Page 24 of Enter if you Dare: Part One

Cave stills, which allows Vero to slide off his back and race over to stand behind Brawley.

Kayla looks at Cipher. “Want to share with the class how that worked for you while the rest of us were about to be slaughtered?”

“No,” Cipher says, still holding on to Cave’s wrist.

Cave stares at the door as I walk over and stand beside him. “How about we check on her? If she doesn’t want to see us, at least we’ll know she’s okay.”

Cave nods, then smoothly picks up Cipher, throws him over his shoulder, and walks toward the door.

I follow behind them but stop at the door and turn back to Kayla. “Um, sorry about all that.”

“Don’t sweat it,” she says. “I know a certain someone who knows a thing or two about making a scene in a bar.”

Vero protests loudly, but I don’t wait to hear the rest of his reply. Instead I chase after Cave as he makes his way to the hearse. He gets in with Cipher on his lap and waits for me to slide into the driver’s seat.

The trip is quiet. Normally I would blast the cassette, but Cave doesn’t seem like he’s in the mood for my shenanigans. The drive feels like it takes forever, and in every scenario that plays through my mind, there is a logical reason Valli didn’t come tonight. I’m rational enough to know she may have changed her mind; we are strangers—and weird ones at that. Also, she could have felt pressured into signing and really didn’t want us. We are used to rejection, but it still stings a little because I thought she liked us.

When we pull up in front of her house, the lights are on, and my stomach twists uncomfortably. I much prefer being rejected from a distance, but Cave needs this closure. At least now I know he likes the sound of my voice—so that means he somewhat likes me—and I will have his back.

Cave is out of the car before I even manage to get it into park, having slid out from beneath Cipher and jumped to the curb.

Cipher and I race after Cave, and I try my luck by placing my hand on his arm, hoping I don’t die. “Let me knock first. We are not kicking her door in. Let’s show her we are normal people who can act civilized.”

He stares at me with a raised brow.

“Relatively normal people,” I amend.

Cave nods, and I knock on the door, calling out: “Valli, it’s Noa.”

Nothing. My gut churns again. “We are here to check on you. You don’t have to open the door, just please tell me you’re okay.”

I look at Cipher, and he motions to the lock.

Cave slides aside a flowerpot, revealing a key, which he slides into the door handle.

We walk in slowly, and I glance around, but nothing seems out of place.

Cave points toward her room. “Cry.”

Shit, I don’t know how to handle an upset female. I don’t like tears; they make me want to cry too. I’m an emotional man—I can’t help it.

We ascend the stairs, and Cave pushes open her door. We can now see Valli sitting on the edge of her bed fully dressed, as if she was on her way out.

She looks up at us and wipes her face.

“Hey,” I say quietly.

“Hey,” she replies.

Cipher moves into the room, glancing around for what might have upset her, while Cave stays in the doorway. He is so freaking tall his head barely fits under the doorframe. Cave stares at her for a second, then ducks to step into her room and walks forward to take a seat at the end of her bed.

“You don’t have to explain anything to us. We just wanted to make sure you were okay,” I tell her.

“I want to,” she says, peering down at her hands. “My brother was here when I was getting ready. He shows up whenever he wants. Since the man who . . .” She pauses. “Since what happened, he has come around more often with the excuse that he is checking on me. He’s in trouble—he always is, but this time it’s worse. I’m just so tired of bailing him out, tired of being the one who fixes everything. Tonight, I lost it. And that isn’t the worst part.”

She picks up her phone from beside her and turns the screen toward us. A video starts of Valli walking out of a café in her uniform—she is being filmed without knowing.

“I was sent this video tonight. The man who took me hasn’t shown up, and his boss is not happy. I don’t know what to do.” Her voice breaks on the last sentence. “I have tried so hard, but no matter what I do, Rowan keeps getting himself into trouble, and when he can’t pay, they come after me. I’m just so fucking tired.”