The Sinner's Club [18+] Complete

chapter seventeen.

THOUGH THE FOREST is as dark and unmoving as usual, it feels...less settled tonight.

I swear I hear something in the distance, a dull pop. A gunshot? I'm not sure. The glass on the window of Dario's bedroom is thick, double glazed. Almost sound-proofed. Even if someone was standing right in the front yard, I don't think they'd hear me scream.

"Come eat, darling," Dario says from behind me, trying to lure me away from the window. I sweep the treeline but see nothing except endless wilderness. I can't even see a road from here. How far is it to civilization? How far would I have to run to find someone—if I ever managed to escape this house?

"Come on," Dario insists, taking my arm and leading me away from the window to endure another painful dinner in which he speaks at me about things I don't care for.

As I sit listening to him—or tuning him out—I wonder how the stray cat I used to feed is.

Is he still alive? Has he found another human to feed him and hiss at? He's probably run far away by now. Or he's simply dead.

I push around some salad with my fork.

"Gabi?" Dario says expectantly, and my head rises.

"Hm?"

"I asked you a question."

Shit.

"Uh..." Somewhere in the distance, I hear a thud. "What was that?" I ask, looking around, trying to find the source of the noise.

Only a heartbeat later, one of Dario's men rushes in and leans over to whisper in his ear. Dario's expression goes cold. He stands, his chair scraping across the floor. "Stay here," he barks at me and stalks out of the dining room, his acolyte following close behind.

I wait until their footsteps recede, then jump to my feet, creeping after them as silently as I can.

Dario likes me in heels, all dressed up, so I have to be careful not to make noise.

I follow them through a high-ceilinged sitting room with a fireplace and slide against the wall to watch them walk down the hallway and disappear behind a thick, wooden door.

What's down there? Part of me doesn't even want to know. But then again–

"Hey!" A hand grabs my arm, yanking me sideways. One of Dario's men is glowering down at me. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

"Let go of me!" I try to pull away. "I was just looking!"

"Move it!" he snaps, dragging me back to the dining room. He shoves me against the dinner table, making it shake, the plates and glasses rattling. His eyes, a muddy brown shade, bore into mine as his lips curl up. "How about this? You get on your knees for me right now, and I won't tell Dario you were trying to eavesdrop–"