"That's how it worked with Knock's group," Riley explained. "And, yeah, in the spirit of full disclosure, I should let you know that Braden came over to ask Cade for advice. I mean, he wanted Knock, but Cade was here. Kinda sounds like he's trying to find a way to make this a real and permanent thing with you three."
"How do you feel about it?" Kate asked.
Rhaven just took a gulp, wincing at the taste of the alcohol. "Uh, like any sane woman in the world? Lucky, overwhelmed, and waiting for the catch, I think."
Zara passed a glass to Dez next, but her attention was on Rhaven. "I think it's cool. I mean, I couldn't do it, but if you're happy and they're willing? Why the hell not? About time women got to have a little fun, right?"
Dez just lifted her cup at Rhaven. "Braden and Psyc together as well?"
"Psyc's not into guys," Rhaven told her.
Riley grabbed her own glass and poured from the bottle Zara had brought to the table. "Ok, I'm going to ask a very rude question, and you can tell me to fuck off, Rhae, deal?"
"My dick," Rhaven guessed.
"Does Psyc care? I mean, are you honestly happy with the way he treats you?" Riley finished.
"First, that's not rude," Rhaven assured her. "Asking if he sucked my dick would be. And yeah, kinda happened."
The girls all squealed with excitement, but it was cut off quickly by the sound of the door lock activating. The beep of the card reader wasn't loud, but it was distinct. The click was impossible to miss, and then the door burst open.
Five men in dark hoodies stormed in holding handguns before them. Rhaven didn't even think. She pushed herself out of her chair and in front of Dez's. Riley was trying to block the rest. Zara whimpered and Crysis was immediately beside her, but four men charged in, while the last one closed the door.
Time felt like it slowed to a crawl and slowly the minor details began to fall into place. One man held a box with a hotel keycard attached to it by wires. All of them had cloth face masks on, obscuring their faces. Their jeans were dark, their identities hidden, and their weapons were definitely the real kind.
"What do you want?" Riley demanded.
A man at the side chuckled. "Look at that, we got them all. Up!"
"I'm as up as it gets," Riley assured him, sounding like she wanted to rip his head off.
"Hands!" another guy barked, his voice deeper than the first. To prove he was serious, he flicked the muzzle of his gun at them.
Immediately, all of them lifted their palms to chest level and the men moved in. Rhaven felt the cold rush of fear running down her spine. Her heart was pounding, and she had a feeling none of the others were doing better. At the corner of the couch, Zara had gone pale and looked like she was about to pass out. Kate, however, seemed calm, but her eyes were just a little too wide and jumping around too fast. Each man moved in to grab a girl, and Riley was first. She ignored her captor and turned back to look at Dez.
"Breathe," Riley told her. "We're all flawed."
A man with a skull mask grabbed Rhaven, jerking her almost off her feet as he moved her where he wanted. She couldn't look away from Dez, though. These men were going to touch her, and Dez didn't do touching. For some reason, that seemed like the most important thing in the world, but Rhaven couldn't figure out how to stop it. They were going to put their hands on Dez and she wouldn't be able to take it. Slowly, the tallest man walked up to her and pointed the gun right at her head.
"Stand," he commanded. "And if you do exactly what I say, I'll let you walk on your own feet."
Dez stood, but her hands were shaking. Then again, Rhaven's weren't any better. This couldn't be real. It was some hallucination from the tequila, right? Except that tequila didn't do that. No, this had to be real, and somehow they needed to make sure the guys knew it was happening.
Fuck - the guys. The FBI were dealing with a swatting. The high table was trying to find Soul_Reaper's computer. The developers were being detained. Right here and right now, they were all alone. There was no one coming to rescue them. There was