The Dark Elite (The Dark Elite 1)

When Lucas pulls off the blindfold and reveals the inside of a garage, I press my lips together in frustration. We could be anywhere in the damn city—somewhere I’m familiar with or not—and I wouldn’t know. Pissed, I put up a little resistance as Lucas pulls me out of the car and up a small flight of stairs.

We walk into a home gym, lights flickering on with our movement. I’m reflected on every surface of the mirrored walls, a hundred scared and frustrated Graces watching me. Waiting for me to act.

Zaid, Hale, and Ciro follow behind us with their few travel bags in hand as Lucas guides me through the house.

Or maybe mansion is a better word. The place is huge and clearly very expensive, and I wonder suddenly if all the men live here together. It’s entirely possible. They’re a team, a unit, and if none of them are married or in a serious relationship, maybe it makes sense for them all to be under the same roof.

Are any of them in a serious relationship?

Stop thinking about it, Grace.

Their living arrangement is no business of mine, beyond how it factors into my possible escape.

“This way.” Lucas tugs me away from the rest of the guys, and we head up a wide staircase and down a corridor on the second floor. About halfway down the hall, he opens a door and gestures me inside.

I blink as I step through the doorway and look around. Windows on the wall opposite the door are clothed in sheer curtains that shut out the dark city. A large bed sits in the middle of the room, perfectly fitted up with lush white sheets and blankets. My feet sink into the thick carpet beneath my shoes, and I suddenly worry about getting something dirty.

“This is going to be your room,” Lucas tells me.

This bedroom is a thousand times nicer than the last two I slept in, but knowing that I’ll be under constant watch or tied to the bed already makes it feel like a prison to me.

I glance around the room again, barely taking anything in. I only have one thought on my mind, and that’s calling Brian.

“I need to pee,” I blurt.

Maybe I should have been more subtle about it, should have waited at least a few hours, but I can’t. I’m anxious to be alone, and the bathroom is the only place I’m sure they’ll leave me alone.

Or at least, they have so far.

“Yeah. All right.”

With a sideways glance at me, Lucas guides me to the adjoining bathroom. For a split second, I’m afraid he’s going to follow me in, but then he shuts the door behind me. As I reach for the lock, I hesitate. The shadow of his feet outside the door haven’t moved, and I don’t want to alert him to anything suspicious. Besides, the lock is probably disabled anyway.

So instead, I flick on the bathroom fan. My breath freezes in my lungs as I wait for him to bust down the door and accuse me of something, but seconds pass and nothing happens.

My hands shake as I pull the phone from my waistband, thanking god for small-town women who still use flip phones. There’s not even a passcode required to unlock it. With one final glance toward the door, I quickly type in Brian’s number.

Please let this work.

12

Grace

The phone rings once.

Twice.

Three times.

My heart beats faster with each ring, and my hope fades as I listen to the endless dialing. I hadn’t even considered that Brian wouldn’t pick up. He’s been my saving grace, my knight in shining armor. The one I’ve pinned all my hopes on.

If I can’t get through to him, I could try calling the police, but that’s a risk in and of itself. There are plenty of dirty cops in this city, and if they tell the syndicate I called for help, I’m as good as dead.

“Hello?” A deep voice cuts through the darkness of my thoughts.

My heart drops to my stomach in an instant, and I’m so thankful to hear a voice—his voice—that my words get stuck in my throat.

Precious seconds, Grace. You’re wasting precious seconds.