I nod, an anxious smile reaching my lips. “Yeah. It gives me the creeps.”
“He can’t get near you anymore. None of them can,” Wilder murmurs, then tips his chin toward the elevator. “Ready?”
Beckham turns his head, eyeing the three of us. “This is too fuckin’ weird. Can’t wait,” he says, an uncomfortable chuckle falling from his lips.
“Let’s do this.” I push the down button.
The elevator is old and creaky, and when we get to the basement floor, it stops with an ominous groan. The doors slide open. I blink.
“What the fuck?” Ireland snaps, her perfectly groomed brows drawing together.
For once, I don’t disagree with her, because seriously, what the fuck is going on here?
I grimace, glancing from her to Savannah. I can’t fathom why these two girls would be here. “Well, this is awkward.” Stepping out of the elevator with the guys at my back, I cross my arms over my chest.
Savannah shakes her head, then blows her bangs out of her eyes. “You definitely shouldn’t be here.”
My brows raise at her insistence. The last time I had any real interaction with these two was when they crashed into me, dumping my drink down the front of my dress.
Wilder puts a hand on my shoulder. “We were told?—”
A door at the very end of the hall opens and a figure appears. They’re robed, with a hood drawn up that hangs low and hides their face. My heart rate picks up. There’s something familiar about them that makes the nerves along my spine prickle. Whoever it is beckons us toward them, then pivots and returns from wherever they came from.
Royal’s lips are pinched, and he growls, “You stay right with us, Echo.”
He didn’t have to say so. I wouldn’t dream of following if they weren’t with me.
Savannah and Ireland lead the way, and we follow. At the door, there’s some sort of keypad, completely out of place in this old building. A way to keep people out. A shiver runs through me.
When we get to the room, it’s dim, lit by a few candles. The door shuts with a heavy thud behind us. I blink, trying to get my eyes to acclimate to the low lighting… and that’s when what feels like an entire army of hooded figures steps forward. This is more than the five Sin Keepers that were on the TV screen the other night. There are at least a dozen. My head spins.
“Be seated.” This command—or maybe it’s an invitation, it’s hard to tell—comes from the Sin Keeper in the middle. No robotic voice this time. And the voice is surprising.Female. My brow furrows hard at that. Our entire group hesitates a beat, checking in with quick glances at one another. With a shrug, Royal gestures toward the table, letting me choose my seat before selecting the one to my left. Wilder settles in beside him, and Beckham pulls out the other chair next to me. Ireland and Savannah claim the remaining spaces at the far right.
It’s unclear whether this woman is the head of their organization or just an appointed speaker. With bated breath, I wait while everyone takes their place at the table. I stare at the robed figures before us, my eyes roaming over each one, looking for something that tells me who they really are and why we’re here.
Chase is home with Kara and River. What if this is a mistake? What if we’ve misunderstood what the motive is behind why we’ve been summoned here tonight? I figured we were finally going to learn more. Didn’t going through what we did inthe early hours Monday morning mean anything at all? These people, whoever they are, know everything about us. All our deepest, darkest secrets. All our hurts and fears.
Every pause, every second I don’t know what’s happening brings on an anxiety like I’ve never felt before. Trust. I draw in a breath. I have to trust that these people mean us no harm. Letting out a skittering exhale, I press my lips together, waiting. Because that’s all I can do.
Thankfully, a moment later, the same woman clears her throat before beginning. “We are the Sin Keepers. For years, we’ve watched over this town, this university, and the people who reside here. The driving principle behind what we do is righting wrongs, stepping in to assist when there’s no other help in sight—when all hope is lost. We have connections throughout this town and beyond, and we’ve always made it our business to observe and determine where we can make the most impact. We patiently watch as situations unfold, then, when the timing is right, we show the ones we’ve selected to watch over a way out of the misery being inflicted. It is our primary objective to change what should never have been.”
I think I recognize the well-spoken voice, but I can’t be sure. I squint, trying to make out facial features in the shadows beneath the hood. If it’s who I think it is…
The speaker steps forward, directly across from me. My eyes widen. With a flourish, she throws back her hood, revealing her identity. Professor Silverton. My English professor.Brent’sacademic mentor at KU.Holy shit.
And even though I had an idea she might be who the voice belonged to, the confirmation is still a shock. I flounder, my mouth dropping open, unsure if I’m supposed to say anything. Around me, confusion and tension rise as five more Sin Keepers step into a line with my red-haired professor. One across from each of the other five brothers—and apparently sisters—of SIN.
Across from Wilder, a large man throws back his hood.
“Coach?” Wilder chokes out, his brows furrowed. The man across from him inclines his head, then shoots him a wide grin. “Wilder. Told you I was watching,” he states gruffly. It hits me like a lightning strike—this must be the guy at the gym he and Royal mentioned seeing last week, the one who’d taught Wilder to fight.
And before I have a chance to say anything—not that I think the timing is right for that—the person observing Royal from across the table pushes his hood back, a smirk ofhellodancing on his lips.
Theo.My mouth drops open again because… what?
His eyes are pinned on Royal. “Never stopped looking out for you. Good to see you still in one piece after your misadventures of the last week or so,” he murmurs.
Royal works his stubbled jaw to the side, giving Theo a wry grin in return. “Missing some skin, but yeah. I’m alive and kicking.”
