Page 49 of The Masked King

Then, his face close to mine, he whispers in my ear, “They cannot hear us.”

I lean away from him, angling my face so that I can look at him, but he holds me in place. “How? What about⁠—”

“We must hurry. He is already here.”

“Who?” My blood is roaring in my ears. I don’t understand why he’s doing this, but Brian must be in danger.

“You know who. I will get you into the room… the rest is down to you.”

“What do you mean?” I feel the mask tightening around me, and I’m afraid that once he’s finished, I’ll be on my own with no clue what’s expected of me. “Am I supposed to get him out of here?”

“There is a way out through the basement. The walls are all false. When you leave the room, don’t look for a door, look for a panel.”

“How will I know⁠—”

“You will know.” He stands back. “Ready?” His voice is softer than I’ve ever heard it, and he has never asked me if I’m ready before.

“I don’t know,” I say honestly, and he smiles. I’m almost at the door when I realize I’m not wearing a bracelet. I raise my wrist. “What about the⁠—”

“Shh.” He opens the door and peers outside. “Stay behind me and don’t speak to anyone.”

That’s a given. I don’t know why he’s helping me, or how the fuck I’m going to get out of here with Brian, a man I’ve never come face-to-face with before, but not getting caught is priority number one.

I get my bearings once we reach the corridor to Nyx’s room. This place was built like a maze for a reason, to keep everyone dependent on the bodyguards escorting us and the clients from one room to another, and it feels bizarre to know that there’s a whole other building outside of these fake walls. Someone might be standing on the other side of the plasterboard right now, matching our steps and tracking our every move.

I’m so busy studying the wall, looking for a secret panel, that I don’t realize there’s a problem until Michael Douglas stops dead, and gestures with his hand behind his back for me to enter Nyx’s room.

I don’t waste a beat. Opening the door, I understand why he wants to get me out of sight. Someone is at the far end of the hallway, watching us in the darkness, the only clue to their presence, the gleam of their white teeth when they smile

I dart inside the room and close it behind me, waiting for the familiar click of the lock that doesn’t come. Of course, it doesn’t. I’m not being tracked; they don’t know I’m here.

This cupboard-sized space is where I would normally wait until the light above the door alerts me to the client in the adjacent room. A bottle of water is on the table, catching the soft glow of the red light above the door. The bodyguard’s instructions were so vague that I don’t know if I should go straight through or wait, but then I remember he said that Brian was already here, and I remind myself that no one can hear me, so an alert will never come.

I open the door, greeted by darkness as usual, but in that brief moment between one room and the next, I catch a fleeting glimpse of the man in the seat. He’s wearing a suit, black socks, leather mask covering his face, but something about his presence wraps around my chest and squeezes like a vice.

Then it’s gone, swallowed whole by the darkness.

“Who’s there?” I hear him say, and my pulse gathers speed when I recognize Brian’s voice. “Nyx? Who was that?”

Confusion keeps me rooted to the spot. This is my room. I’m Nyx.

Only I’m not Nyx tonight. I’m floating, and someone has obviously taken my place, playing the part, keeping Brian here until I arrive.

Cold hands find mine, slender fingers guiding me deeper into the room. The other Nyx doesn’t speak; they might not be able to hear me, but they can hear her. She halts, squeezes my hands once, then says, “I’m over here, Brian.”

I don’t hear her move away, I don’t know who she is or why she’s helping me, I don’t even know where she has gone. Maybe she is working with Michael Douglas. Either way, she’s on our side.

“Nyx?” Brian’s voice makes me want to squeal with delight.

“Is this better?” I move closer, knowing that he’ll smell my perfume.

“You’re… on your game tonight.” He’s choosing his words carefully. After last night, he understands the rules a little better, and the danger of breaking them.

We must be quick. I need to keep Brian interacting with Nyx and get him out of here before they realize the conversation is totally one-sided. But I’ve no idea if Michael Douglas managed to hold off the guy in the corridor, and my thoughts are spinning, and…

“Tonight, you will listen and do as you are told.” The other Nyx’s voice slices through the darkness catching me unawares. I thought she’d left the room, but it occurs to me then that Brian wouldn’t be allowed to stay in here alone. “I am in control, Brian. Do you understand?”

I sense his confusion and cross the line circling the seat to whisper in his ear. “Answer her. Only her.” I’m not being tracked, I remind myself as adrenaline pumps around my body. They don’t know I’m here.