Prologue
Evie
The pain is unbearable. My head is throbbing like I’ve been used as a personal punching bag.
My eyes feel like sandpaper as I try to open them. My whole body hurts; my legs and arms feel like they’re being weighed down by bricks.
I just lay there, my mind fuzzy on where I am. Blinking until my blurry vision is gone, I find myself staring up at a dark sky. Car horns and sirens sound in the distance, telling me I must be in the city.How did I get here? What the hell is going on?
I can’t just lay here. I need to get up.
With all my strength, I roll onto my side, crying out as my head spikes with pain. With shaky fingers, I touch the spot on my head that’s sore, then look at my hands; blood. I must have hit my head.
Looking beyond my hands, there are garbage bins, and the smell finally hits me. I’m in a back alley. Groaning, I squint my eyes shut, willing the world to stop spinning.
Think, Evie. What the fuck happened?
Flashes of the boardwalk pop into my mind. Harlow and I laughing as we ride the Ferris wheel, chatting about everything and anything while we ate.
I remember we left the restaurant and started walking when Harlow realized that she had forgotten the photo booth pictures inside. So, I stayed here, but that's all I can recall.
So where the hell is Harlow? How did I end up lying in the back alley with my head bashed in?
Something isn't right, and a wave of panic takes over me. There's no way Harlow would’ve left me here.
I need to call for help.
Checking my pocket, I let out a sigh of relief when my hand wraps around my cell phone. I pull it out, and look at the screen. It's past midnight?
I've been out here for hours?
My fingers tremble as I search for Cass’s number. I stand on shaky legs, needing to get out of this alley and somewhere safer, while I wait for one for the guys to come pick me up.
“Hello?” Cass answers.
“Something’s not right,” I croak out, my throat feeling like I swallowed dirt.
“Evie? What are you talking about?”
“I just woke up alone, in a back alley. Cass, I’ve been here for hours. Harlow was only meant to go back inside the restaurant to grab something.” Tears prick my eyes and just as I’m about to step out of the alley, I notice something on the ground. Bending over, I pick it up. A cry rips from my throat as I hold the photos that Harlow went back for. Looking around, I see a few random people and a car drive by, but otherwise, this place is dead.
“Evie!” Cass calls out, his tone laced with his own panic.
“Someone took her,” I sob out. “I don’t know who, but she would never leave me like this, Cass. Never.”
“Fuck!” he roars. “Where are you? We’re coming to get you and find out what the fuck is going on.”
I tell him the name of the restaurant and move to sit on the front steps. I’m a trembling mess as I struggle to remember something, anything.
I’m not sitting here very long when a car pulls up. Cass gets out and rushes over, crouching down in front of me.
“Hey,” he says, his voice oddly calming. “Tell me everything.”
So I do; with tears streaming down my face, I tell him everything I remember in order, up until everything went black.
“You're right, there's no way she would’ve left you here.” He lets out a frustrated sigh, rubbing a hand down his face. “But this is Harlow we’re talking about, Queenie for fuck’s sake. No one has ever gotten the drop on her.”
“Until now...” I whisper. Normally I’m stronger than this. I lived a life of pure Hell for years; things don’t scare me so easily now. He’s right though, no one has ever gotten one over on Queenie, but someone has this time, and that sends raw terror throughout my body.