Page 216 of Like Grim Death: Part One
He laughs. “Nothing as bad as what’s going to happen to you.”
Fear steals the words from my mouth.
Glancing at the ceiling, he says, “We broke up, you know? But that didn’t mean I could let her go.”
I try to breathe. In. Out. In. Out. “Is she…okay?” I think I see a shadow flicker across his face again, then it’s gone. I could have imagined it, but the sense of unease I’ve started to feel, being this close to him without anyone having my back or even knowing where I am, starts to grow. Was itNatalieat The Madilyn? “She’s okay, isn’t she?” I rephrase the question, suddenly needing him to reassure me.
“No.”
My breath catches in my throat. Of course I expected him to lie. But… is this the truth? “What do you mean?” I keep the quaver out of my words, and I attribute that to living with someone like Maverick Astor.
He shrugs, and his voice is the same hair-raising whisper it was when he grabbed me at his house and put his fingers in my mouth. “Do you really want to know?”
My spine crawls, and I wrap my arms around my shins.
“Do you really want to know, Ella? Or would you rather stay in the dark?” He levels my gaze, his chin dipped. His eyes pierce my own, and I want to leave. But I don't even know where the fuck we are.
“Where are we, Atlas? What are you doing to me? Why am I here? Why did you drug me, before tonight even? You told me it was a painkiller. But you have harder drugs. You told me… Why did you—”
“You’re safe, for now,” he says softly, still staring at me, his expression blank.
My breath catches and I suddenly feel very cold. “I want to find Mavy.”
He doesn't move from the high-backed chair, his head cocked, a lock of blond hair falling from beneath his hat. “Yeah?” He keeps his tone level, but there's a taunting look in his eye, and I know, I'm not going to be able to leave here so easily. “They’re after you, Ella.”
“The drugs you’ve given me…”
“They’re not what you think they are.”
“What have you done to me?” I swallow the lump in my throat. “What the fuck have you done?” I hate the fact I'm whispering the words. I hate that I dig my nails into my shins and start to rock, but I can't seem to stop as I stare at him, the only light from the lamp at his feet.
With my question, he leans forward, his elbows on his thighs and fingers laced together beneath his chin. "Are you ready for that truth?”
“Yes,” I tell him, my heart picking up speed. “I want to know. You promised me answers.”
“They don't trust you.”
“Who is they?”
He tilts his head. “The 6.”
It hurts to hear, but it's not something I didn't already know. “And?”
He smiles, dimples flashing, but it doesn't reassure me. With the shadows cast over his face, I feel only cold chilling my bones. “And they want to.”
I doubt that. I chew the inside of my cheek, wishing to be home. Come find me, Mavy. I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry. But I try to keep calm. I try to hold my own until Atlas leaves and I can run back to Maverick’s room. “Yeah? How do they plan to do that? Another…ceremony?” It’s what I’ve been doing, right? What Lucifer commanded me to do? Or is it something…different?
He laughs, his canines exposed as he does. “Something like that,” he says after a moment, still staring at me. “They were going to wait, you know. I had until Halloween. But then my dad came to The Madilyn, and he said I needed tohurry.He said I had to do itnow.I tried to warn you to stay away from me, but you just let him fuck you and leave you on the floor.”
My skin crawls. I don’t know what he’s talking about. He had until Halloween? His dad was there, last night, or the night before? Why?
“They're going to pick you apart.” He keeps talking, his voice smooth. “And look inside.”
The anxiety in my brain causes the hairs to lift from my scalp. It's a tangible fear, and I grit my teeth together to ensure they don't chatter.
“If they like what they see…” He leans back in his chair, and his smile is gone, even though I'm sure his next words are the punchline coming. He drops his hands to his laps and turns his head. I see his sharp jawline and the muscles working along it. “They'll put you back together again. If I can convince them.”
“What happened to Natalie, Atlas?” I ask the question because he's angry about this. That means something, doesn't it? It has to mean… something happened to her. Something always happens to the girls who get too close to the 6, right? Ria… She was kept in the basement of my house. She was almost shot by Mavy’s dad.
