28. Kiera
KIERA
The note felt heavy in my hand, the ink still wet.
If it is ink.
Goosebumps rose on my skin as I looked at the closed saloon-style doors. The vibes of this whole park made it seem entirely likely that it was blood. An animal’s at the very least. But knowing who The Oracle associated with, it wouldn't be a shock if it was human.
From behind me, Leo’s brows furrowed. “This is the safehouse?”
I couldn’t stop myself from looking over my shoulder, checking every movement in my periphery. “Whole place is creeping me out.”
Dom pushed past us. “Crazy motherfuckers will scare off any threats.”
She knows more about them.
As usual, Dom had more information than the rest of us.
Before I could ask her, Dom threw open the rickety saloon doors. A plume of dust exploded into the air, forcing each of us to cover our faces as we stepped inside.
Coughing, Spencer tried to look around the dusty saloon. “How cozy.”
“Let’s go.” Dom grumbled as she moved through the abandoned bar.
Dust covered empty beer bottles on the table, a stool knocked over next to an old-timey piano. In the dust were broken chairs, sharpened legs with dark brown stains on the points.
“Seriously, what the fuck?” I gasped as I stopped in my tracks.
Uninterested in answering, Dom pushed on toward a staircase leading to a mezzanine that overlooked the kitschy saloon.
But I jogged ahead and grabbed Dom’s shoulder. “I’m not kidding. Where the fuck are we?”
Dom whipped around on her heels, a few steps ahead of me and towering over me more than usual. “Friends of friends, Viper. Don’t be ungrateful. They’re doing us a favor and we’re going to be gracious guests.”
The snarl didn’t leave much room for negotiating. Instead, Dom pushed up the stairs and toward a shiny metal door.
“Well, that’s out of place.” Spencer noted.
Dom was quick to enter a code into the high tech keypad on the lock. A delicate beep accompanied the slamming locks as the door opened for us.
“You have to be kidding…” A scoff was all Leo could manage as Dom pushed the heavy door open.
But my jaw dropped as I stepped over the threshold.
Inside, a pristine, ultra-modern loft awaited. Floor-to-ceiling windows lit up the entire place, polished concrete floors glistening under the golden sunset. Brick walls gave the whole place an industrial feel, emphasized by the matte kitchen cabinets.
I dropped my bag on the floor as I turned to look at every part of the lux apartment. “Doesn’t seem super secure.”
Grabbing my forearm, Dom hissed in my ear. “What did I just say about minding your manners, Viper?”
Without her mom’s supervision, Dom was already hopping right back into her grumpy-self. A part of me hoped that our closeness would be able to survive the flight. But the odds were looking worse by the second.
Spencer jogged down a long hallway. “Four bedrooms, damn.” The disappointment laced her voice, no more forced bed sharing. Not that it would stop us from sneaking into each other’s rooms anyway.
Outside the windows, I could see the lights of downtown Valemont flicking on. It looked so small from here. And I’d not ever bothered to look over here in all my time in Lucky Strike.
I wonder if you can see this from there.
“Beautiful view.” Leo whispered as she wrapped her muscular arms around my stomach. Barely looking at the town below us, I knew she must have been talking about me.
Rolling my eyes, I turned to look at her. “Very funny—”
CLUNK.
All around us, heavy metal shutters slammed closed. In seconds, the entire loft was plunged into complete darkness.
Fuck. I felt my chest tighten in the pitch black.
We’re locked inside.