Broken Wings (Dark Legacy #1)(25)
“My house,” he announced with a sarcastic lilt. “Congratulations, Butterfly. You get to step inside the snake pit.”
Anger and dread settled in my stomach, and I realized that Eddy must have repeated what I’d said earlier in the week. I was fast coming to learn that she really couldn’t keep her mouth shut when it came to these guys. She really believed that they ruled her world.
For the first time, I was starting to think she might have been right.
The Beckett mansion was technically next door to the Deboise estate. If you considered the three acres of manicured gardens between each property “next door.” I wasn’t sure how I felt about Beck living so close, but there was no time to ponder on this as I was ushered through his front door. If one could call that fifteen-foot-high, six-foot-wide beast a door. On the inside, I was not at all surprised to see long expanses of white inlaid with gold marble floors. This place was cold like the Deboise mansion, filled with expensive artwork and minimalistic furniture. Rich people hated clutter, this was a truth I was coming to realize.
“Stay here,” he ordered, leaving me in the front entrance.
I glared at his retreating back, but he didn’t notice because he was already out of the room. Wandering closer to the large fireplace that was the centerpiece of the room, I briefly thought about just running out the door and hightailing it back to my place. Surely Beck couldn’t forcibly remove me from my own house.
The moment I had that thought I actually laughed out loud. That bastard was capable of anything. He’d been king of this place for far too long, and I was pretty sure part of him actually thought he was royalty.
“Well, if it isn’t the spare.”
I spun to find Evan and Jasper in the doorway, their eyes skating across me. Evan, who had clearly decided “the spare” was my nickname, strolled forward before circling around me.
Crossing my arms, I refused to move and give him the satisfaction of knowing he made me uncomfortable.
“How about, fuck off,” I suggested lightly. “I was kidnapped and forcibly dragged here. If you don’t want me, I’m more than happy to stroll my ass out that door.”
Jasper moved then, until he was right in my personal space. Which at least made Evan stop circling me like a vulture. “Are you nervous, pretty girl?” Jasper said softly, reaching out to touch my hair. I resisted the urge to jerk my head from his hold. His platinum hair glowed under the lighting, and his piercing blue eyes were locked intensely on me. I could see why he always had ten chicks hanging off him, why all of them did. Stupid chicks—these dudes were the sort that crushed everything around them, and I had to get out before I became the next casualty.
“You disgust me,” I said plainly. “Nerves have nothing to do with it, I just hate being in your presence.”
He grinned, and the hold he had on my hair tightened, pulling painfully against my scalp. “Is that righ—”
He was cut off by Beck. “They’re ready for us.”
Jasper released me immediately, turning to join his friend. Evan did the same, and I sucked in a deep breath before I swung myself around and marched over to where they waited for me. “You don’t look like you’re enjoying the game,” Beck said, his expression unreadable.
My heart was beating so fast, and for once, I couldn’t seem to bring my usual snark to the table. They were wearing me down, and Jasper had been right before, I was nervous.
“I don’t even know what game we’re playing,” I said honestly. “I don’t even want to play a game.”
“There you go again, thinking you have a choice.” Dylan strolled in, seeming more pissed off than normal. It took him from scary to fucking terrifying
Beck and Dylan were neck in neck for the scariest guys I’d ever met. Evan and Jasper weren’t far behind. It all made sense how they’d managed to form the brotherhood they had. Sociopaths were clearly drawn to each other.
“Let’s do this,” Beck said, and I was surprised to see all four faces change. Smoothing out like they’d pulled a mask across their features. There was no way to tell what they were feeling now, no way at all. If I faced any of them in poker, it’d all be over.
But it hadn’t been like that a moment ago, even if it had only been their semi-cruel mocking expressions. What was this meeting that it had them all on edge this way?
I must have hesitated too long, because Beck shot me a look. For a flash there was something burning in his eyes, and then it was gone just as quickly. “Move your ass,” he said without inflection.
My body obeyed, even when my mind was terrified. Speed walking, I caught up to them, trailing just behind as they moved through the main entrance and down a long hall. We passed many closed doors, and I still couldn’t figure out why anyone needed this many rooms. I was so busy paying attention to this, that I almost walked right into Evan when he stopped outside a closed door at the end of the hall. I tried to peer through the four, hoping for a glimpse of something when the door opened. Of course, this didn’t work, because they were too fucking tall and well-built, blocking out any chance of seeing a thing. “Patience, spare,” Evan said, shooting me a look over his shoulder. “You’ll see it all soon enough.”
“My name is Riley,” I said through gritted teeth. “The next time you call me spare, I’m going to throat punch you.”