“Damn shame,” the other replied.
I forced my eyes open.
Two men stood over me.
Both wore masks.Not ski masks, but those cheap fabric ones you could buy at any gas station, stretched tight over their faces, and the eyeholes uneven.One was taller than the other and broader in the shoulders.The shorter one leaned casually against the doorframe like this was just another stop on his day.
They didn’t bother hiding.
Didn’t bother crouching or looming dramatically.
They didn’t need to.
The taller one nudged my leg with his boot.“Wake up, princess.”
I flinched before I could stop myself.
He laughed.“There she is.”
My mouth felt like sandpaper, but I forced myself to speak.“Let me go.”The words came out hoarse and weak, barely louder than a whisper.
Both of them burst out laughing.
“Oh, that’s rich,” the shorter one said.“She’s got jokes.”
“I’m serious,” I said, swallowing around the pain in my throat.“Let me go, and nothing will happen to you.”
That earned me another shove with a boot, harder this time.Pain shot up my leg, sharp enough to make me cry out despite myself.
The taller one crouched in front of me, close enough that I could smell him through the mask.Sweat.Tobacco.Something sour and unwashed.
“Listen,” he said, his voice dropping.“You don’t get to threaten us.Not now.Not ever.”
I met his eyes, refusing to look away even though my vision swam.“You don’t know who you’re messing with.”
His eyes crinkled at the corners.“Oh, we know exactly who you are.”
My stomach dropped.But I didn’t know who the hell they were.
The shorter one stepped closer and crossed his arms.“You’ve got a lot of mouth for someone who’s gotten her ass kicked twice.”
My breath hitched.
Twice.They said twice.This was the first time I had ever been hit, let alone twice.
“You really don’t learn, do you?”he continued.“Should’ve stayed down after the first time.”
My mind raced.
They thought… They thought I was Star.
I kept my face blank, even as my heart started pounding for a whole new reason.
They didn’t know who they had.
They thought they’d taken Star.
The realization settled over me slowly, terrifying and strangely clarifying all at once.