Page 88 of Hell House
I bring my arms around to the front and rub my wrists, making them go in a circle.
“I don’t think they’re broken!”
“Awesome, now get me out of this.”
I snatch a pair of scissors off the counter and lean down over Pierce, working the blade between his skin and the zip’s plastic.
“What did he mean earlier, when they were taking Salem? About you doing your job?”
He sighs as I snap the plastic off of him and move to do the ones around his ankles. I have the scissors angled just beneath the plastic.
“I set your room on fire.”
I almost stab his leg in surprise. “What?” The zip tie snaps, and he snatches the scissors out of my hands.
“We need to get Lukas. Let’s go.” He strides out of the room, leaving me grappling for answers on the floor.
“Wait, wait! What the fuck is going on? What do you mean you set our room on fire?” I’m practically screaming.
“What the fuck is going on, man?” Lukas pops his head out of our room looking all kinds of mussed and scratched up from last night.
“Headmaster Hayden and Emmet just kidnapped Salem. And Sloan might have been poisoned or gone into anaphylactic shock. We need to go. Pierce, since you know their plan, want to fill us in on where they’re taking her?”
“The cave.”
Lukas looks at him with barely contained rage. “What does she mean by you’re involved?”
“I was working on setting us free.”
“And that includes kidnapping Salem? The fuck man?”
“I know! I was working on getting her out of here today.”
“Great job with that.”
“Free of what?”
They both snap their head at me, jaws ticking. It’s unnerving how similar they look at this moment.
“We don’t have time for this.” Pierce says, stalking off. Lukas stares at me a moment debating, then follows his brother. I’m hot on their heels.
“You two better start spilling, now.” Pierce is already out the door with a slam, making the room shake.
“Skye, baby. I need you to call 911 okay. Have them meet us at this cave.” He shows me a location on the map. I recognize it as the one that made everyone so uneasy on our kayaking trip.
“Are you going to tell me what the fuck is going on?”
“I will baby, I promise, but right now I need to go and help Salem before some bad shit goes down and we’re all screwed. Do you trust me?”
Those same four words he whispered to me last night play in my mind. And my answer is the same now as it was then. “Yes.”
He kisses me on the mouth, and I wind my fingers through his hair. “Be careful.” I say before he’s following his twin out the door towards a man who’d pointed a gun at us easily. My stomach is in knots as I dial 911 meeting the same busy tone as earlier. Fuck this messed up island and its spotty service. I keep dialing, pushing my fingers into the screen as I shake with rage. Please, please, please let them get to Salem in time.
CHAPTER SEVENTY-SIX
Pierce
Irun as fast as I can through the trail, careful not to twist an ankle on my way to the cave where everything started. Where my life no longer became my own. I’d been saddled with this demon for over two years now, losing myself more and more, until Salem came along, and I felt like I could breathe again. I felt like me. I leap over the fallen log with ease, thankful of all those hours I spent training for football.
