Four Walls (Book One) ✔️

Chapter Forty-Five

"What do you mean 'get to work'?" I demand, rising from the leather sofa.

"I found the vials at Damian's house. Duh." Taisley rolls her sapphire eyes as she hooks her arm through Bradley's. "Time to make you mortal, Daddy."

"I'd be lost without you, my sweet girl." He kisses her cheek, making me cringe.

"You went to Damian's house? Is he okay?" Worry fills my chest. If Damian is hurt because of me, I'll never forgive myself.

"Calm down. Nobody was home." With another dramatic eye roll, she ushers her father out of the crimson sex dungeon, leaving me alone with my unconscious grandmother.

I exhale a sigh of relief, thankful that my friends are safe.

Of course, I'm still trapped in a sex dungeon. If that's not cause for concern, I'm not sure what is.

"Layla? That you?"

I spin around and see Margo sitting up, her eyes half-closed. I leap forward and wrap my arms around her, hugging her tightly. Tears spill from my eyes as I hold her. Tentatively, she hugs me back, patting my hair like one pets a dog.

"What's going on?" she mumbles.

"You were right. You were right all along," I cry. "Bradley is Anson, and I didn't believe you, and now we're trapped in his perverted sex prison. It's all my fault, Grandma. I'm so sorry."

"Grandma? You ain't never called me that before," she murmurs, her eyes bright with an emotion I don't recognize. Shaking her head, she adds, "Look, we're gonna get out of here, okay? I'll make sure of it."

"The door is made of steel. We won't be able to break it down."

"Who said anything about breaking it down?" She pulls a bobby pin from her hair and smiles. "I may be old, but I still have a trick or two up my sleeve."

I embrace her once more, grateful that I'm imprisoned with her and not someone completely useless.

She sticks the hairpin into the lock and jiggles it around. "Alright, let's get to work."

<><><><><><>

Margo and I creep through the empty nightclub, our backs pressed to the wall. We spent way too long unlocking the door with a bobby pin to get caught now.

The golden sunlight peeking through the window tells me that it's almost morning. We've been trapped here all night, and we're both exhausted. Margo in particular looks like she's about to collapse. I wrap my arm around her frail shoulders to steady her.

"We're almost there," I whisper. "Once we're outside, we'll be safe."

Breathing heavily, she nods her head and allows me to guide her to the back door.

As soon as the cold February air hits my skin, I wake up a bit. I don't stop moving, though. I get us out of the alley and back on the street, where the analog clock attached to the library tells me that it's six o'clock in the morning.

"I have school in two hours," I announce.

"I'll write you a note. For now, we have to get to the police station."

"Police?" I shake my head. "We can't go to the cops. What are we supposed to tell them?"

"How 'bout that my psycho ex-lover kidnapped us for starters?" she suggests.

"Your 'psycho ex-lover' is a two-hundred-year-old warlock, Grandma. There isn't much the men in blue can do to stop him."

"So who can stop him?"

"My friends and I will," I declare with a false sense of bravery. "Listen, Gabby's opens in an hour. I want you to stay there, okay? Buy a caramel cappuccino and a slice of blueberry pie, just like we did on Thanksgiving. You'll be safe there. Just don't leave. Don't go home, don't go to the police, and don't try to find me. Do you understand?"

"Hold on just a damn second, little lady," Margo tosses back. "I'm the adult here. I'm supposed to make sure you're safe, not the other way around."

"I've been taking care of myself since I was five years old. I think I can manage," I reply, "but thank you for worrying about me. That alone means more than you know."

I give her a quick hug before dropping her off at the diner. To my relief, Gabby's SUV is parked outside. I'm sure my boss will allow my grandma to come in before they officially open.

Once Margo is situated, I book it to the Bishops' house, half-hoping they're there and half-hoping they already left town.

<><><><><><>

"If I were a crazy witch, where would I brew my evil potions?" I whisper to myself as I open the front door to Bradley's estate, grateful that it's unlocked.

I enter the lavish mansion and scope out the first floor before making my way upstairs. Each step creaks beneath my weight, causing my heart to nearly burst through my chest.

Finally at the top, I release the breath I was holding and tiptoe down the hall. I check every bedroom, including Zane's abandoned one, for the dynamic father/daughter duo, but they're nowhere in sight.

I return to the first floor and perform a final sweep before opening the mahogany door that leads to the basement. If they're not down here, then they're not in the house.

"Oh, Daddy, I'm so excited!"

"So am I, darling. I have wanted this since the day you were born."

I linger at the top of the stairs for a moment, contemplating my next move. I barged in here without a plan of action or even an objective. Do I care that much if Bradley wants to regain his mortality so he can grow old and live a normal life with his daughter? The Bishops are clinically insane, but they love each other. They're a real family.

And that's something I'll never understand.

Exhaling a heavy sigh, I descend the steps. I find Bradley and Taisley seated at a folding table, their pajama-clad bodies pressed together as they add ingredients to a mixing bowl. I was expecting something a bit more Hocus Pocus, like black robes and a cauldron filled with green ooze. Instead, it looks like they're getting ready for a last minute bake sale.

"Boo!" I shout, laughing when they both jump out of their chairs.

"Layla! What on earth are you doing here?" Bradley demands.

Still cackling, I reply, "We escaped, obviously. Also, you left the front door unlocked."

"Why would you come here?" Taisley asks, shooting eye daggers at me. "Why couldn't you leave well enough alone?"

"Listen, I'm not here to foil your evil scheme," I tell them. "If you want to give up your immortality, be my guest. However, you're going to sell the house and the club as soon as you're done."

"You can't just run us out of town," Taisley sneers. "We have the upperhand, not you."

"Yeah, you might be right," I agree, "but the secret sex club you're running inside of Castelul? Totally illegal."

"We're not afraid of the cops. Right, Daddy?" She looks at her father, whose face is as white as a sheet. "Daddy?"

"No, I'm not afraid of prison," Bradley voices. "It would cripple me financially, though. I would become a laughing stock in the business world, and everything I've worked for would be gone."

"And I assume you want to grow old and die a rich man," I add, "that way you have something to pass down to your precious darling. Am I wrong?"

I'm met with silence. I flash a triumphant smile, satisfied with their nonverbal reactions. For a last minute plan, I think it went swimmingly.

I may have grown up poor, but that taught me how to get by with nothing. The Bishops are accustomed to the finer things in life. Without their fortune, they are nothing.

"It's been a pleasure. Please do let me know when you sell the club." Still grinning, I let myself out, eager to be done with this loony family for good.