Page 16 of Light in Your Eyes
"Sorry," the person says to me.
As I turn, I see a pretty girl with tanned skin and black eyes. I'm still overwhelmed by the surroundings, so I can only stare at her blankly instead of responding to her apology.
She squints at me, a strand of her curly hair falling over her face.
A guy with light brown hair and pale skin stands next to her, draping his arm around her shoulder. He stares atme curiously. "I haven't seen you around."
Uneasiness stirs inside me. "Yeah, I'm new."
The girl's brows furrow. "Who brought you here?"
I swallow. "A guy named Cole."
She looks like she's trying to digest what I said, and then her eyes widen in shock. "You're kidding me. Cole Madden?"
I don't know what she meant by that, but it seems that Cole is quite famous here—I remember that the guy guarding the door instantly dropped to his knees after noticing the tattoo on Cole's wrist.
"Actually, I don't know his last name," I mumble.
The girl laughs. "There's only one Cole in this family, and there's no way that he just recruited you."
I'm about to tell her that I was hired by Jaxon Romero to take care of his blind brother, but before I can open my mouth, the guy chirps in, "Technically, he could," he says to her in an amused tone. "He's a knight."
The girl rolls her eyes. "Of course. What I'm saying is that he wouldn't recruit just anybody. Cole wouldn't." She studies me from head to toe, almost snickering. "And she doesn't look like she can fight. Pretty sure that she's not the kind of newbie Jaxon would approve."
I'm officially lost. I don't know what they were talking about and what kind of nonsense this is all about.
"You mean, Jaxon Romero?" I ask.
The girl stares at me in disbelief. "Now you're talking as if you don't even know our king. Are you here because someone bullied you in Truth or Dare? Or are you here for a bet? This kind of thing never gets old." She sighs, shaking her head.
"Seems like the first one," the guy speaks like he's trying to hold back laughter, tossing me a look of pity.
I really want to leave this place because of the way they make me feel even more uncomfortable, but a part of me wants to know what they're trying to say.
"I'm Brea, by the way. And this is my boyfriend, Gio." She extends her arm for a handshake while Gio bursts out laughing, as though she just made up their names.
I reluctantly accept the handshake.
"You are...?" She raises her brow in question.
"Layla," I say.
Brea grabs my arm and drags me further into the house until we stand under the staircase, away from people dancing and talking, even though the music and noises are still pretty loud in my ears.
"Well, Layla." Brea stares at me, lowering her voice. "Normally, we don't do this. One would expect to be buried six feet under if they dared step into this place. But..." Her eyes glint with mischief. "Consider this as our generosity. We won't tell anyone that you sneaked in."
"You're fucking crazy," Gio blurts out, but he can't hide the adoration on his face when he stares at his girlfriend. Her daring personality may be the reason he likes her.
"Come on, I was once bullied too," she purrs, leaning into him as she playfully touches his chest. "Besides, Truth or Dare is always my thing." She returns her attention to me and smiles. "So...Layla."
She sighs while I involuntarily hold my breath, preparing for what she's about to say. The longer I stay in this place, the more anxious I become because of the unexpected things I find.
"You and your friends might think that using our leaders' names—Cole, or even Jaxon—would save you and make it less suspicious. But..." She tsks. "You're fucking wrong. If you don't understand how things work here, you'll be in big trouble."
"No, it won't be just trouble,” Gio says to me. “It will cost your life. The people here won't hesitate to put a bullet in your head, and it will be the most generous way to end your life here besides the other things we can do to you."
My mouth drops open. I don't want to believe them, but the things I saw and experienced today—especially my conversation with Cole and what happened with the guards outside—make me think that they’re not lying.
