Chapter Twenty-Two

Bailey

Y ou never know what you're capable of until faced with your own demise. It wasn't the possibility of death that scared me. No. Death would have been easy. It was the thought of what those sick bastards would do to us before they killed us. And the thought of anyone but my guys touching me… That got my adrenaline racing and my feet moving forward.

We were halfway down the hallway when the taunting began again.

"I can hear one of you bitches breathing," Billy sneered. "I can't wait to fuck that tight little ass of yours, Bailey."

I swallowed down the bile in my throat. In the dark, I could make out the side of Maureen's face pressed against the wall. I could feel her pulse quicken through her fingertips as I squeezed them in my palm.

With the knife gripped tightly in my other hand, I nudged her forward. There was no turning back. The window in my bedroom had been stuck shut for years and now I was silently cursing myself for not getting it fixed. The only way out was through the front door.

Maureen started forward again. Every step felt like an eternity. But it was in the quiet and stillness of the dark where I thrived. I could see shapes and shadows that others did not. Maybe I had spent too much time wandering graveyards. They could call me a freak all they wanted, but it was me who had the upper hand now.

As we reached the end of the hallway, my stomach knotted. We were almost there . They knew it too. The house was too quiet. Too still. Billy was just waiting for us to slip up. I prayed neither of us did.

Maureen froze at the threshold. Fuck.

My heart raced. Come on, bestie. We can do this .

And like a mind reader, she took another step, moving to the right just like I told her. Good girl . I placed my hand on her shoulder and followed her lead.

Muffled voices cut through the room, and I clenched my knife tighter. Billy and Chad weren't the sharpest tools in the shed, but they weren't idiots either. Their eyes had most likely adjusted to the dark as well.

Two more steps to the right and we had a clear path to the front door. I could almost taste our freedom on my tongue. I clamped my lips shut and took small breaths through my nose.

A large shadow shot forward, narrowly missing us. "Fuck!" Billy yelled. "I know you're in here, Bailey."

Maureen tried to stifle a whimper, but it was too late.

Another shadow dove toward us, knocking us to the ground. I cried out as one of their hands wrapped around my ankle. "Got you, bitch," Chad snarled.

I shot up and slashed at his hand with my knife. He groaned as I felt the blade pierce flesh. His grip loosened and I scrambled away from him, heading toward the front door. Where the fuck was Maureen?

A loud crash sounded from the other side of the room. "Maureen!" I called out. Fuck.

I was almost to the door, but I refused to leave her behind. I called out to her again as Billy grunted like a wild animal.

"I'm fucking one of you tonight. I don't care which one," he snapped.

"Fuck you and your tiny cock, Billy," Maureen shrieked.

I sucked in a sharp breath and scanned the dark, spotting Billy walking backward into the kitchen. A few feet away, Maureen's tiny frame neared the couch. "Tequila. Two steps, Maur!"

As soon as I heard the bottle clank against her ring, I knew she had it in her hand. Without hesitating, she smashed it down against the coffee table.

"Let's go, motherfuckers. Who wants to get cut first?" There was a feral streak in her voice that scared the shit out of me and excited me at the same time.

I watched as the two larger shadows scrambled around, disoriented.

"I'm going to kill you, you crazy bitch," Billy yelled. Thunder roared as the wind pounded against the windows. "I'm going to burn you alive just like your fucking parents."

Fucking hell. My rage threatened to expose my location as it took every ounce of strength to stay quiet and not lunge at him.

We had about ten seconds before the lightning lit up this whole fucking room.

I dashed over to Maureen. " We have to run ," I whispered. Weapons would only get us so far. They were football players. If they got their hands on us again, we were done for.

Maureen found my hand and laced her fingers through mine. "I'm ready."

I pulled her three steps to the left and rushed forward, slamming into the door. Frantic, I fumbled with the bolt.

"They're getting away," Chad called out.

Heavy footsteps stalked toward us as I struggled with the chain on the last latch. Fuck, fuck, fuck. My heart was racing so fast I could barely breathe.

Maureen whimpered behind me. "Come on, come on."

A fresh wave of adrenaline surged through me. "Fuck this." I grabbed the chain and yanked as hard as I could. A loud pop sounded as the screw pelted me in the face. Yes .

I threw open the front door and yanked Maureen outside. Fuck, it was even darker out here. The rain pricked us like a thousand needles as I dragged her down the slippery front steps.

"Flashlight, Maur!"

"Oh, fuck." She tapped it against her hand. "It's not working!"

Shit. My shoes sank into the mud as we reached the ground. I jerked her to the right and squinted through the dark. "Keep trying," I called back.

A bloodcurdling scream echoed through the night. "Bailey!" Billy roared. "Come back here."

Maureen grunted, slamming the flashlight harder against her hand. "Fucking hell. Work dammit!"

We sloshed forward in the dark. Another bolt of lightning flashed, and I spotted my car. Which meant Billy also spotted us. "Maureen, run!"

She shrieked as we sprinted toward my car. With my keys already out and ready, I tapped the clicker to unlock the doors, and the interior lights flashed. "Go, go, go!"

We couldn't get into the car fast enough .

"Lock the doors, quick," Maureen rasped.

I turned the key in the ignition but kept the headlights off as I threw the car into reverse. Billy rammed into the side of the car and pounded on the window.

"Fuck you, Billy," Maureen snarled.

I smashed down on the gas pedal, praying I didn't hit anything behind me, and then threw it in drive as I hit the headlights. The sight of the road in front of us was the most beautiful sight I'd ever seen.

I peeled out, leaving Billy screaming our names in the dark behind us.

We were about three miles down the road when both of us burst into tears. They were tears of relief, of anger, and frustration. Not a single word was uttered. We just held hands and cried together all the way back home…

Every light in Wickford Mansion flickered on the second I screeched into the driveway. I killed the engine but neither of us moved.

