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Nash laughed and patted Blade’s knee from the front passenger seat. “Down, boy.”

“What the fuck is this place?” Blade couldn’t look away from the dark driveway that led to god knows where.

“Let’s find out.” I let out a deep breath as I turned the Aston Martin into the carriage house. The headlights lit up the inside as we descended the steep slope. All concrete, the driveway led down until bright overhead lights made all of us blink.

“Holy shit.” Nash shook her head as she took in the massive garage. It was the type of parking structure you’d see in a major city, maybe in a luxury apartment building. But certainly not underneath an abandoned carriage house in some no-name small town.

Sports cars, motorcycles, and luxury rides stretched as far as the eye could see.

At the base of the sloped entrance, a man in a black suit and a red cap stood by a valet stand. When he saw our car, the valet unclasped his hands and stepped toward the red Vanquish.

When the car came to a stop, my pulse was pounding in my throat.

I didn’t trust this. We were underground now, there’d be nowhere to run. Not like in Feverpoint where there was always somewhere to escape to. None of us had any idea what we were walking into.

But we didn’t have a choice. Rubin’s cult had taken hold of our home. And worse, he was desperate to get his claws into Tess.

My Ragdoll.

My jaw twitched as I turned to look at Tess and Blade in the backseat. “Best behavior. Don’t stand out.”

I popped open the driver’s side door, the valet helping it swing open as he nodded to us. “Evening.” He avoided a gendered title, still trying to clock exactly what this band of Freaks had going on.

Handing him the keys, I straightened out my suit jacket as I stepped away from the car. I could feel the brand on the back of my neck rubbing against the stiff collar of my white dress shirt.

My throat tightened as Tess strutted from behind the car, looping her arms around Nash’s.

Blade squirmed in her suit as she stood next to me, itching to sprint off and burn some of that energy off.

Smacking her on the back, I noticed her shirt still askew. “Easy.” Grabbing the undone buttons, I pulled her close and put them in place. I grabbed the edges of her blue suit jacket and did the top button. “Don’t send the wrong signals. We’ll invite attention.”

Everything here had a meaning, another tip the Martyr had given me when she’d sent the extensive dress code.

Nodding, Blade’s eyes narrowed in on the mission.

As we approached the security guard, I felt all of us tense. We always had weapons on us, always prepared for a fit. But Xander had been very clear: no weapons, no problems. Follow the rules and get out.

The guard straightened up as we approached. She wore a black suit, just like the valet. But her chiseled jaw and towering physique told me she wasn’t to be fucked with.

If I needed to, I could take her. But it wouldn’t be pretty.

My skin crawled, feeling eyes on us from every angle.

But I shook it off, rolling my shoulders back.

Nothing to see here,

“Membership card.” She was matter-of-fact, like she’d done this a hundred times tonight.

Reaching into my jacket’s inner pocket, I pulled out the sleek, black card Xander had sent me. My name was etched in gold-foiling along the bottom. I’d been surprised to see the symbol on the back when it arrived: a bullet train cab encapsulated in a circle.

The guard took the card and looked it over. “Cyrus Hendricks.”

“That’s me.”

Her eyes examined me, holding my gaze as she considered whether to let us pass or not.

I wasn’t sure where Xander had sourced the card, whether it was legit or not. But given that all of this was meant to trick the all-seeing Oracle, I couldn’t imagine it was above board.