Page 60 of Masked Sins
“Yeah, we’re in big fucking trouble,” she says.
“Shh,” Zoe hisses. “If we’re quiet, maybe we’ll blend into the wall like those lizards who go transparent when scared.”
“Not withhis preciousstanding right here,” Remy mumbles under her breath.
“Hey,” I warn, sipping my cocktail.
Before we can argue further, Orion pushes back from the bar and walks right past us.
Once he’s several feet away, Zoe lets out a slow breath of air. “That was close.”
Remy’s eyes narrow, and she moves her curly auburn hair off her shoulder. “I don’t buy it.”
“What do you mean?” I ask.
“He knows we’re here. I’m sure of it.”
“Maybe not.” Zoe shrugs. “We’d just walked in when he got here?—”
“Hey, Orion!” Remy says loudly.
He turns around, and I brace myself again. Slowly—ever so slowly—he flicks his eyes between the three of us, nodding once before continuing his walk deeper into the club.Withoutsaying hi or losing his shit or…caring.
I let out a shaky breath.
“That was weird,” Zoe murmurs, brows furrowed.
My cheeks heat as Orion finally disappears around a corner. I feel like a child about to throw a tantrum because his possessiveness drives me crazy. But when he doesn’t act like a savage brute, I apparently can’t compute it, and it makes me burn with humiliation.
I hate him.
Crossing my arms, I attempt to appear nonplussed. “Whatever. Should we go see what each floor entails?”
Zoe and Remy share a look, but eventually, Zoe nods. “Yeah. Up or down?”
I glance toward where Orion disappeared, and then a sickening, not-so-fleeting thought enters my mind. Is he here to see the person he’s dating?
Is that why he didn’t say hi? Because she’s here?
“Let’s go down to Purgatory first,” Remy offers. “Justlooking. No participating for Bambi here.”
I scoff. “I don’t appreciate the nickname.”
Zoe chuckles. “Okay, let’s go after we finish our drinks.”
“I’m just looking out for you,” Remy adds, taking my hand and squeezing it once.
“I know,” I tell her, bringing it to my lips and kissing it. “Thank you.”
Once we’re done with our drinks a few minutes later, we follow the hallway around a corner and down a winding staircase that leads into what seems like a dungeon. There are signs that phones are not allowed, so I tuck mine away in my bag.
Zoe goes down the stairs first, followed by Remy. I’m the last to make the trek downward, and as I do, the hairs on my arms stand on end.
The lighting gets dimmer the farther we descend into the depths of the club. It’s not empty, but it’s also not swarming with people. A lot of people are dressed in leather, and a woman walks around in high heels, carrying a whip. Several rooms that look like prison cells line the perimeter of the large room. Sconces with real flames line the walls, and the flickering, orange light casts a warm, almost eerie light on everyone’s faces. Screaming metal music plays at a low volume through speakers I can’t see.
Several seconds after getting to the bottom of the stairs, the crowd in front of us parts slightly, and my heart drops somewhere down low when I see Orion is the one drawing observers.
I walk over to the prison cell while holding my breath, attempting to remain behind enough people that he doesn’t see me. He stands in the cell, shirtless, with only his pants hung low on his hips and his boots on his feet. He’s leaning over an old stove, and a low flame flickers underneath what looks like a cauldron. A piece of his dark hair falls in front of his face, but he doesn’t move it out of the way. It makes this whole thing so much more cryptic.
