I approached him. “So you’re the black sheep?”

He flashed a sad smile. “‘Who needs to learn a lesson about family loyalty and not being a pussy,’” he recited his father’s words, no doubt.

So we were all stuck here. Maybe I wasn’t so alone then.

Keeping my bottoms and top on, I stepped into the tub, the hot water instantly spreading amazing, glorious chills all over my body.

He smiled at my attempt at modesty by keeping my clothes on, but I really just wasn’t ready for him to leave.

I sat down, letting my eyes fall closed at how good the water felt. Taking the bait, he tipped my head back and water poured over my scalp, wetting my hair as he filled the cup and did it again and again.

I opened my eyes, looking at the mirror across the room as water cascaded down my back, over my chest, and soaked my tank top.

“What happens when the resupply team shows up?” I broached.

“They resupply.”

Yeah, duh.

“You know what I mean,” I told him.

If I were stuck here for the time being, I’d use that time wisely. I needed to map the house, explore the land, and start stocking food, water, and maybe another weapon.

Micah held up his wrist, showing me his bronze-colored bracelet.

I studied it, just realizing they all wore one. It hadn’t struck me yesterday, but now that I was seeing it, I remembered they all had one on.

“It tracks us,” he said. “And it doesn’t come off. Believe me, we all try.”

I didn’t have one, though.

“It vibrates when the team is coming,” he explains. “Security arrives first, and if we’re in our rooms like good little boys, they simply flip a lock to keep us secure. If we’re not, then they’ll find us and lock us in our rooms themselves. When the doors open again, they’re gone, the fridge is stocked, the toilets are clean, our wardrobe is replenished, and every piece of furniture is shining. Almost like we get a do-over every month.”

“A whole new chance to not break, spill, or bleed all over the floors again, huh?”

He snorted. “Yeah.”

“Can you talk to them when they arrive?”

“We can try.” He removed the now-soaked bandage on my arm. “But ultimately, the ones in charge aren’t the ones we see. The team is just doing a job.”

He soaped up a washcloth and gently cleaned off the blood on my arm.

“And while Aydin is correct that you should stay put, because you won’t make it out of here alive,” he went on, “I wouldn’t trust that they’ll be the ones to save you when they come.”

I tensed. “Why do you say that?”

“Well, they had to have noticed you being brought here in the first place, right?”

My heart skipped a beat, and I paused, thinking.

It was safe to assume they saw me brought in or helped bring me in. He was right. If Aydin didn’t lock me in the cellar and keep me undetected like he’d threatened to do, they might not care anyway when they came in a month. They still might not rescue me.

“Like I said,” he repeated. “It’s a job.”

Well, I wasn’t going to sit here and do nothing. Someone had an agenda bringing me here, and it wasn’t Will.

I looked over at the glass again, imagining he was watching as Micah slipped the cloth inside my tank top and washed my back.

“How do they know when you’re ‘fit’ to go home?” I asked. “I mean, people have gone home since you’ve been here, right?”

“One,” he said. “But he got sent back.”

The floor creaked, and I tipped my head up, seeing Rory lean against the door frame, watching us as he ate an apple. His gaze moved between Micah and me, something loaded happening behind them.

“And I wasn’t unhappy about it,” Micah added, humor in his voice as he looked at the other man.

I glanced between them, the vibe making my blood warm.

I was pretty sure these two might just be happy staying here for the rest of their lives if they had each other.

“Would Rory mind if you helped me with my hair?” I asked Micah.

He grinned, kind of devilishly, and picked up the shampoo, pouring some into his hand.

I closed my eyes as he spread it across my hair, lathering it up, and I knew Rory was watching us as I imagined Will watching me through the glass.

I let my head fall back, and he poured water over my scalp again and again as it rinsed my hair and coursed down my body. The fabric of the white tank top chafed the hard points of my nipples.

His fingers trailed down my hair, squeezing the water out, and I almost shivered, it felt so good.

All I could feel were the eyes behind the glass on me, and I gripped the sides of the tub, liking it.

“I think I better go,” Micah finally said.

I opened my eyes to Rory still leaning against the door frame, but he’d stopped eating and stared at Micah, his gaze piercing.

“He needs me more than you do right now,” Micah joked.

My thighs hummed. Damn.

“Thank you.” I sighed, not ready to give up the attention.

But I totally understood.

“Anytime.”

He walked toward the door, his T-shirt still dangling out of his back pocket, and then he turned to close the door.

“Oh, and the gift is from Aydin,” he said, pointing to the floor next to the tub.

I peered over the edge, finding an old, rectangular wooden case and picked it up, opening the rusted clasp. Flipping the lid, I saw mechanical pencils, a French curve, a T-square, an eraser, a compass…

I darted my gaze to Micah. These were drawing tools.

“You can walk freely about the house,” he told me. “No one is to touch you, Aydin says.” And then he smiled, adding, “Unless you invite us to.”

He closed the door, Rory’s laugh echoing down the hall.

Emory

Nine Years Ago

Five-hundred pairs of feet stomped the bleachers, cheering their respective teams, and I watched Will shoot another two-pointer from the top of the key.

Howls filled the air as the ball fell through the net, and we raised our instruments, playing a few notes to celebrate the moment.

Elle’s arm pressed into mine, and I shifted to keep my balance. The whole place was packed, and I looked across the court to Morrow Sands’s cheer section, seeing it filled with a lot more girls than guys.

It was funny how good-looking basketball players could suddenly spark an interest in just about anything for teenage girls. Everyone was a basketball fan now.

The center passed the ball to Michael Crist, and he dribbled it, running the rest of the way down the court, passing it to Damon Torrance.

Damon caught it and bounced it up and down on the floor, two girls waving to him to where he stood in the wing. He shot the ball, and it bounced off the rim, spilling over.

Will caught it, jumped up, and dunked it, the buzzer blaring through the auditorium as it fell through.

I smiled, catching sight of his grin.

Everyone was a basketball fan now.

Cheers filled the room, and I glanced at the scoreboard.

59-65, Thunder Bay.

A close call.

The coaches and players on the bench swarmed the floor, and I lifted my flute as everyone else raised their instruments. We belted out the school song, all the attendees on our side singing along.