Page 52 of The Red Room
I lay on the couch the same way I have for the past two hours; awake and staring at the popcorn ceiling in the darkness of this strange and somehow familiar apartment. Judging by the subtle snores coming from the doorway, he passed out at least an hour ago, but I can’t bring myself to draw him out of such a deep sleep. Him getting rest is the least of my worries. Right now, I’m only thinking about Nik. If he can actually find Courtney and get her out of whatever hell I got her in. I knew what they were. I knew how dangerous it was to go back there. But I did. Night after night, I went back to Völk because I couldn’t stay away from him. And now, I’ve lost my only friend in the process.
I’ve done little else than stare at my phone, scrolling through every picture I have of Courtney, waiting for a call, a text, something to let me know she’s okay. But there’s nothing. Only the small creaks of the apartment settling, and the kitchen faucet dripping at odd intervals. Another round of snores resonate from the doorway, breaking the silence of the room. I hear his large body shift to a more comfortable position and settle.
Nikolai will find her Ms. Nat.The words ring in my ears. Deafening even the complex foundation settling. Dimitri didn’t falter when he said it. There was no uncertainty in his eyes. He knew Nik would find Courtney and bring her out of the gauntlet I threw her in. So, why am I still gripping my phone like I can squeeze the answers out of it?
A soft buzz vibrates in my hands and disrupts the silence of the apartment. Dimitri doesn’t stir, only snores at a louder octave. Part of me is glad his hearing isn’t as sharp as Nik’s. There’s a banner at the top of my screen. One new message, Courtney’s name above it. My heart rate throbs profusely. Chest-pounding thumps beat throughout my entire body and down to my outstretched feet. I sit up in an instant, hesitantly hovering my thumb over the unread message. The tears I haven’t shed make their unwanted escape when I close my eyes and take a deep, almost hollow breath.She’s okay. He found her. Nik saved her. Courtney is okay.
I tap on the screen.
It’s a picture.
One of my friend I hardly recognize. Her mouth is covered by a dull blue cloth and thick lines of mascara run down her tear-stained cheeks. Courtney’s eyes are wincing but there’s no denying they are open. Bloodshot veins scatter around the whites. Panic creases the soft lines of her face.Nik didn’t find her. No, she’s still somewhere in the city.The pit I’ve had in my stomach since we left Völk somehow deepens, a never-ending cavern for all of my insides to be swallowed whole.
Beneath the image are five simple words.Come alone or she dies.
TWENTY-EIGHT
He has her.Pain surges up each vertebrae of my spine until it reaches the hairs lifting on my neck.Viktor has Courtney.She’s not at one of the transport houses Nik is going to. No. Not unless they decided to paint the walls of each house red. I recognize it in an instant. Behind Courtney’s frightened face in the picture is an arterial palette I saw my first night at Völk.Veronica Tate.I remember the way blond hair swayed behind her every time she looked over her shoulder at me with a satisfied smirk and an arched eyebrow.I win, she was probably thinking. Now, I know she couldn’t have been more wrong.Völk is a hunting ground for our pack.She strutted into that room, and unbeknownst to her, was quite literally thrown to the wolves. I’d never wish that for anyone, even Veronica of all people. But it isn’t her picture on my phone. It’s Courtney. And if I don’t do something fast … who knows what Viktor will do to her?
I stand from the couch, carefully balancing on the pads of my feet. The floor creaks but is no louder than the rest of the noise in the apartment. I could be shifting on the couch, after all. No cause for alarm to the man with his head tilted againstthe wall and a crossbow in his hands. At least, I hope it isn’t. If I end up with a silver arrow in my chest, this will all have been for nothing.
I should wake him up. I should tell him what’s happened. It’s the sensible thing to do. Surely, I’ve seen more than enough movies to know this is nothing more than a trap to get me alone. Then, I look at the message again, the bright screen of my phone illuminating the near black room.Come alone or she dies.If Dimitri or Nik show up to Völk, Courtney will die before they get through the front doors. Fuck, he was inches away from ripping me apart tonight until Nikolai stopped him. Can he stop his brother from slashing out her throat in time? I’m not so sure he can. And am I really willing to risk her to find out?
No. Not a fucking chance.
