A woman suddenly appears from deep down the hallway. I didn’t hear her because I was too entranced by the house. It’s like two houses in one. Two separate lives.
Why did Langston create a house that was half my dream and half this? Whose dream house is this?
The woman folds her arms as she stares at me wordlessly. She has short, choppy hair dyed bright red, so I have no idea what her natural color is. Her skin is toned and unmarked with scars or tattoos. She’s wearing a long-sleeved black shirt and dark jeans, not clothes one might wear while living in a beach mansion.
“Phoenix?” I ask, using the name I overheard Langston say.
She stares at me, sizing me up.
“I’m Liesel. I’m wondering if I can borrow your phone?”
On my last syllable, I’m tackled to the ground as if I was aiming a gun at Phoenix’s head or something.
“Get off me,” I yell as I try to break free of whoever tackled me. It’s not Phoenix, she’s still standing wordlessly a few feet in front of me.
“Don’t move,” Joel says. Suddenly, I feel the barrel of a gun against my temple.
I immediately stop moving, sto
p resisting, and let him pin me to the ground.
“Good girl,” Amelia says.
“Amelia?” I glance out of the corner of my eye and see Amelia holding the gun to my head, while Joel applies his full weight to my back.
She smirks at me.
“So, you really aren’t a chef?”
“Oh, I can cook. I just also know how to use a weapon.”
“Get up,” Joel says, yanking me to my feet.
“Is it really necessary to keep pointing that gun at my head?” I snark at Amelia.
She tilts her head. “We were told to keep you out of here at all costs.”
I roll my eyes. “You were also told to cook for me, and you were told to keep me safe. You’ve both already failed.”
I look between the two. “And I’m pretty sure if you killed me, Langston wouldn’t be too happy. Am I right?”
Joel grabs my hair and sniffs along my neck.
I freeze at his touch, my mind going back to all the times I’ve been tortured like this.
“Kill me, and Langston will kill you. I’m not afraid of you,” I say, keeping my voice calm and steady. They can try to intimidate me all they want, but they can’t kill me without dealing with Langston’s retaliation.
Joel twists my arm, hard. “We might not be able to kill you, but we sure as hell can punish you for breaking one of Langston’s rules.”
“Sweet dreams, princess.” Amelia hits me hard on the head. It’s the last thing I remember.
I lift my head and regret it immediately.
My head feels like a knife was jabbed into my forehead and then twisted around.
“Son of a bitch,” I groan.
I try to sit up more carefully this time, when I feel the tug of a rope around my wrists.