Chapter Twenty-Two
Amelie
“I am not alone!” she screams and punches at the walls. Her door opens with twenty seconds to spare.
Monty walks into the room as everyone is moved onto the group challenge. They are given no instructions, and we stand in silence and watch as they try to figure out what they have to do. I turn to Monty and ask a question that’s been playing on my mind for a while now.
“Why did I never have to do any of these challenges? Only the obstacle course.”
“Because you were tested in other ways. You were always in, no matter what. Perks of the bloodline. And the obstacle course was only for fun.”
Fun? Could have fucking told me. That was anything but my idea of fun, and I worked my ass off for weeks training for that damn event. Hell, I even got electrocuted during it! For fun?! Fucking sadists.
“Are the other tests set up for those who make it?” Sawyer asks. I raise a brow.
“How will someone not make it through this part of the test?” I question. It’s a group task.
“They’re being scored on their willingness to work as a group, how quickly they pick up on a room with their skill, and a list of other things. Anyone who scores low won’t make it,” Sawyer explains, and I go quiet. I hadn’t realised they’d be scored for this. Which was na?ve of me.
“That’s why I came up here. Once they make it through, they will be split and sent to do the rest of the tasks set.
Once they have finished they’ll be sent to wait for their results.
They’ll be ranked just like the men. Since we only have eight recruits, we won’t be cutting the bottom of the pack like we usually do.
Today, they just have to score above eighty. ”
“That sounds fair.” I nod, turning my attention back to the screens. I take a seat and Sawyer places a hand on my shoulder, leaning down to whisper in my ear.
“I have to go and help Dad. I’ll be back in a bit.” I nod again and he kisses me on the cheek.
The first room is set up as a bar, identical to the one where Kathryn worked. I turn the volume up to listen.
“What do we have to do?” Precious asks the group and they all look around. Kathryn in particular walks around the room.
“I think I know what this is,” Kathryn says, running her hand along the bar. “Have you ever done one of those escape rooms? Where you have to find clues to get out?” A couple of the women nod.
“So you’re saying we find these clues and we’re out of here?” Emmerson asks.
“I doubt it will be that simple. I have known about The Order for a while, and while I don’t know a lot, I do know that it’s never that simple,” Maggie explains, though not unkindly.
“There has to be more to it, and we need to figure out what before we just start looking for clues and walking around blindly.”
“I know this room,” Kathryn pipes up. “It’s the bar where I work.”
“But what are we supposed to be looking for?” Belle asks.
“Something out of place?” Elsie suggests. Kathryn starts to hunt around the room. Before she was looking, curious, taking it all in. But now she’s really searching for something.
I watch as they start to find the clues they need, and within minutes they’ve moved on to the next room.
“Pretty genius, if I do say so myself.”
I almost jump out of my skin.
I turn to see Baxter leaning up against the door frame.
“I wouldn’t have asked for your help if I didn’t know you were capable. Maggie’s individual task was a lot. It would have been nice if I’d been given a head’s up, though.”
He comes to sit in the empty chair beside me.
“You know those tasks have to target fear, and Maggie was hard. She isn’t afraid of much. I had to get creative, and I was watching a documentary on a serial killer.”
“Of course you were.” I snort. I know Baxter well enough that I can picture him sitting alone in the dark plotting his next victim whilst watching unsolved murders.
“One had an interview with the mother and she made a comment and it clicked. Maggie loves her kids, losing one would kill her.” It just sucked for me that they used real footage of Onyx. It’s still a trigger for me, and I think it always will be.
I think back to the one task I had; it didn’t target my fears. My rape was a lot. It still haunts me, but Harold tried to sell me to a sex ring. That isn’t exactly the same thing. He could have done so much worse if he wasn’t actually planning to let me be taken, which the sick bastard was.
“I can imagine. It almost killed me when I thought I’d lost Onyx. I never stopped to think how she was feeling.”
“He’s alive and well, so no harm done.”
His attention flicks to the screens. I’ve missed a room that they’ve managed to move through, and they are now in Elsie’s. I watch as Baxter watches her.
“I honestly didn’t think she would pass,” he admits quietly.
“She’s stronger than she looks. What is this place?” I ask, pointing to the screen.
“Her childhood bedroom,” he replies, and I gasp.
“Baxter, you know what they used to do to her in that room, this isn’t fair.”
