the forty-third floor, the men pushed them forward. The guns moved to pockets or up sleeves. Not that it made a group of hooded men look any less conspicuous, but this was a gamer tournament. Still, the group of women walked forward, pushed from behind by whoever the fuck these guys were.
Sure, they were members of KoG, but which ones? Was Soul_Reaper even here? Because, right now, Rhaven was almost willing to risk their lives if it meant killing that man. Even as terrified as she was, she was also getting more and more angry about it. How dare they do this? What did they think it was going to accomplish? And worse, in a group of five women, why couldn't one of them think of a way to get out of this?
Guns. Five of them, all pointed at a different person, and there was no do-over in real life. Rhaven barely thought it before she saw where they were going. It was another elevator, but this one wasn't fancy like the others. It was subtle, intended to not be noticed. A service elevator.
Just like before, they were marched inside there. This time, they went all the way down to the basement level. Not the first floor, but the one below, probably where laundry and other utilitarian things were done. The whole way down, the women traded glances. Zara looked like she was ready to faint.
"Zara?" Rhaven asked, her voice little more than a breath.
"We'll be ok," Zara assured her. "It's always scary, but then it's ok. Just do what they say, Rhae."
"Listen to her," the man behind her warned.
And then they were in the basement. Sure enough, it was an industrial-looking area, designed for the unsightly aspects of hotel life. The men didn't slow, though. They marched the girls forward, acting as if they all knew exactly where they were going. Around the corner, up a hall, and toward a metal door at the back.
Fear made the whole thing feel crystal clear. Rhaven knew every color in Riley's hair. She could see the way Dez was clenching and unclenching her fists. Kate's chin was held a little too high, but she appeared to be the calmest of the lot. The problem was that none of them looked like the badasses they were supposed to be. They looked meek, subservient, and very, very defeated.
Rhaven hoped for someone to be outside the door, but nothing, just a parking garage. The men began to walk a little faster, pushing the women before them - except for Dez. The tall man only touched her with the muzzle of his gun, but Dez wasn't ok. Even from behind her, Rhaven could tell that the woman was struggling with all she had to not break down.
Around the corner, into a line of cars, and then the men stopped. The tall guy tossed something at the one holding Kate. "You drive. Girls in the middle. Two of you in the back. If they so much as look like they're going to bolt, shoot them now and we'll leave the body as a statement."
Which meant they were going away. The guys would be searching the hotel, and they wouldn't be there. This was every woman's nightmare. They were being taken to a secondary location, and there wasn't a damned thing any of them could do to stop it.
Then the tall guy turned to the women. "All of you, pull out your phones and drop them on the ground. One at a time, and I want them right here. You first, Destiny."
Dez slowly reached into her pocket and removed her phone. Holding it up for the man to see, she gently tossed it to the concrete.
"Katelyn Gaskill," the man said next.
So Kate did the same.
"Ethan Moore."
Rhaven balked. That was not her name. She wanted to use that as a loophole, but the man behind her pressed his gun a little harder, so she gave in. Unlike the others, she didn't bother holding her phone up. She just pulled it out and tossed it with the rest.
"Zara Masih," the guy said next.
"Raige," she breathed, but she did like Rhaven and tossed her phone into the growing pile.
"And you, Riley Andrews. I'm not going to let your annoying little brother find us, so drop the phone or I'll drop you."
Riley didn't look like she was scared at all. "You do realize that my little brother can hack traffic cams, right? Pretty sure he doesn't need a phone." But she tossed