Page 32 of The Devil of Hollywood

Another push.

Another door.

“Penny?”

Fire cut across my calf, sending me crashing to my knees on the stone. I tried sucking in air, but heat stung across my back as the man brought back a thin baton, striking me with it repeatedly. Each hit was harder than the next. I clawed at the floor, trying to scramble away.

“I said walk!”

My arm was grabbed, and I was jerked up, but with the violence it unlocked my own. I reared back, sending my fist slamming right into his throat. The man’s hands flew to his neck, and I didn’t think, I ran. I knew I was still sobbing. I knew I wasn’t being quiet, but I couldn’t think of that as the pads of my feet pounded against the hard, cold surface. I felt like I was flying as I ran for my very life. Light seemed to flicker at my speed, and as I neared the end, I felt myself jerk to a stop. There was no turn. No… adjoining hall. My head shook and I scrambled back, spinning and crashing right into a man nearly as wide as a horse. His hand was already swinging right for my face. All I saw was a bright flash as my knees buckled and pain like I never felt left me crumbling to the floor. My cheek was throbbing but numb from the back of his hand, and I was barely conscious. Barely even able to see through the stalling of my shocked mind. Blood. It raced from my nose to my cheek as I went in and out.

“Stupid. You girls never learn.” No accent. The large guard grabbed my bicep, lifting me off the ground enough to keep my head from hitting as he dragged me behind him. The pressure that he held to me was torture in its own, and my arm felt like it was going to pop out of the socket. My feet scrambled as I tried to find footing, but I was jerked every time I started to relieve the pressure. “Alwyn, you alright down there?”

A clearing of the throat sounded, followed by a cough.

“Yeah. I’m good.”

“Finish the hall. I’ll take her over.”

The man in the distance didn’t respond as we headed for one of the random doors. He opened it, and pulled me through, finally jerking me up to stand. His thick finger pointed right in my face. I was still lightheaded as I struggled to function.

“If you fight, I fight.”

The warning had my lower lip trembling. My gaze lifted meeting gray eyes. My mother’s words rushed through my head. Lessons on behavior—a million manipulations.

“I’m sorry,” I sobbed. “I’m so scared. Where am I? What’s happening?”

The man’s gaze searched my face while I studied his. The dark hair was nearly black, and his skin was deeply tanned. His lips were on the thinner side, but his nose was wide at the bottom. He reminded me of a bodybuilder, and from the hit, I didn’t doubt his size had everything to do with that. His arms bulged through the sleeves as his forearm rotated to pull back his uniformed top. I leaned in close, taking in the brand of the circle around an upside-down crown.

“What is that? I saw it on the door. What does it mean?”

He fixed his shirt, still reading my expressions.

“It means you’re home.”

“Home?”

The man reached up, grabbing my jaw to turn my face as I winced.

“This is The Order of the Unavowed. It’s a sanctuary for some; hell for you. In a few days, you’ll be sold. What happens to you is up to them.”

“Sold?” I pulled my face from the man’s grip. “Sold to whom?”

He shrugged, gesturing for me to continue walking.

“… Trafficked?”

“Sort of.”

Was there another way to state the obvious? Tears left me again while I took in the torches and stone. More doors. More hay. I blinked through the racing options, pouting my lip the smallest amount as I played on my femininity. It was hallmark, and my mother swore by it. It made up most of my training… along with a few tricks.

My voice softened. “Where am I going right now?”

The guard slowed, and he looked hesitant. It had me rounding my eyes, using that doe-eyed expression I knew would pull him in. It wasn’t just a look—it was a hook I’d learned from my hypnotist, psychiatrist mother. She called it a sway, and I hadn’t used it since Drayton, so long ago. I hated that I even had to now, but I didn’t have a choice. I didn’t like the way he kept taking me in, but I needed answers. I had to know what I was up against, and it was imperative that he warm to me. The look would work. The mind knew it, even if he didn’t. The only way to get him to speak was to initiate, and I needed him to soften.

“I’m about to take you to the inside. It’s not like out here. They’ll brand you. Take your blood. You’ll go through a medical checkup. It doesn’t take long. Once you finish, I’m to take you to meet The Unavowed. You are not to speak to him unless spoken to. You are not to go near him or touch him. To do so would be a death sentence. Do you understand?”

I swallowed hard, nodding.