“It’s not supposed to be fair. Kathryn’s was in the bar where she murdered a man.
Each room has some bad memories attached.
It’s the entire point of the tasks. We can’t have any weak links, we want the best, and that goes for your little girl gang.
If any of them choose to work within The Order they will need to be mentally prepared. ”
“If I didn’t know any better, I’d say that Elsie has grown on you.”
“I’ve gone from hating her to tolerating her, if that counts.”
“Uh, huh. No one else believes you, but I do.” I laugh.
Everyone on the screen is encouraging Elsie through her room. Maggie is holding her hand and talking to her and she nods, pointing to a lamp on the side table.
“My lamp had a chip in the side,” she explains, and Adrianne lifts it up and pulls out their first clue.
“Have you told the boyfriends about their mother’s skills?” he asks.
“Why, what have you done?”
He smirks and shrugs. “They might just get a close up very soon.”
“You sent them into the test.”
“A little boost to their egos about being the best and bam, three stooges volunteered.”
“You sent them in to attack their own mother, knowing she could hurt them.”
“We’ll soon find out if her skills are rusty. Her room is the last, and I sent in some living props. Her growing up in an Order family had some benefits, she can hit any target with any weapon. I’m wondering if Miss Davis is a cougar.”
I whack him in the chest. “If anyone gets hurt, you will be to blame.”
“We need to see who can protect themselves anyway, and this saves us time.”
“I knew this was too good to be true. I should have just left it to Kalen and dealt with the naked jelly wrestling.”
“Don’t be so dramatic, you know it’s required that everyone has a minimum of three field assignments.”
“Do I know that? Because I’ve been thrown into this blind. I haven’t had years of training to desensitise myself, Baxter. I’m trying every damn day. I’m grateful I have you because you don’t pussy foot around me.”
“Oh shucks, I knew you loved me.”
“Says the one with a tattoo that represents our friendship. A Batman tattoo to be exact.”
I smile as he grins. I never would have imagined in a million years that the boy with the sinful look in his eye that I was warned away from would become my best friend and closest ally.
“Oh, this one is good,” he chortles, pointing at the screen.
It looks like a virtual reality room. Everyone grabs a headset, and I realise that someone must be a gamer.
Belle takes the lead and I’m surprised; she doesn’t look like the type.
The room appears empty, but their actions tell me that they don’t believe that it is.
Baxter flicks a screen on, and I can see what they are seeing.
Obviously, they need to play this game and find whatever clue has been left for them.
I don’t know the game to know what they would be looking for.
I gasp when more people dressed in lycra suits wearing the same VR goggles enter the room.
“The lycra was a nice touch, they look ridiculous,” he murmurs to himself.
“You’re losing your touch. Clearly someone pissed you off, and instead of resorting to violence, you turned to material that leaves nothing to the imagination. And on men, no less. Do you need to tell me something? You know I’ll love you no matter what.”
“Fuck off. I’m still as violent as ever. Just keep watching.”
I turn my attention back to the screen where Emmerson, Maggie and Adrianne lead the pack.
It’s them versus the guys that just entered.
Emmerson is dropping them like flies; no doubt these men are not from our combat teams. That wouldn’t exactly be fair to throw them up against the best of the best with no training.
Still, Emmerson’s skill is impressive. There’s potential there.
“Computer nerds, they really should have done what I asked.” I look over at Baxter. He’s leaning back in his chair with a smirk on his face.
Each part of this indoor escape room gets more violent and harder to solve.
When the entire team is thrown into darkness I glance at Baxter once more. He motions for me to watch.
Binary code lines the walls, and Mackenzie instantly knows that this test is for her. Elsie leans against a wall and catches her breath. I look at Baxter again, and he winks. He’s done this deliberately, a test for them to catch a quick break.
“What the hell is this?” Precious scoffs.
“Shh,” Mackenzie chastises and rubs her temples. “Something in this code isn’t right.”
Her head moves up and down as the code moves, a click sounds and a laptop moves through a trapdoor in the wall. Mackenzie eyes it suspiciously.
Maggie steps up beside her.
“I’m not supposed to hack anything, Amelie made me promise to not fuck this up before I’m in.”
“What can we do to help?” Maggie asks and Mackenzie thinks it over.
“Is anyone else somewhat good with computers? I have an idea.”
Everyone shakes their head, but Kathryn steps forward.