29. Leo
LEO
“Shit.” I muttered, stuck in the dark.
I wasn’t sure I’d ever been in a room so lightless.
They take their security pretty seriously.
Holding my arm out, I tried to find a wall. If I could walk the perimeter, I might be able to find a light switch.
Lady let out a few worried barks, her claws clicking across the polished concrete floors.
A few feet away, I could hear Kiera’s breath growing ragged. “What the fuck is going on?”
“Don’t worry, Princess. We’ll find some lights or candles.” All I could do was hope the words were a comfort given that I had no idea where in this loft she was.
Somewhere to my right, Spencer called out. “Fuck it, I’m looking for candles.”
Whoever our hosts really were, it wouldn’t surprise me if they locked us in here without light.
Annoying but possible.
Lady barked again, this time a few feet closer to me.
“Goddamnit.” Spencer hissed as something metal clattered, presumably tripping on something.
Just then, lights flicked on. A slight whir and the sound of heating coils accompanied the illumination. Overhead, recessed, linear fixtures cast a bright but warm glow over the loft.
My eyes immediately searched for Kiera, who was at the center of the living room clutching her chest.
Meanwhile, Spencer was righting the metal bar stool she’d knocked over in the panic.
And then there was Dom, who stood with her arms crossed by the front door. Exactly like she had been before the lights shut off.
But none of us had hit the lights.
“Must be on a timer.” Dom shrugged, an amused smirk playing at the corner of her lips as all of us tried to recover our chill. We looked ridiculous, three blind fucking mice stumbling around this unknown apartment hunting for a fucking light switch.
“All of you had cell phones in your pockets with flashlights.” Dom huffed out a laugh as she crossed the room.
Kiera rolled her eyes. “And you were just going to let us flounder?”
“Yep.” Dom licked her teeth, satisfied to get back at us after we’d spent a couple months making her pay for her secrets.
Making her way to the windows, Spencer tried to press open what had been a balcony door. “Locked.”
Without being told, I walked to the front door, turning the knob and pulling it toward myself. “Nope.”
It was clear why The Oracle thought this would be a good safehouse. There was no getting in or out. We’d have no choice but to abide by our curfews, even if the note was scrawled in blood.
I wasn’t sure if our hosts were trying to protect us or themselves.
In the silence, motors starting up and faint carnival music drew my gaze to the shuttered windows. It sounded as if the entire amusement park was up and running out there.
Storming across the room, Kiera came to a stop in front of Dom. “Enough bullshit. Where the fuck are we?”
She was right to ask — Dom had gotten too good at hiding things from us. But before I jumped down her throat, I gave my old friend a chance to defend herself.
Letting out a deep sigh, Dom moved toward the suspended fireplace in the corner of the living room. “The rumors about this place, they’re true. Well, some of them.”
“What does that mean?” Spencer scoffed from the kitchen, leaning against the concrete kitchen counters. They were a darker shade than the floors, with more veining in the stone too. Nothing about this place was warm and cozy, everything sleek and sexy.
“Go on, asshole.” Kiera’s chest heaved with frustration as she watched Dom ignore her.”
With a nod, Dom kept talking. “They’re freaks, the people that live here. No one really knows when they got here. But what we do know is, they work with The Oracle.”
“With, not for?” I piped up, moving toward the white couch and propping myself on the arm.
“Correct, Major.” Dom shrugged. “The rumor is that they’re so feral that even The Oracle doesn’t like claiming them. But they’re good at what they do.”
“Which is?” Kiera’s eyes were wide with fear. I wanted to wrap my arms around her and protect her from whatever demented clowns were lurking in the darkness.
“Handling the worst of the worst. If Isaac and Gabriel weren’t ours to take Justice against, there’s a good chance they’d end up out there.” Dom sucked her teeth. “But the truth is, I’m not really sure what they get up to out there.”
Spencer rummaged through the cabinets. “I’ve heard a lot worse about them, Dom.”
The thought raised the hair on my arms.
How could The Oracle be okay with this?
I promised that nothing would hurt my Princess. My Kiera. Even if it meant pissing off The Oracle.
Spencer sprinkled some sort of cereal into her mouth as she walked back to her bags, grabbing a bluetooth speaker and connecting her phone.