"Did they… you know… touch you?" Maureen rasped.

I shook my head as I choked back more tears. "No. But… they made me touch myself so they could watch." I was going to be sick thinking about it.

Maureen burst into tears. "I'm so sorry, Bailey. This is all my fault. If I hadn't kept insisting we have a girls' night…"

I threw my arms around her. "Stop. This isn't on either of us. I'm going to fucking kill both of them. That's a promise."

She wiped her nose on her sleeve. "I'll help you do it."

A chill snaked up my spine as I gazed at the house. "Well, you'll have to get in line. When I tell them what happened… Billy and Chad are going to have four very hostile and depraved psychos after them. Psychos who can't die. I have to warn you, it's about to get really fucking heated in there. "

Maureen gasped. "I'm actually going to get to meet them. Holy shit. Bales… what if they blame me? What if they hate me?"

"No, Maur. You're my best friend. They will love you because I love you. We had every right to have a fun night alone. It is not our fault this happened. Okay?"

She nodded, sniffling again. "I know. But people in this town will say it is. They put Billy and Chad on a fucking pedestal."

A fury grew inside me. "Well, we're about to knock them off it. Fuck anyone who tries to stop us, or I'll come for them too." I squeezed her hand again. "Let's get inside. We're safe now. They will protect us both."

Maureen smiled for the first time all night. "I'm excited to meet the men who make my best friend happy."

My stomach knotted as we headed to the front door. This was going to be a long fucking night. Tensions were already high before I left.

As soon as I turned the key and stepped inside, I froze. All four of them stood in the middle of the foyer with fists clenched. Even Raine's usual smirk was gone from his face. Maureen clung to my side as they gazed over us.

"Holy, fuck, Bales. You definitely downplayed how hot they are ," Maureen murmured.

If we hadn't just run for our lives, I would have laughed. Seeing them through her eyes for the first time, took my breath away.

Poe, Grim, Saint, and Raine were achingly beautiful. Soul-crushingly stunning. But they were also deadly as fuck. They were monsters. My monsters . And I was about to unleash them on this whole fucking town.

I think the shock of what we just went through was beginning to wear off and reality was setting in. Maureen shivered by the fire, a blanket around her shoulders. She gazed at each of my guys, going back and forth between them. I think a part of her was trying to rationalize the fact that they were dead.

A thick silence hung in the air between us. They listened quietly as I recounted everything that happened tonight. Everything . Maureen burst into tears hearing the details of what Billy and Chad did to me while she was tied up in the other room. It made my own stomach turn as I said the words aloud.

I watched as my guys' faces turned from concerned to murderous.

"I'm going to murder them slowly," Grim spat. He ran his hand through his blond hair, his fingers twitching.

"We'll take turns," Saint growled.

Poe leaned forward, his head in his hands. Was he crying? Fuck.

"We will all have a go at them." Raine sucked in a sharp breath. "They fucked with the wrong psychos."

Maureen wiped the tears from her cheeks. "I want to be there when their last breaths leave them. I want to hear them scream and beg for their lives."

Raine smirked at me. "I like her already."

Saint let out a deep sigh. "Maureen, it's a pleasure to finally meet you. I don't think that's been said yet. I'm sorry it's under these circumstances."

She shrugged. "This is Wickford Hollow; I wouldn't expect anything different."

Poe looked up; his eyes glassy. "I can't imagine how scared you must have been. I'm so sorry that happened to you. This is why we didn't want you to leave."

"Speak for yourself," Raine hissed, and Poe shot him a glare.

I leaped to my feet, annoyed. "Just stop. I refuse to be a prisoner in my own home. I'm done letting Billy or anyone else control what I do and where I go. I love all of you, but I can't lock myself away in here and avoid the outside world forever."

Saint nodded. "You're right. You're a grown woman who can take care of herself… clearly."

I raised my chin. "Exactly. Thank you for the knife by the way."

Grim jumped from the couch and rushed me. "No, Bailey. Going out for a cup of coffee in broad daylight is entirely different from spending the night alone in the woods when there are monsters stalking you in the shadows. That's not being fearless, it's stupid."

I looked him dead in the eye, my jaw clenching. " We are the only monsters here, Grim. Billy and Chad are nothing but disgusting pigs whom I intend to gut open. Now back the fuck off."

He was pissing me off. I understood his need to protect me, but trying to control me outside of the bedroom was not going to fly.

Grim held up his hands and stepped back. "Look… I-I just don't want anything to take you away from us. Those fuckers could have killed you."

Raine planted himself between us, shaking his head. "No. They couldn't actually."

Saint stood up; his fists clenched. "Enough with the riddles, Raine. Why don't you just let the grownups talk."

"What are you talking about?" Poe asked, ignoring Saint.

Raine was unstable, that much was clear. He loved getting a rise out of all of us. He was a creature of chaos. But he also knew more about this house and everyone in it than we did. I sensed that about him the second he ambushed me in the shower.

Maureen pulled the blanket tight around her body as she shivered, watching the tense exchange between us. What a fucking introduction she was getting tonight.

I inserted myself in the middle of their circle, spinning around slowly to take stock of each of them. "I have had a really fucked up night. I'm angry and exhausted, and I need a hot shower. And you arguing with each other is not helping." I held up my hands and wiggled my fingers. "See, I'm all right. Still in one piece. Still alive."

Raine spun me toward him. As we locked eyes, my stomach knotted. Something close to sadness flickered in his eyes. "No, Bailey, you're not."

Maureen jumped to her feet, the blanket falling to the ground. " What is going on? " She cried out.

My heart raced as the guys moved in closer, their chests heaving as all eyes fell on me.

Raine took my hands in his. "They can't kill you because… you're already dead."