Charlotte
“Charlotte?”A hushed woman’s voice whispers in my ear. “Charlotte, it’s okay.”
I pry my eyes open, staring into darkness. Nothing seems familiar. Dark, shadowy shapes. A bedroom?
My head throbs.
Behind me, someone shifts. An arm slung over my waist moves to my back. “It’s okay.”
Heidi. A relieved breath rushes from my lungs. “Where are we?” I croak.
“My bedroom.”
I sit up and wince as pebbles bounce around inside my skull. All the crying left me raw and limp. “Any word?”
“No. But they won’t until…” Heidi sucks in a deep breath. “There’s something to tell us.”
“Are you mad you didn’t go with them, little hammer?” My attempted joke saws through the silence at an awkward angle.
“I’m scared for Carter.”
“Me too,” I admit. “And I really want to kill my uncle.”
“I don’t blame you.” She stares at the closed bedroom door. “I wouldn’t be surprised if they come back without him.”
A phone buzzes against the nightstand.
“That’s yours,” Heidi says. She rolls over and flips on a light, then hands me my phone.
“It’s Bianca. She’s here. Well, she’s at my house.”
“Marcel didn’t want you to leave the property.” Heidi’s worried eyes dart to the door, as if she’s calculating how fast she’ll need to sprint to cut off my escape. “What if she brought the cops?”
“I’m not going.” I hesitate, reading Bianca’s text again. “But she can come up here, right? She’s been to parties on the property before.”
“Yeah. Let’s see if Sparky or Stash will run down and pick her up.”
“Stay here. I’ll be all right.”
She follows me into the hallway, stopping to peek into Alexa’s room.
“What’s up? Did you hear anything?” Lilly rasps from the doorway of one of the bedrooms.
“Bianca’s at our house. I’m going to ask one of the guys if they’ll go pick her up.”
Lilly glances over her shoulder. “Do you want me to go with you?”
“No.” I force a quick smile. “I’ll be fine.”
Downstairs is illuminated by soft night lights. I find my shoes and slip them on.
Outside, I stare up at the dark sky, then check my phone. Still nothing from Marcel. Anxiety twists my stomach into a knot. As quietly as possible, I move down the long row of steps and onto the path away from Murphy and Heidi’s house. I reach a wider path and take a left, following the row of solar lights that will lead me past Trinity and Wrath’s place, Hope and Rock’s home, and eventually to the clubhouse.
The entire downstairs of Hope and Rock’s house is lit up. Maybe Rock sent Hope some information? I jog up their front steps and tap on the door, praying I don’t wake Grace.
It takes a few seconds for the door to open. Trinity flashes a quick, grim smile. “Anything?” she asks.
“No.” I step inside and Trinity closes the door behind me.