Nightfall (Devil's Night #4) - Penelope Douglas Page 0,19

Taylor said.

“Does she?” Aydin looked over his shoulder at Will. “Is she family? Please say it isn’t so.”

Will hung back, his hands in his pocket again as he leaned into the crates. The fire reflected in his gaze as he stared at me.

“Will,” I pleaded.

But he remained quiet.

“He doesn’t seem to know you,” Aydin teased.

I shook my head. “There must be some way to get a hold of security or the people who run this place or—”

Aydin pulled out the steak, sizzling on the tray, and set it on the wooden table, grabbing a knife and fork and cutting the meat.

“We have a kitchen, of course, but the meat is so much better cooked down here.” He looked at me, bidding me over. “You must be hungry. We’re not completely uncivilized. Come here.”

He took a pitcher and poured a glass of water, and my mouth dried even more, seeing how good it looked.

“Your name?” he asked, pushing the glass and pan toward me.

I clamped my mouth shut.

But Will spoke up for me. “Her name is Emory Scott,” he answered.

I shot Will a glare. A smirk danced across his eyes.

“From Thunder Bay, as well?” Aydin asked him.

And Will nodded.

Taylor took back his spot, sitting on the crates behind him and hanging over Will’s shoulder again as everyone watched me.

I stepped a little closer to Will, too angry to care right now.

“Always following,” I taunted him. “Never the leader, and always latching on to anyone who loves you.”

He stared at me.

“Your friends have moved on,” I told him. “Buying up Thunder Bay. Starting families. Probably happy to be rid of their weakest link.” My eyes burned on him. “Even Damon seems happy, judging from the news I catch from home. No falter in his steps as he does just fine without you.”

The muscles in his jaw flexed, and I smiled a little.

Yeah, he didn’t like that.

“Damon…” Aydin murmured, looking over to Will. “Torrance?”

Will remained silent.

“And Michael Crist and Kai Mori, right?” Aydin continued. “I would be jealous you have people who care enough to send help if it weren’t a female a year too late.”

Everyone chuckled.

No one sent me. Someone kidnapped me.

“Took them long enough,” Taylor added. “And we’ve been here the whole time, taking care of him.”

“He’s ours now,” Aydin told me. “The senator’s grandson has elevated his company, my dear. We’re not toys playing at war.”

“No, you’re prisoners playing like you have any power.”

He nodded once, unfazed. “We’ll revisit that topic again another time. Eat.”

The food sat there, the smell permeating the air, and I saw Micah staring at it more than once.

Aydin dug into his steak, taking a bite. Where was their food? I looked at Will, but he still just stared at me.

“I’m not staying here for a month,” I said.

Aydin continued eating and took a drink of water, washing it down.

“Things happen fast in the wild,” he said, cutting another chunk. “Hunting, fishing, hiking, remote as we are…a simple injury can mean death.” He raised his eyes to me. “A simple injury can leave you in a lot of pain.”

He chewed his food and then pushed his plate away, swallowing.

“Micah had an anxiety attack when he first arrived,” he explained, looking at the guy. “Remember that? We had to put him down here for a whole day, because his hysteria was driving us insane.”

I shot my eyes to Micah, his gaze on the floor now. They locked him in here? Because he had a panic attack? He could’ve died.

I begged Will with my eyes, but he wasn’t looking at me anymore. He wasn’t looking at anything anymore, staring at the floor, same as Micah.

“I’d hate for that to happen to you at the wrong time,” Aydin said, approaching me. “When the crews show up again, you could be down here, in the tunnels, undetected until they came again the next month.”

My heart sank to my stomach, and while I had no clue why the rest of them were locked up in here, I had a very good idea about what made him such a threat.

He stepped up to me, and now the guys behind him weren’t laughing so much anymore.

“You’ll stay with us,” Aydin whispered. “We’ll take care of you until they arrive.”

I looked up at him, the dark brown in his amber eyes sharpening with the threat.

“I want to see Will alone,” I said, trying to keep my tone calm.

Aydin looked over at Will. “Is there anything you can hear that we can’t?”

Will’s eyes darted from