I take small steps toward the doorway, easing across the wooden floors until the silver-tipped arrows glint off my phone light. They aren’t in an organized stack but seemingly tossed into the uneven pile chaotically. I grab the closest arrow within reach, praying it won’t disrupt its brothers and sisters, and let the cool metal ease against the hot skin of my arm.
Nothing. The room is as still as before. Maybe more so when the AC cuts off, leaving a dry taste in the air. I ease out the breath I want to sigh and tiptoe to the counter, eyes fixed on a set of keys near the duffel bag. This is a bad idea. A very fucking bad idea. Viktor is using Courtney to lure me out of this safe house. He knows Nik would’ve planned for this. That Dimitri, his closest friend, will also fight if it means helping him protect me. But this isn’t about me, anymore. It’s about Courtney, and I would gladly die if it means savingmy closest friend… even if I have to march into the Vostik hunting grounds myself. And as I stare out at the bright building across the street, the lights illuminate a string of purple petals resting on the windowsill.
*
There’s no paparazzi waiting for celebrities. No line wrapping around a block if not two. Not a single bouncer waiting outside the abandoned club with spotlights still shining to the looming clouds overhead. It’s utterly vacant. A stark contrast to the Club Völk I left tonight. I was in danger. I was at risk. And now, I am willing to do whatever I can to make sure Courtney doesn’t take my place. She shouldn’t have to pay for what I brought into my life. The things that howl when the moon is full. This is my doing, and I’ll be damned if these fucking wolves think they can have her.
Trudging up the carpeted steps, I keep the point of the arrow in my fingertips while the long wooden shaft rests against my forearm hidden from view. Each step screams fire in my thighs but I don’t relent. No. I keep ascending the staircase to the front doors, my sights set on the small amount of light breaking through the cracks. I have a plan. It’s not foolproof by any means. Shit, it might even be suicidal. But it’s all I could think of when I crawled out Dimitri’s window to the fire escape, my knees dusted with the remnants of wolfsbane.
I tug on the door handle, and instead of being greeted by locks, it opens freely, echoing into the hall of the club. Trash litters the ground. An array of cocktail napkins, confetti, and things sure to be tossed in a lost and found bin. The most overpowering sensation about being in here, about being in Völk, is the sheer silence. No footsteps. No crew cleaning up the mess after a sold-out night. It’s still. Quiet. Only the eerie sound of my footsteps bouncing off each wall. I stare up at Nikolai’s loft for a moment, hoping—pleading he’s up there and will come down those steps. But the hatch remains sealed. And in that moment, I know for certain that I am truly alone. He’s not going to save me from this. I am the only one that can stop Courtneyfrom paying for my sins. My crime of falling for someone so cursed.
“Viktor!” I shout, still gripping the silver arrow in my palm. Despite screaming his name with sheer confidence, there’s an underlying fear pounding at my insides like a hammer. I have to face him. I have to stand against Nikolai’s brother if it means getting Courtney out of this alive. I take a deep breath and cry his name again, “Viktor!”
Völk is as silent as before.
There’s no music. No crowd lined up at the bar shouting drink orders. Nothing. Simply static and my own heartbeat thumping viciously in my ears.
“Viktor Vostik!”
The red room door swivels open inch by horrible inch, slowly lurching back until it smacks against the wall behind it. The lights are off inside, but the bloodied walls are unmistakable. Trash flitters around the threshold, a small gust leaving the opening as if the room itself can breathe. I clench my fists, one of which pierces my fingertips with sharp silver.I have to do this.Courtney is in there.I. Have. To. Do. This.
When I take my first step in, copper invades my nostrils. The overwhelming stench of filthy pennies and … something else.Raw flesh.I can’t see what slickens my shoes but I don’t dare use the flashlight of my phone to find out. There are chains bound into the red cement walls, some even holding claw marks thick enough to show the gray plaster hidden beneath. This is where they take them. The cattle they deem ready for slaughter. People brought into this VIP area only to find out they are the next Vostik family meal. Vomit heaves up my throat, and I swallow it down in one uncomfortable gasp.
“Natalia …”
A singsong voice comes from around the corner.
It’s thick.
Sinister.
Worst of all, deadly.