For most of my life, I had felt powerless. Just the thought of having control over the Salvatores filled me with excitement. I didn’t understand what it meant to be Queen of The Devil’s Knights. But a small part of me wanted it.
I wanted the power.
Fanning myself with my hand, I rose from the couch, overwhelmed by the shocking news. “I need some fresh air before we eat.”
Pops nodded. “Take your time.”
I left the sitting room, power walked down the hallway, and flung open the front door. A girl on a mission, I walked across the grass with my flats in hand, my cell phone in the other.
Why hadn’t Aiden called or texted in the last twenty-four hours? Not even to see if I’d made it to Devil’s Creek. I’d completely forgotten with all the drama last night. It was hard to breathe around the Salvatores, let alone make calls.
I hit Aiden’s name on my speed dial and put the phone on speaker. An automated message said,The number you’re trying to reach is no longer in service.
“What the fuck?”
Bile rose from the back of my throat as panic flooded my veins. This had to be a mistake, so I tried dialing his number directly. Again, I received the same message.
Is my phone broken?
I hadn’t received a single call since I’d arrived in Devil’s Creek. So I called the pizzeria near my house to check my cell service. A young woman answered on the second ring. I apologized for calling the wrong number and hung up.
Okay, so my phone works.
Now what?
I moved toward the entrance gate, needing an escape from the confines of my life. Two hours of freedom. That was all I had until Marcello would be back to collect me.
I stopped in front of the fence and then remembered I needed the access code to open it. Pops changed it once a week. Unlike the Salvatore Estate, armed men didn’t guard Wellington Manor, but it had on-site security twenty-four-seven.
Fuck this shit.
Something was wrong with Aiden. Like hell would I stay in this town without reaching my brother, without knowing he was safe.
I shoved my flats through the slats in the fence, committed to my mission. The guard watching the security feed was about to get one hell of a show. My inner Spider-Man senses awakened as I gripped the metal bars and found my groove, scaling the tall fence like a superhero. Sharp bits of iron poked my palms, the pain so intense I almost let go halfway.
Slinging my leg over the fence, I mounted the brick post with my thighs spread and my dress hiked up to my waist. As I stared down at the pavement, a wave of nausea swept over me. It was at least a twenty-foot drop.
I drew in a few deep breaths to still my pounding heart.
I hated heights.
What was I thinking?
A car horn blared down the street, startling me. I used my forearm to shield my face from the sun and gasped. Marcello drove onto the flagstones and parked his black Maserati Ghibli in front of the gate.
He popped his head out the window. “Where the fuck do you think you’re going?”
My plan was an epic fail. I hadn’t even made it over the front gate before Marcello caught me in a compromising position. I had my dress hiked up to my waist, my legs dangling from the brick post like branches hanging from a tree.
Fear was a motherfucker.
If I hadn’t taken in the twenty-foot drop, I would have been long gone, on my way to freedom.
I was so close I could taste it.
As Marcello parked his black Maserati on the flagstones, I yanked my dress down to my knees. He’d seen me naked already, but I wasn’t trying to make it a regular habit. I had to maintain some decency, after all.
But who was I kidding?