Page 96 of Pretty Lethal
I have no doubt now that Carrie was behind all of them coming to Ridgeway. She saw the video of him rescuing Hadley that night and it put everything into motion, resulting in us ending up in this moment.
I’m not entirely sure how she managed to pull it all off, but she knew enough about Wilder and his life to know how to ensure his enrollment at Ridgeway College. From there, she was able to stage a run-in with Robbie and insert him into Wilder’s life, talking in his ear and encouraging him to join Kappa Epsilon and then the Elites.
The only thing she didn’t anticipate was me. She couldn’t have predicted that I’d come back into Wilder’s life. That I’d divert him from the path she was blindly leading him down. I dread to think what would have happened otherwise. Or if I’d pushed him away for a second time.
Wilder snags my attention when he slowly nods, and my heart sinks into my stomach like the Titanic into the ocean. Weighted down and with an impact that will last a lifetime.
“Yeah…” he begins, unaware of the dangerously chaotic thumping of my pulse. “That sounds great and all, but I’m going to have to pass. You see, I don’t believe a word out of your lying cunt of a mouth, and the fact you’re currently holdingmy familyhostage doesn’t really work in your favor. So, no, Mommy Dearest, I have no desire to take up arms at your side and help you carry out your evil villainous plans.”
The cavern descends into a stilted silence as we anxiously await Carrie’s response. One blink. Two. Then her face shutters, and any motherly pride she demonstrated toward her son is wiped away as her lips thin and her gaze sharpens on Wilder. It makes me momentarily dread what she’s going to do to him. Because, of course, he couldn’t just say no, or attempt to placate her until we could figure a way out of here. Instead, he had to add a Jenga tower of insults guaranteed to set her off.
“I’m disappointed,” she states in a carefully neutral tone that only heightens the fear barreling through my veins. “But I can’t say I’m entirely surprised.” She flings a hand in my direction. “I feared this would happen whensheshowed up.”
I grit my teeth to hold back the barrage of abuse I want to throw at her. I haven’t even had time to process her betrayal. I feel entirely duped by her duplicity. Pretending to help me, to be my friend. For what? To keep tabs on me like she did with Wilder?
Between her and Mel, I’m seriously beginning to develop a complex. I feel like I can no longer trust my own judgment. Beyond Hawk, Kai, Wilder, Hadley, and her guys, I don’t know who I can trust. I certainly can’t rely on myself to know whether someone is a friend or foe.
What about Alice, Isaac, and Daniel? Are they in on this too? Can I trust them?
The whole situation gives me a headache and makes me feel like shit, yet I don’t have time to fall into a hole of self-pity right now. A far more significant threat is looming before us, demanding our attention.
She attaches her mouthpiece again and pulls her hood up to cover her face. At the same time, Robbie moves to stand behind Wilder, and before any of us can do anything, Carrie calls out in a booming voice as more cloaks flood the room. I lose count of how many of them there are as chaos breaks out.
Kai and Hawk jump into action despite their arms being tied behind their backs and feet strapped at the ankles. The cloaks spread out, easily overpowering Wilder, Hawk, and Kai, while several more descend on me.
Panic threatens to paralyze me, but I refuse to be taken as easily as I was last time, so I squirm and kick out instead. I hiss and spit, biting down on fingers as they reach out to grab me.
I give as good as I get, but there are too many of them, and it doesn’t take long before I’m subjugated. Tears pluck at my eyes as I writhe futilely in their iron grip.
“Kai!” I cry as they drag me across the room. He’s fighting in earnest against the three cloaks pinning him down, Hawk doing the same, although he’s been shoved face-first against the stone wall.
“Emilia!” he bellows, fear bleeding into his voice as he struggles to turn his head enough to watch as I’m pulled closer to the door.
They’re going to take me away. They’re going to separate us.
Blind panic overrides everything else as I swivel my gaze to Wilder. He’s not looking at me, in any case. His gaze is intent on his mother, the promise of death plain to read in his eyes.
Right before I’m whisked out of the room, his head snaps toward mine, and I lock in on the beautiful chestnut hues of his eyes, darkened with immeasurable anger. I can read what he’s saying as plainly as if he were whispering it in my ear.
Don’t panic. We’ll come for you. Everything will be fine.
His deathly calm marginally soothes the wild fear that has taken root, but I still feel as though I’m drowning in it as a hood is thrown over my head and I lose sight of the three of them before I’m pulled out of the room and hear the heavy door slam shut behind me.
* * *
My battle isan internal one as panic scrapes at my insides and memories of the last time this happened threaten to shred my final threads of sanity. The sharp sting of twigs sticking into my feet, slicing through skin and drawing blood, feels far too real for comfort. The hands wrapped like iron shackles around my arms feel like branches scraping along my skin as I hurry past. I still have the scratches as evidence of that night.
No one says a word as I’m wrestled farther away from my men. My legs are like jelly, barely holding me upright as I struggle to keep up with the fast pace. I constantly stumble before being forced to find my feet again or have my face meet with the hard floor beneath me.
I’m unceremoniously tossed over someone’s shoulder before I hear the creaking of wood as we ascend a set of stairs. Faint streaks of light filter through the dark fabric of the hood. I don’t know how long we were down in that cave, so I can’t decipher whether the light is sunlight or from lamps.
I don’t feel a breeze against my skin to indicate that we are outside, and when I hear feet scuffling over wooden floors instead of the sharp clip from the stone tunnels, I deduce that we must be above ground, although indoors.
Listening for those fine details and attempting to orientate myself are the only things keeping the panic at bay as I bounce uncomfortably on some asshole’s shoulder. A door squeaks open, followed by cool air against my skin. An owl hoots somewhere nearby as ice slides into my veins.
I’m assaulted with renderings of the forest surrounding Ridgeway College, unable to determine if they are memories from that night or my mind conjuring images of my current surroundings. Twigs snap beneath our feet. The sound of branches being brushed aside. All of it melds together until I’m spiraling out of control.
I’m surrounded by cloaks.Eleven faceless people holding me hostage in the center of a circle in the middle of the woods. Wearing only thin pajamas, with no socks or shoes, I have never felt more vulnerable than I do in this moment.
