King doesn’t strike me as the kind of guy who forgets anything—ever. Baron also knows damn well that I don’t have his number. For all I know, he shot King and Eliza to give them the slip. I wouldn’t put anything past him.
Or maybe he’s telling the truth, but I’ve been burned too many times to believe a word he says.
“There’s more area to cover on this wing,” Duke points out. “We can sweep it and then go back.”
He and Baron start down the short hallway.
“I’m going with them,” I say. “Something feels off.”
“Are you sure?” Gideon asks, frowning at me. “Want me to come?”
“No,” I say. “I just want to make sure Baron’s not up to his usual shady shit.”
“I’ll come with,” Gloria says.
“We’ll keep going,” Mr. Delacroix says. “Be careful. Whistle if you need us.”
I turn and hurry down the hallway. Duke and Baron have disappeared by the time my light hits the end of the corridor, which only convinces me further. They’re up to something.
We’re halfway to the end when a sound echoes from somewhere in the movie theater, ahead and to our left—a distinctly female scream.
twenty-eight
Harper Apple
“What was that?” Gloria asks, her eyes going wide. She lifts the rifle back to her shoulder and holds it up, making her way slowly.
“Cover my back,” I say as another scream echoes from the pitch dark entrance of the movie theater. “Don’t shoot me.”
“Where’d the twins go?” she asks, her voice high with fear.
“If I had to guess, the screams will lead us to them,” I mutter darkly, hurrying to the entrance before hesitating. Both glass doors are propped open, but I can’t see anything but a gaping maw of darkness within. I turn my light up and shine it into the red-carpeted entrance. The ticket counter and concession stand lies ahead, with two small screening rooms and one restroom on either side.
The echo of the last scream dies away, and there’s silence all around us. My heart is beating so loud I hardly hear Gloria come up behind me.
“Who was that?” she asks, her breathing shallow.
Fuck. My mind races through the possibilities. Eliza, Crystal, or Magnolia.
Eliza could have come to track down the twins, and whatever they’re hiding is worth killing for, so they shot her or otherwise put her out of commission. If Crystal came down here for whatever reason, the twins or Royal might have been pissed enough to kill her. And then there’s Magnolia…
There’s a soft clicking and a familiar whirr, and then the sound of a girl crying coming from one of the rooms to the left.
“Cover,” I say, starting that way, my heart hammering as the cold light of my phone falls on the handle of the theater door. I throw it open and jump to one side, flattening my back to the wall in case anyone’s waiting. Nothing happens except the sniffling and crying is louder now—too loud.
I turn and step into the theater. The sound isn’t coming from a person, at least not one in the room. It’s coming from the sound booth overhead. Something that looks suspiciously like porn is playing on the screen.
“Welcome to the den of iniquity,” Duke says, kicking his feet up on the back of a seat. “I’ve got beer and weed and a couple Pearl Ladies.”
“What the fuck, Duke,” I snap. “We’re supposed to be looking for Royal. Where’s Baron?”
“He’s in the booth,” Duke says, pointing up at the projection booth. “He’s the pro.”
“What is this?” Gloria asks, lowering the gun and gaping at the screen. “Is this…?”
The scene has changed from the shot that was so close up it was almost impossible to tell what was happening to a shot of…Me.
I swallow the bile in my throat, swaying on my feet. My fingers close around the back of one of the seats, and I stare at the screen and what is very obviously my tattoos.