Circle of Death (23 page)

My head snaps to the side as something cold and distinctly metallic slams against my temple. I stagger a few steps, blinded by the sudden impact. Shock gives way to excruciating pain as blood runs down into my eyes, blinding me at once. Cruel laughter rings out through the trees as I steady myself, balling my hands into fists. I may not be able to see, but I can still throw a punch.

“How is he still standing?” I hear a familiar, smarmy voice wonder aloud.

“I have no idea. But I know how to fix it,” answers a second speaker I vaguely recognize.

I suck in a sharp breath through my teeth as I feel a syringe plunge into the muscle of my thigh. Before I can rally a single cell to fight back against my assailants, the world blurs in a sickening whirl before going black around me.

Chapter Twenty-One

Logan

Later That Evening…

I take one last look around my bedroom in The Club, fighting to keep despair from swallowing me whole. I’ve learned so much about myself within these four walls—my body, my heart, what I want out of life. And I have Devlin to thank for all of it. Or I might, if I even see him again, that is.

Don’t think about that now, I reprimand myself, smoothing down the front of a simple silk tank top. I’ve once again donned the outfit I wore my first night here, when I stepped off that yacht and into a world I never could have imagined. My favorite metal hair sticks—the ones my mother bought for me—hold my black locks in place as I turn my back on this sacred space.

Thinking of my mother here, in the midst of all this madness, sends a fresh wave of remorse crashing through me. They were right all along, my parents. There was more to this job than I ever could have known. But as wrong as it’s all gone, I can’t regret having taken the assignment. Finding and losing Devlin so soon may hurt like a bitch, but it’s still better than never having met him in the first place.

Juliet is waiting for me in the hotel hallway with Packer by her side. Devlin must have sent his VP along as backup to make sure I actually get on the yacht. Guess whatever meeting the brothers disappeared to is over. I’m deathly curious about what’s going on, but I know better than to ask outright.

“Is Devlin going to come and say goodbye before I go?” I ask Packer, hoisting a tote bag onto my shoulder.

“He didn’t say,” Packer replies shortly, checking his watch. “It’s ten till nine. We’d better get you down to the dock.”

Juliet laces her fingers with mine as we make our way down through the winding halls of The Club. She knows how hard this is for me, I’m sure. I trust my sister and Dev’s joint decision to send me home implicitly, but I wish my intuition was on board for their plan of action too. Try as I might to dismiss my worries, there’s a nagging fear simmering in my gut that something about this whole situation is off.

The Club is already churning with sexy abandon tonight. The scene as we step out into the woods is familiar by now. Men shout and holler around the raging bonfire, slugging beers and passing joints with long-limbed women draped across them. Cigarette tips glow red in the darkness like so many prying, demonic eyes. The air is heavy with wood and pot smoke, the smells of booze and sex. And though I’ve felt safe all week under Devlin’s watchful eye, the island seems more sinister tonight than it ever has before. Why the hell can’t I calm down and trust that everything is going to be all right?

Juliet leads me out onto the dock with Packer right behind us. It’s just about nine o’clock, and the familiar, gigantic form of The Club’s gatekeeper Titan is illuminated by lantern light before us. He turns his big, bushy face toward us as we approach. And though I remember him as being jovial, his features are somber tonight.

“All well?” Packer asks the giant, his voice low and confidential.

“All well,” Titan confirms.

I raise an eyebrow at the men. Surely, arranging my passage back to the mainland couldn’t have been that much of a struggle. I’m about to ask them what the hell is up when the mournful wail of a foghorn snags my attention. Off in the water, a vessel approaches. Peppy pop music and tinkling laughter float across the waves, catching my ear. There, bearing down toward the island, is the very yacht that brought me here but a week ago. I can’t help but hate the very ship itself for coming to drag me away from Devlin, even if it is by his command.

“You have people waiting for you in Boston, right?” Juliet asks me anxiously.

“Or something like that,” I shrug, squeezing her hand.

“We’ll be back for you soon, OK?” she whispers, pulling me into a tight hug. “I love you, little sis.”

“I love you too,” I whisper, emotion thickening my voice.

I glance over her shoulder as the yacht glides up to the dock. A dozen eager young faces peer down from the bow of the ship. To think I was ever one among their number...it’s unfathomable now. These girls are not the people I belong with. I belong with the Circle of Death, with my sister, with Devlin. And though Juliet’s promised to find me again, I can’t seem to force my feet to take a single step toward that vessel.

“Let me stay,” I plead suddenly, as Titans beckons the new girls to step off the yacht. “Maybe I can help.”

“You can help by getting yourself to safety,” Juliet says firmly.

Looking between my sister and Packer, I search for an ounce of movability. But no. They’re set in their decision. With mounting dread, I turn back to the gaggle of girls. I have no choice but to march off, take my orders like a good little soldier. I watch as Titan leads them forward, off to enjoy a wild night among the outlaws and fat cats. But just as the pack is about to brush past me, I feel a slender hand close around my wrist.

I whip around at the unexpected touch. With my every nerve wound up like a spring, I’m ready to snap. But as I peer down at the girl who’s strayed behind the pack, my mouth falls open in baffled surprise.

“Emma?!” I exclaim, staring down at my best friend with nothing short of utter bewilderment. “What the—how are you—?”

“I’m surprised you recognized me in this getup,” Emma says, with a smile that doesn’t reach her eyes. She’s wearing a slinky blue minidress and sky high heels, her short blonde hair tousled and sexy. It’s a pretty far cry from her usual look of paint-spattered jeans and flowing bohemian tops. But it’s not just her outfit that has me reeling, it’s the bizarre fact that she’s suddenly appeared on this rock.

