Page 97 of Five

“He even builds robots.” She laughs at that. Like it’s absurd. “But the most interesting thing about your man, Princess, is that his grandfather tapped him to take over a prominent Chinese Triad. We already know he’s reluctant from our inside sources. But once he sees you… well…” She offers me a fake sympathetic smile. “He’ll get on board, just like all the rest.”

“I bet you never had a man love you like that, did you, Blondie?”

Her smile falters just the tiniest bit.

“No,” I say. “I cannot imagine a man giving up anything for a woman like you. Let alone his family name, and wealth, and his future. You’re all alone, aren’t you, Blondie?”

She blinks at me. Slowly. Smiling. Like she’s an overly patient pre-school teacher talking to a three-year-old. “Well, you’re wrong, honey. I do have a man. A very well-connected one. Jack Joseph. Five knows him well. And Jack knows all Five’s secrets. Isn’t that right, Jack?”

I look around the dark room, wondering who the fuck she’s talking to. But a man steps forward from the shadows and smiles at me. “Pleased to meet you,” he says in his typical British accent. He looks at his watch and then at me. “Five should be here soon. I hear he just broke into the building. You did call for him, Aurora? Like a good little helpless princess?”

Shit. They knew all along.

“We just killed Cliff Middleton, by the way,” Blondie says. “He came here tonight with silly notions of revenge for his pathetic little sister.”

“What?” I say, unable to hide my shock.

“Would you like to play who’s-got-more-power with me, Aurora?” Blondie says in her overly sweet voice.

“It’s Rory,” I growl, my anger back. Fuck these people. They killed both of my friends and I’m going to make sure that if I go down, it counts. Twice.

“Not anymore. It’s Aurora now. You will marry Frank Fulbright tonight, and tomorrow you’ll be Aurora Fulbright.”

Disgusting. I’d rather die. “I can’t wait to see the wedding pictures.” I laugh. It’s a forced laugh. But I don’t care. If taking down Frank Fulbright is the only thing I get out of this night… it’ll have to do. “I think I might’ve knocked out a tooth.”

Blondie’s smile turns into a frown. “I wish you had more control, Aurora.”

“Yeah,’” I ask. “Why’s that?”

“Because he’s gonna make you pay for that.”

“And no one”—I turn in my chair to find Frank coming through the steel door holding a bloody handkerchief to his face—“will give two fucking shits what I do to you, Aurora. No one,” he says, walking quickly over to me, so fast he startles me and I get up, but he grabs my hair, yanks it hard and puts me back in my place, “will come to your rescue. No one will ever take you from me. You’re mine.” He looks over at Blondie and says, “Do it. Now.”

Blondie nods to the bodyguard and he brings a small silver plate with one of those silver dome lids over it. He places it on the table and lifts the lid. Sitting on the plate is a single silver wafer, about the size of a half dollar.

“What the hell am I supposed to do with that?”

“Kill yourself, bitch,” Frank spits. “Just like Tera did.”

I glare at him and steel myself. Remind myself why I’m here. For revenge.

Before they even know I’m moving, I snatch the silver wafer from the tray and pop it into my mouth. They tackle me, their fingers in my mouth as they knock me to the ground. All three of them, making me gag on the acrid-tasting wafer, until they scoop it out and fling the remnants on the floor.

“No, no, no,” Blondie says, tsking her tongue at me. “We tell you when you’re allowed to die, sweetie. Not the other way around. We control everything about your life from this moment on.” She stops her speech and looks up at the bodyguard. “Where is Aston?”

“The double doors,” bodyguard says.

“Good,” Jack Joseph says. “Right on time. Take her,” he says to Frank.

Frank, still tightly holding my hair and happy to get his chance to hurt me again, yanks me up until I’m standing. He squeezes me close to him, my back pressed against his chest. His blood-smelling breath seeps into my nose, making me want to puke.

My head is spinning. Not in a way I’ve ever experienced before. And my vision begins to blur as I lose control of my muscles and slump against Frank.

“What the fuck?” Franks asks. “Did she swallow some of that wafer?”

He sounds worried, but he’s not worried about me. He’s worried about losing his little reward for being an obedient, power-hungry lackey. His prize. His place in this… this… cult.

Five will never stop if they kill me. He will burn down the world if anything happens to me.