where you’ll be staying for the weekend.”
“We didn’t. We were busy entertaining everyone,” I spit out sarcastically.
“Right.” Clara grins, picking up on my comment but choosing to ignore it. “I hope you don’t mind, but our security needs to pat you down,” she says, right as a man in a blue suit and a handheld metal detector walks up.
I’m glad we have the SE devices and not our phones.
“Not at all,” I say.
“If you’ll follow me.” She gestures for us to follow her.
We’re on her trail down a long hall decorated with stone busts and ornate rugs. We pass a few rooms before she stops at a set of double doors.
“This is where you’ll be staying. The Couplet Suite is known around the property for its romantic atmosphere—it’s the type of varietal typically blended of two different reds.”
Great.
Stevie clears her throat.
A romantic room for me and my fake serial killer girlfriend, that I slept with, and that now I can’t stop thinking about when I need to be focusing on killing this group of psychopaths.
“That sounds perfect.” I force a smile.
“Wonderful,” Clara returns with a wide grin and hands both Stevie and me a single key.
“Oh, and Silas has left a gift for you two. It’s a couple’s picnic and wine basket in the vineyard here on property.
He figured you two might want to have some time alone together here before everyone gathers in the barrel room later this evening. ”
“A couple’s picnic?” I repeat.
Is this a test? Is Silas watching us?
“Yes. Your basket is already prepared and waiting in your room with a map of the vineyard as well,” she says.
“Okay.” I nod.
Stevie clears her throat and then speaks. “What time for the barrel room?”
“Four. And please don’t be late. Enjoy.” Clara walks away, her heels clacking on the marble floor as the distance grows.
“Looks like we’re having a nice romantic picnic this afternoon and sharing a bedroom for the weekend,” Stevie whispers, her eyebrows knitting as she slips the key into the door. “Let’s see what this place looks like.”
I don’t answer. Instead, I simply smile and follow behind her, rolling our luggage inside.
The suite is large, with a separate living space and bedroom. I spot two couches facing one another with a vintage mahogany coffee table in the middle and another one closer to the door. Then I make a mental note to sleep on that one to ensure I have a clear view of the entrance.
“Two couches.”
“And one bed?” She gasps, staring at the bedroom through the open door.
Damn. I try to play it off. “It’s a couple’s suite. What did you expect?”
“I don’t know, two bedrooms? Or at the very least two queen-size beds?” Her eyes scan the space, darting from one expensive fabric piece of furniture to another.
The bathroom is inside the bedroom, which means I’ll have to walk through her space to get to and from which removes even more privacy. “Looks like we’ll be sharing a bathroom, too.”
Stevie walks over to the heavy drapes and yanks them open to a view of a small balcony and rolling hills lined with ripe vines. From where I’m standing, it looks as though they are endless. “It’s going to be fine. Everything will be fine,” she mutters to herself.
“Don’t worry, I’m going to take one of the couches.”
She turns to me, her expression falling. “I’m sorry. You shouldn’t have to do that.”
“I want to,” I say.
My gaze finds her lips. She notices and pulls her lower lip between her teeth. Then a dense silence settles around us as we both simultaneously glance at the massive bed only feet away.
“Now, where do you want your stuff?”
She whips her head around. “By the bed, please. I’m going to change before we head down to the barrel room.”
“You got it.” I set her luggage aside, then place mine behind the couch.
My thoughts ruminate on what will happen tonight. They’ve only given us breadcrumbs worth of information each time we’ve seen them, and I still can’t share the feeling about what they’re really doing here. What is even the real purpose of having a secret society of serial killers?
This whole thing feels like a party for a bunch of self-serving psychopaths, and I’d rather tie them to a table and shoot them in the head one at a time, but that’s not how this is going to play out—unfortunately.
But despite testing my patience, the anticipation of the pleasure I’ll feel when I finally get to take out their leader Silas will be worth the wait.
Stevie walks toward me, her hands placed on her hips. “Have you come up with ideas about what will happen tonight? Or this entire weekend?”
“I still don’t know.” I bite my lip with uncertainty, still perplexed by why they exist. “There’s something that’s been bothering me.”
“And what’s that?”
“What’s the incentive?”
“Incentive?” Her forehead furrows. “What do you mean?”
“Like, what would make a serial killer join the Black Veil Society to begin with?” I walk a few feet away, thinking aloud.
Stevie mirrors my movements. “Oh. Like, what’s the draw or purpose?”
“Yeah. Silas mentioned some sort of protection when we were at the dinner party, but is that it?”
“I don’t know,” she replies. “They haven’t explained too much of that yet.”
I walk back to where we were standing side by side, but continue pacing in place. “There has to be a reason. The killers must be getting something out of it, right? Besides bragging about their twisted pastimes.”
“Hmm.” Stevie’s nose wiggles, deep in thought. It’s cute.
“Maybe I could bring it up tonight?”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea. If they believe our story about Andrew recruiting us, then wouldn’t we already know?”
“I wouldn’t be too obvious.”
“Are you sure? How?”
“Don’t worry. I’ll wait for an opening,” I say.
“What does that mean?”
“Like, if any of them mentions doing this every year?” I think on the spot. “I could use that as a way of talking about whether it’s worth it or ask their opinion on the benefits. Something like that.”
“Okayyyy,” she drawls, not completely convinced with my explanation. “Well, I should get changed.”
I swallow hard and drag my focus away. “Yeah. Of course.”
Stevie smiles, her cheeks crimson. Then she steps past me and into the bedroom.