“Not that I’m anything but thrilled to see you...But what are you doing here?” I ask, taking her hands in mind.

“Honestly, Logan, I wasn’t going to come looking for you. Not at first. I trust you to take care of yourself,” Emma says quickly, locking her eyes on me. “I knew you could handle whatever was happening out here. And besides, you had
FootSolider
behind you. I figured they wouldn’t let anything bad happen to one of their writers in the field.”

“So then why—?” I begin.

“I was sent for you,” Emma whispers urgently. She reaches into her tiny beaded clutch and produces a nondescript piece of paper. “Sent with this message. She said you were in trouble, and there was no other way to reach you, so—”

“Who’s she?” I cut in.

“See for yourself,” Emma replies, thrusting the letter into my hands.

With my heart wedged firmly in my throat, I open the note and begin to read. Hasty writing is scrawled across the page—I have to struggle to make out the message.

L—

Elliot here. If you’re reading this, it means that Emma has succeeded in finding you. I reached out to her with this message, knowing she would be able to make it to The Club without attracting attention. I couldn’t send an email or text because my company watches my every move online, so I went to your address hoping to find someone.

I’ll be brief: you are in terrible danger. Your assignment with
FootSoldier
was a trap, one I’m ashamed to have been a part of. You were sent to me by The Leviathan Corporation to be used as leverage against Devlin Vile in their ongoing pursuit of his club’s services. They chose you based on a series of personality tests that were administered to you through a bought-off professor in your school. Your test results and physical type were deemed a perfect match for Vile’s personality and preferences.

Leviathan brought you and Vile to The Club knowing that you would fall for each other, and that they could then use you to persuade him. Hurt him. I’m sorry I’ve led you into this awful trap. I was once in your position—tricked by Leviathan into destroying a man I’d come to care for. Since then, I’ve been a captive of the corporation, forced to send so many girls off to similar fates. But not anymore. If I can intervene before Leviathan destroys you, maybe I’ll be one step closer to forgiveness for all the wrong I’ve done. Probably, they’ll kill me for getting this message to you. Probably I deserve it.

You’re not safe anywhere on that island. Leviathan owns The Club itself, and all the people who work there. They use The Club as a staging ground for just this sort of trap. They lure mainland girls in by word of mouth, and drug them on the boat ride over. Did you notice how wasted everyone got after one or two drinks on the trip over? These are sadistic motherfuckers. You have to go, Logan. Run and don’t look back. You may still have a shot.

Good Luck—E

I stare down at Elliot’s message as the world spins madly on around me. It’s too much to take in, too much to believe all at once. But before the whole truth even settles upon me, I know that what she’s written is true. My intuition was right after all. We’re all in serious danger.

“Logan,” I hear Juliet say tentatively. Her voice comes to me as if from a great distance. “Logan, who is this? What’s going on?”

“I’m Emma,” my best friend says to my sister. “You must be Juliet. Logan’s told me...so much about you.”

“Huh” Juliet says, folding her arms across her chest. “She hasn’t mentioned you at all.

Shaking with the impact of Elliot’s letter, I finally will myself to look up at Emma and Juliet. They eye each other suspiciously, sizing each other up. But my gaze is dragged away from their tense stare-down as I notice the half dozen other bodies that have just appeared on the dock.
All of Devlin’s brothers have gathered here under the cover of darkness. The entire Circle of Death has congregated...except its most important member.

“What are they all doing here?” I ask Juliet in a whisper. I know they’re not just wishing me bon voyage.

“I...have no idea,” Juliet replies, her brow furrowing. “Babe, what the hell is going on? We don’t need the entire club to make sure Logan gets on that yacht.”

“Devlin will explain everything when he gets here,” Packer says, laying a hand on my shoulder. I knock it away, panic building in my chest.

“Where is he? Where’s Dev?” I ask urgently, clutching Elliot’s letter in a tight fist.

“He should be here. Any second.” Packer says, shoving a hand through his sandy blonde hair. “He must have gotten held up somewhere.”

The brothers glance around with mounting anxiety as Titan reappears at the end of the dock. Only now, his lantern has been snuffed.

“Are you all ready to do this thing?” the giant asks gruffly. “Your window is closing fast, my friends.”

“What thing is he talking about?” I ask Packer.

“I’m pretty curious myself,” Juliet adds.

“Logan,” Emma whispers. “I didn’t read your letter or anything, but the woman who sent me made it pretty clear that we should peace the fuck out of here.”

“Your little friend has it right,” Packer finally tells the three of us girls. “Something’s rotten on this here rock. Devlin rounded us up this morning to say as much. It’s not just you who’s getting on that yacht, Logan. We all are. We’re gonna take it out to our own boat and beat it the fuck back to headquarters.”

“Why didn’t you tell me any of this?” Juliet asks, hurt by Packer’s omission.

“Dev wanted Logan to keep on thinking they were through,” Packer says, avoiding my eyes. “There are some fuckers from Leviathan here at The Club who were threatening to hurt Logan if Dev didn’t cooperate. It had to look like Logan was no longer attached to Dev, or else anything could have happened. And if they were going to come for Logan, you would have been next, babe. We had to keep you girls in the dark. But now you know, and it’s time to move.”

“Leviathan isn’t just here at The Club,” I whisper, my eyes wide. “The Club belongs to Leviathan. If Devlin isn’t here, like he said he would be, it means they have him.”

“What are you talking about, Leviathan owns The Club?” Packer asks, “Logan, what—?”

But before he can spit out of the last of his words, I’m off like a shot. I drop my bags and Elliot’s letter onto the creaky dock as my feet carry me away from the gathered brothers, away from the yacht, away from any hope of an easy escape. Devlin is somewhere on this island, and I know in my heart that he’s in dire peril.