The churning of the amusement park rides outside were making the whole place feel pretty eerie. And Spence knew how to lighten the mood.
I wrapped my arm around Kiera and pulled her toward the couch. “We’re safe here, Kier.”
“Yeah, right.” Nodding, she crossed her arms and stared at Dom who was putting wood in the floating fireplace.
When some soft music started to play from Spencer’s speaker, I felt Kiera’s shoulders relax just a smidge. It wasn’t Spencer’s usually alt rock stuff, instead it was a soft indie band. I had no idea who it was, and frankly I didn't care enough to ask.
As long as the tunes kept us all steady, I was fine with whatever Spencer wanted to put on.
Kiera leaned on my leg, letting her plump ass rest on my thigh as she kept her arms crossed. “What are we going to do now?”
Sucking in a deep breath, I looked around the place. As nice as the safehouse was, it was more like a bunker than an apartment. There wasn’t a TV in sight, at least not one I could spot.
Maybe it’s one of those bougie screens that looks like a painting.
Even then, the place was sparsely decorated. Our hosts didn’t seem like that kind to worry about keeping us entertained. Honestly, I was almost certain that they’d want to see what a few bored, caged animals would get up to.
There were pretty high odds that they had cameras inside, that they’d hear and see everything we got up to.
Fine, let them see.
The last thing I wanted was for these freaks to think that I was afraid of them.
Patting Kiera’s ass, I got to work hunting for a remote, or some sort of board game. I checked all the classic spots, under the coffee table, on the bookshelf, left on the kitchen counter.
As I pulled open the junk drawer though, I was happy to find something even more enticing.
“Now this could get your mind off things.” A smirk took over my face as I held up the deck of cards. It would help me too. In the silent moments, the reality of my parents' treachery was impossible to escape.
But a quick card game might just do that trick.
Spencer clapped her hands together. “Oh, perfect. We can finally teach our little captive how to play poker.”
Nervous, Kiera tucked a hair behind her ear. “But I’m not going to be very good.”
“That’s okay, Bunny,” Spencer winked. “We’re going to teach you.”
Dom took a seat in the dark leather Eames chair at the corner of the living room rug.
As surprised as I was, I knew that poker was really Dom’s game. Something she’d gotten Spencer and I into when we first moved into the mansion. It was starting to be a right of passage to teach her new guests how to play.
But I had a feeling this game would go a little differently.
Kiera took a seat on the couch, Spencer sitting on the floor, while I grabbed a spot on the couch’s chaise. Lady snuggled up next to Kiera, resting her huge maw on Kiera’s legs.
“First rule, don’t show us your cards and don’t tell us what you have.” Spencer grabbed the deck and started to deal out cards. Two for each of us to keep in our hands, five out on the table face-up.
As soon as Kiera looked at her cards, her face scrunched up.
Reaching into the box of cards, Dom pulled out a cheat sheet. Printed out, were all of the hand rankings.
She tossed the sheet across the table to Kiera. “Here.”
“Thanks.” Reluctant to take the help from Dom, Kiera looked back down at her cards.
Spencer went on to explain more rules — folds, calls, bets.
As she spoke, Kiera rubbed her forehead and tried to keep track of everything. But every time we raised the bets, pushing more pieces of cereal to the center of the table, Kiera got more confused.
“I can’t focus.” Kiera grumbled.
Dom shook her head. “That’s because there’s no stakes. It’s fucking cereal, not cash.”
Scoffing, Spencer raised an eyebrow. “Well, not all of us are billionaires.”
An idea came to mind, one I knew Kiera would hate. But I was pretty sure I could get her to bite. Something she’d equally love and hate — the perfect bet.
“Strip poker, then.” I smiled.
“Yes!” Spencer clapped, that boyish grin telling me she was ready to take Kiera for all she was worth. Which was a whole lot.
“Barter with a piece of clothing. You win, we take off an item. We win, you take one off.” Watching her closer, I tried to calm my aching clit. I remembered every inch of her, every single curve of flesh. And the thought of seeing her on display like that for us…
Kiera’s eyes flicked between us, equally hungry for more of her even after our private flight.
But I could see the spark of competition in them too, the way she didn’t want to back down from the challenge. “Fine, deal me in.”