CHAPTER 115: ARE YOU HIDING FROM SOMEONE?

The sound of footsteps outside the stall made my blood run cold. Voices. Laughter. The creak of the restroom door swinging open.

I wiped my mouth with the back of my sleeve as I scrambled up to my feet.

By the time I made it back into the classroom, the day blurred. Classes rushed past, words bouncing around my head but refusing to stick. All I could think about was what had happened in that restroom, the taste of him still on my tongue, the way he said "be a good boy, okay?"

But then I remembered the folded paper in my pocket.

Mr. Blake.

I kept replaying the yesterday’s call, the voice, the warning. And as much as I hated it, I knew I couldn’t piece it all together alone. Blake was dangerous. I didn’t trust him....not even close. But he’d been part of them once. The tattoo people. The kind of man who had seen too much to pretend ignorance.

And sometimes, if you want to catch a wolf, you have to walk like one.

After the bell rang, I caught Marcus by the lockers. "Hey, uh... could you do me a favor?"

He squinted at me. "Depends. Last time I did you a favor, I ended up being called Goob for for a whole week."

I laughed nervously. "You’re still mad about that?"

"Omg, no. I was clearly joking." He laughed and placed a hand on my shoulder.

"Please, Marcus. I need you to pick up Alia from school."

Marcus frowned instantly. "What about June? Please don’t make me. Alia’s terrifying. She drew eyebrows and a large mole on me last time I fell asleep. Permanent marker." He groaned, dragging his hand down his face like the memory still haunted him.

June appeared right on cue, swinging her bag over her shoulder. "Don’t look at me. I’d love to, but I have to go to Ren’s today. Been waiting forever for this."

"Ohhh, it’s today," Marcus said, wiggling his brows before nodding. "Lucky him."

I clasped my hands together. "Please, Marcus. It’s important. Just this once. I’ll owe you."

He stared at me, drawn out the silence like he enjoyed watching me sweat. Then finally sighed. "Fine. But only because I need entertainment. And Alia qualifies. I needed something to keep me busy anyway."

"You’re the best."

I hugged them both quickly before they could ask more questions, then slipped outside the exit.

The late afternoon sun hit my face. I stood on the steps, pulled out the folded paper from my pocket and stared at the address, the ink was already smudged from how many times I’d unfolded and refolded it.

My hand shook. My heart pounded so loud I could hear my own voice when I whispered,

"Time to know the truth."

I exhaled hard. And started walking.

I flagged down the first yellow cab I saw outside the gates and slid into the back seat, clutching the paper.

"Where to?" the driver asked, glancing at me in the mirror.

I read the address off the paper.

He nodded. "That’ll be three hundred."

My eyes widened. "Three hundred? Is it that far?"

"Yes," he nodded.

I hesitated. The bus would’ve been cheaper, but I didn’t know that part of Estrella. I’d probably get lost before I even figured out what stop to get off at... or worse. So i swallowed hard, nodded and told myself it was worth the risk.

As I sat in the back seat, I realized how restless I was. My knee wouldn’t stop bouncing, my hand kept tapping against my thigh.

Shit. Am I doing the right thing?

What if he’s not even home? But, I saw him leave. He told me to come after class... so of course he’d be expecting me. Right?

I was spiraling so hard that when my phone buzzed, my whole body jumped.

Dominic: Should I pick you up after school? I’ll drop you off at the hospital, I need to go check on Liam.

My stomach flipped. Oh God. What should I even tell him? What if he noticed I wasn’t there? What if he saw Alia and asked where I was? I’d never actually lied to him before.. not really.

My thumbs hovered over the keyboard too long before I finally typed:

Hmmm, I left school already.

And then I froze. I didn’t know what to say after that, so I just... stopped.

Before I could think of anything, the chat bubble popped up.

Panic set in. I shoved the phone deep into my pocket like ignoring it would buy me more time.

A notification popped again. I peeked.

Dominic: Where are you right now? Sorry about how dominant I acted today, it got into my head.

My lips twitched before I could stop myself. I typed back fast:

I actually enjoyed it. You’re like my hot sugar daddy, hehe.

Then I laughed nervously and too loud in the quiet car. The driver side-eyed me in the mirror. I sank into the seat.

I didn’t know if I meant it to distract him or myself. Maybe both.

"We’re here," the cab driver announced, finally, pulling into a narrow street.

I blinked, startled to see how quiet everything was. The cab meter read over forty-five minutes. The houses were spaced far apart, the road was cracked, the only sound was the sound of the wind on the trees. It looked more like the outskirts of Estrella than anywhere I’d been before.

Just few houses on the edge of nowhere.

I paid him, my fingers trembling as I handed over the bills, then stepped onto the gravel.

Mr. Blake lives here?

The place looked... wrong. Too quiet. Like if you screamed, no one would hear.

I followed the address number to a one story house. I knocked. No answer.

I knocked again, harder this time, glancing around nervously. That’s when I noticed it...above the porch light, a tiny black camera pointed straight at my face.

Then....click, click, click. Metal sliding back.

The door opened just wide enough for him to appear.

"Hey, Ash." His voice was calm. Before I could even respond, his hand shot out, gripping my wrist. "Come in. Now."

I stumbled forward as he dragged me inside, and slammed the door shut behind me.

It wasn’t the monitors on the wall that unsettled me most...though there were at least eight of them, glowing with different camera feeds.

It was the door.

The number of locks he had. At least six. Maybe more.

One after another, snapping, clanking, sliding into place.

Too many.

Like the whole world outside was something he couldn’t let in.

Or worse....something he couldn’t let out.

Sweat pricked at the back of my neck.

Every lock clank made me want to flinch, like a cell door slamming shut.

By the time the last bolt slid into place, my legs screamed to turn and run, but there was nowhere to go.

"Are you sure no one followed you?" Mr Blake’s eyes flicked toward the monitors, then back to me like he was scanning for danger I couldn’t see.

"Did anyone see you when you were coming?"

My mouth went dry. I blinked at him, still trying to take in the dark room, the glowing monitors, the insane number of locks.

"Huhhh... no. I don’t think so."

He studied me for a long second, then gave a single nod. "Good."

He moved quickly, almost too quickly, gesturing toward the dim. "Come on. Let me show you around."

I hesitated. My shoes felt glued to the floor. The words were out of my mouth before I could stop them.

"Mr. Blake."

He turned. "Yes?"

"...Are you hiding from someone?"

Blake’s eyes flicked to the locks on the door, then back to me.

"What makes you think that?" he asked quietly.

The room felt colder even though I hadn’t taken off my jacket.

"Ash, what makes you think that?" He repeated, like he already knew the answer and was testing me.

I shifted on my feet, glancing at the cameras again. "The... locks," I admitted. "And the cameras. It looks like... I don’t know... like you’re preparing for something."

His mouth twitched. It was not a smile, not a frown, just a flicker that gave nothing away. He stepped closer, so close I could see the fine lines around his eyes, the way he blinked slower than normal. "You’re observant. Good. You’ll need that."

The hairs on the back of my neck stood up.

"When you’ve lived long enough to see what I’ve seen, kid, you stop thinking of locks as paranoia. You start seeing them as survival."

The way he said kid made my stomach twist. Like he knew something about me that I didn’t.

I took a half-step back, but the door behind me was sealed shut under all those bolts.

If I turned around and tried to open that door, it would take me a solid two minutes just to undo the bolts, and Blake would be right behind me.

I hope he’s not going to harm me.