Page 133 of Obey

“Hold on. You can't just start counting!”

“Nine.”

“Elias Baptiste, I swear to God—”

“Eight.”

She glances toward the hallway, then down at her gown. “This is some bullshit.”

I reach behind my head and pull the tie from my hair, letting the blond strands fall loose around my shoulders.

“Seven.”

“Oh, fuck you!” She kicks off her heels, gathers the emerald skirt in both hands, and bolts down the stretch of hallway to the left of the living room.

I chuckle, undoing my cuff links before unbuttoning my shirt. By the time I shrug it off, I'm down to my trousers, my shoes and socks already discarded.

“Six.”

I deliberately stretch the countdown, giving myself time to finish getting ready. She can't hear me from this far away anyway, and I'm not about to start hunting until everything is in place.

Retrieving my phone from my pocket, I send one message to Nate, Jace and I's group thread. Hunting tonight.

They know what that means, so I just place my phone on the table; not elaborating.

Walking over to the fireplace. I press the hidden brick next to the mantel and reveal the panel behind it. Pressing my thumb to the center I wait for the beep before entering the code and listen as the penthouse's security controls activate.

She's familiar enough with the layout to know where she can hide, but why would I make it that easy for her.

As I finish the countdown, listening for movement beyond the hallway, my pulse kicks harder.

I hear nothing.

Clever girl. Lets see how long that lasts.

“Times up, Little Doe.”

thirty-three

The Chase

Stupid, stupid, stupid. Why didn’t I lose the dress first?

The gown tangles around my legs as I race down the hall, forcing me to gather more of the fabric into my hands. I'm halfway to the junction when the lights suddenly dim.

What the hell?

I slow, trying to make sense of the change, when a series of sharp clicks echoes down the hallway, bringing me to a complete stop. Another comes from somewhere behind me, followed by one directly ahead.

Are those the fucking doors?

I hurry to the closest one and twist the handle. Locked. I try again, harder, but it doesn't budge.

“Oh, you've got to be fucking kidding me.”

“So many doors, Little Doe.” Elias's voice comes from somewhere behind me. “Which one do you think will let you through?”

I rush to the next door and nearly stumble when it opens. Thank God. I slip inside and shut it behind me, before slowly backing away as I listen for footsteps.