Chapter 27
Room Seven
Lolli-Gag
“No!” Jagger spits, turning his head slightly. But Vinny ignores him.
“You want to know where they took everyone? Right? What Master D is doing? What happened to Axel?” he asks, and my heart stops.
Axel.
“You know where Axel is?” I ask.
“I know where to start,” he says, but Jagger growls.
“That’s not an answer.”
Vinny finally looks at him and narrows his eyes. “No. It’s the only door we have,” he states, and Jagger steps closer. They’re almost chest to chest now. Two different kinds of danger. Jagger all impact, and Vinny all silence.
“You expect me to let you take her somewhere Master D wants her?” he asks, and Vinny chuckles. The sound is weird coming from him.
“No, I don’t,” he says, and Jagger nods.
“Good.”
“I expect you to come with us,” Vinny states, then his gaze snaps to mine. “Lolli.”
Why does my name sound different coming from him? Quiet and unpolished—like he doesn’t use it unless he has to.
“Don’t,” Jagger warns, but Vinny ignores him and doesn’t look away from me.
“You called me Ghostboy,” he says, and I swallow.
“Yeah,” I answer.
“You saw me when no one else did,” he says softly, and my fingers twitch.
“You were watching,” I say, tilting my head.
“Yes.”
“Why?” I ask, but his face doesn’t change. Something in his eyes does—a tiny crack.
“Because you were real,” he says, and his words steal the breath right out of me.
Jagger notices and his jaw tightens. Vinny takes a step closer to me.
“Master D wants you scared. Confused. Looking for things he can hide from you. Room seven is where he thinks he gets control again,” he says, and my eyes widen.
“And you’re taking me there?”
“Yes,” he answers, and I giggle.
“That sounds stupid,” I say, and he nods.
“It is.”
“Then why?” I ask, and his gaze flicks towards the door then back to me.
“Because if we don’t walk out of here and into that room, they will drag us in there separately,” he states, and Jagger curses under his breath. “I don’t need you to trust Master D—I just need you to trust me long enough to get inside,” he says, and something stirs in the back of my skull.
“He’s lying,” Jethro states as I look at Vinny.
He is. Of course he is. The lie is there in the stillness around his mouth.
In the way he won’t say too much. In the way his hand curls slightly at his side, like he’s holding something invisible, but there are lies meant to trap and lies meant to buy time.
“What aren’t you telling me, Ghostboy?” I ask, tilting my head. His eyes darken as Jagger turns fully towards him.
“Answer her!” he commands, but Vinny says nothing. That’s an answer in itself. Jagger moves and I grab his arm, stopping him.
“Don’t,” I whisper, and he looks down at me.
“He’s hiding something,”
“I know,” I say, and Vinny’s gaze sharpens. I smile at him but it doesn’t feel like a Lolli smile. It feels tired and sad with a bit of bite around the edges. “Everyone hides things here,” I say, and Jagger raises a brow.
“No,” he says, and I press my hand against his rapidly beating heart.
“Yes—even you,” I say, and I see the flicker behind his eyes. The boy behind the monster, but he looks away as Vinny steps closer to the door.
“We’re running out of time,” he states in a panicked tone.
The hallway outside shifts as the voices get closer—boots pounding and a radio crackling.
Jagger hears it too. He hates it. I can feel it radiating off his skin, but I think he hates the plan more.
Needless to say… he hates Vinny the most right now, but when Jagger looks at me, all the rage pulls inward and turns into focus.
“You don’t leave my sight,” he grits, and I smile.
“So bossy,” I giggle, but he doesn’t move.
“Alive,” he says, reminding me of everything that’s happened since I’ve met him with one single fucking word.
“Same thing.” I shrug, then look at Vinny. “If I go with you, and this is a trick…”
“It’s a trick,” he says, and Jagger growls. “Just not mine,” he adds, which is the closest thing to the truth I’ve heard all day.
I step out from behind Jagger and something animalistic leaves his throat, but he lets me as I walk to Vinny.
“You’re scared,” I say, and his jaw tightens. I can read the guilt all over him. It’s new—that’s how I know it’s there.
“No,” he grits, and I smile.
“Liar.” I giggle, and for the first time, his mouth almost curves… almost.
The door opens behind him and the three of us turn as a man steps inside, like the room invited him. Not an orderly. Not a guard, but Master D. His suit is too clean for this place and his shoes definitely don’t belong on this floor, but his smile… it’s not human. It’s terrifying.
Jagger immediately shifts in front of me, and Vinny goes still. Master D looks at Vinny first. “Running late,” he says ,but Vinny doesn’t respond, which only makes Master D’s smile widen, then his gaze slides to me. “There she is,” he says, making my skin crawl.
“Don’t go near him,” Jethro hisses, and for once, I agree with him. Master D steps further into the room and closes the door. The click sounds final, and I reach behind me, grabbing the knife from the shelf and slide it into Jagger’s waiting hand. His grip tightens around it.
“Move,” Master D commands. “I’m not here for you,” he states as his eyes flick to Jagger’s. “You must be the one who keeps breaking doors.”
“You must be the next one.” Jagger grins, making Master D chuckle. Then, he reaches into his jacket, causing Vinny to move before Jagger does.
“Calm down,” Master D states, and the room freezes, making him smile. “Good. You remember the rules,” he says, and my stomach sinks. I look at Vinny with narrowed eyes.
“What rules?” I ask, but he doesn’t answer. Instead, Master D does.
“The ones that keep your friends breathing.”
The room goes quiet again. Not empty but loaded. Jagger’s body shakes with rage—ready to explode at any given moment. Vinny looks like he already has, but in a place deep, somewhere no one can see. Master D’s gaze returns to me.
“Room seven is no longer optional,” he states, holding a small black device, causing my chest to tighten.
“What’s that?” I ask, and his smile turns razor thin.
“Leverage.” A muffled scream crackles from the device. Lucifer. My blood turns cold as another sound plays. Killian, broken under too much noise, then a third. Axel. My whole body locks as my hands shake.
“Son of a…” Jagger whispers, but Master D cuts him off.
“Here’s the deal my Lolli-Doll,” he states, taking a step closer.
Jagger raises his weapon, but Vinny catches his wrist. The betrayal flashing hot and fast. Jagger looks at him with malice in his eyes, but Master D smiles at all of us.
“You come quietly to room seven…” He pauses, and the device crackles again.
This time, the scream is mine. Recorded.
Echoing. Wrong. His eyes glitter as my stomach twists and bile rises in my throat. “Or start playing the live version.”
My smile disappears, and for the first time in a long time—even Jethro goes silent.