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That would mean my family is more involved in my life than I expected. Now, I don’t know. I can’t assume they’re close to getting to me, not even with Reina around. She’s out for herself, not for the family. Both might want to hurt me, but for different reasons.

“You hurt Ava? My sister?” Psycho asks with the blunt stuck on his bottom lip.

Duke’s jaw tightens, and his neck cracks from the twist to the side he gives it before turning to look at Psycho.

Bang.

Silence. The smell of gunpowder hangs in the air, overpowering the mildew and rot for a moment before the room swallows it again.

No one moves. Not even Ivory.

“Now what?” the guy with the camera asks as we all look at the bullet hole in Duke’s head as he lies on the ground.

“I suggest wrapping him in a tarp to keep the smell at bay,” I say, and Ivory chuckles.

Psycho walks over to Duke, bends down, and looks over the body. I’m not sure what he sees or if he’s just putting together that his sister’s killer was in his club now that he has time to do more than react.

After a long moment, he straightens. “Call the Hounds back,” Psycho says and leaves the room, showing me his back. And for the first time, I see who I’m dealing with.

A skull-faced devil smiles back at me. Red eyes and flames curl around it, coming from behind with an overlapping double-D stamped in the darkness. The top and bottom rockers spell out the name.

Devils Damned.

It’s a name I heard whispered at the clubhouse before. Something I wasn’t meant to know but do. But, like most things with the club, I only know bits and pieces. Just enough to know the Hounds and Devils aren’t friends. Especially if the phone recording was meant for the Hounds. Why else would Psycho say to call them back if it wasn’t them?

“Well, this changes things,” Cameraman says as he pockets his phone and lights up a cigarette instead of doing what he was told to do.

“Shut it,” Demon barks. “Grab his feet, Ivory.”

“Fuck no. I’m not touching him. Didn’t like him alive, not even as our VP. Ain’t about to like him now that the president shot his dumb ass. Besides, he could bleed on me.”

“Seriously?” Cameraman says with a side look at Ivory. “Didn’t you fuck some chick on her period because seeing blood on your dick was a turn-on?”

Ivory smiles in a way only a half-crazed person can: wide and manic at the same time. “It was fucking hot. But Duke ain’t my type.”

“Forget it. We’ll leave the body here. Let’s move her.” Demon nods to me, and I stiffen as he comes closer.

“Where to?” Ivory asks as he bounces around us.

“Who cares. This warehouse is filled with empty rooms. Pick one and dump her.” Demon takes one more look at me and then leaves the same way Psycho did.

“Damn, I hate bitch duty. Let’s go, princess. Your new palace awaits.” Cameraman lifts me up easily with one hand on my arm. I bet he could carry me if he wanted to. His strength is surprising since the guy seems to have more of a swimmer’s body type than a weightlifter’s. But I guess, like me, you can’t judge a book by its cover. Doubt anyone suspected I would be the chronic kidnapped type just from one look.

“Don’t forget your glass slipper.” Ivory smiles as he picks up my discarded shoe and sock, skipping along behind us as we make it out of the first room and into another across a warehouse so abandoned that even hope feels buried beneath the dust.

They might call me a princess, but it just proves they don’t know shit about me. Princesses get rescued. They get knights. They get kingdoms that come looking.

Me? I’ve only ever been returned because it was useful.

Chapter 4 - Atom

“Are you sure about this?” Casper asks as he holds the door open to leave.

We’ve been over this before, but if the guy needs another nod of approval from me, he’ll get it. I won’t change my answer. I meant what I said two days ago, and I still mean it now.

“Yes,” I say as I turn to grab my wallet off my nightstand and pocket both that and my phone.

I pull my vest on and turn, noting the president had already left my room. Picking up my overnight bag, I head in the way I’m sure he went after locking my door at the clubhouse.