But trust me, Kitty—nothing’s going to happen to him.”
“What if it does? What if something happens that you didn’t see coming?”
“Then I’ll hand you a loaded gun and close my eyes,” he said. “You have my word.”
Except I had no idea how much his word was worth.
The thought of placing Benjy’s life in his hands made me nauseated, but Knox was right. I had no real plan.
Even if Benjy were still in the Heights and did show up at the testing center in the morning, it would be next to impossible to convince him to come with me, let alone find a place to keep him safe.
“By the time you find him, Augusta and Daxton will realize you’re gone,” said Knox, “and they’ll know I’m with you. I won’t be able to protect you anymore.”
Hot tears blurred my vision, and I blinked rapidly. I had a VII and the face of a Hart, but I was still as powerless as I’d been as a III. It wasn’t fair.
“Fine,” I said, turning away from him and walking back the direction we’d come. “If anything happens to him—”
“It won’t.” Knox easily kept up with me, and he pulled his tiny phone from his pocket and pressed a button.
“Greg, we need a ride.”
Seconds later, a voice replied, “I’ve got your location.
I’ll be there in ten.”
“Got it.” Knox hung up and slid his phone back into his pocket. “And before you ask, no, I won’t tell him to take us to the Heights, and he’s my driver, so he won’t listen to you.”
I scowled. There went plan B.
Instead of dropping us off near the alleyway that led to the tunnel, Knox’s driver brought us straight to the front entrance of Somerset. A dozen guards milled around the sealed gates, and they shined f lashlight after f lashlight in our eyes. By the time they were finally willing to believe we were who Knox said we were, I was half-blind.
That wasn’t the worst part, though. That came when we walked into the drawing room, where every member of the Hart family had gathered despite the late hour.
Celia and Daxton stood together in the middle of the room, both with their arms crossed and identical scowls on their faces. Augusta sat next to Greyson, and they talked quietly with their heads bent together as we entered.
“There you are,” said Celia. “See, Mother? I told you they’d be back soon.”
“You should never have left in the first place,” said Augusta. “We are in the middle of a national security crisis, and you two thought it would be a good night to go out?”
“It was just to a club,” said Knox, sounding much more relaxed than I felt. “Nothing happened.”
“You should both consider yourselves lucky,” said Augusta. “How did you get out?”
“Through the exit, of course,” said Knox.
Augusta narrowed her eyes. “Do not lie to me, Lennox. Guards were posted in the atrium all evening. Not one reported anyone coming or going.”
“That’s because we snuck out the servants’ entrance,” I said. All eyes turned on me. I had no idea if there really was a servants’ entrance, but in a place this size, there had to be.
“Is that so?” said Augusta slowly. She took a step toward me. “And how was it you managed to sneak off the grounds?”
“It’s not that hard, you know. If you’re really that determined to keep everyone locked up, you should do a better job of it.”
Her lips curled into a sneer. “Very well. You are hereby confined to your suite until the end of lockdown. Argue, and I shall extend it until further notice. And you—”
She focused on Knox. “If I hear of you dragging her out into the streets at all hours of the night again, I will call off the engagement and have you banished Elsewhere.
Do you understand?”
I stepped forward. “It was my idea, and if you punish
Knox for it, I swear you’ll never see me again. I escaped once, and I can do it again.”
Augusta and I stared each other down for several seconds. I could see every wrinkle around Augusta’s eyes, and her pupils were so small that they looked like pinpricks. No matter how angry she was, though, I refused to be the reason anyone else was sent Elsewhere.
Daxton cleared his throat. “Er, Mother. Lila. If you will—there’s no need for this. Lila knows what she’s done wrong, and Knox is an adult. If he chose to violate lockdown, that’s his risk to take. But Lila’s back now, see?
Still in one piece.”
Augusta took a long, deep breath and finally moved away. I felt Knox’s hand on my back, and when I glanced at him, I saw a strange combination of fear and pride on his face.
“My restrictions for Lila still hold,” said Augusta. “You are to be confined to your room until the end of lockdown.”
I didn’t care what she did to me as long as she didn’t send Knox to his death. “Fine. Want me to go now, or should I stick around for another lecture?”
She waved her hand dismissively. Celia smirked, and Greyson eyed me with his brow furrowed. I didn’t wait to find out what his problem was, and I turned sharply on my heel before storming off.
A guard trailed after us as Knox walked me back to my suite. He said nothing until we reached the door, and when he did, his voice was laced with amusement.
“Impressive,” he said, bending down to brush his lips against my cheek. “No one ever stands up to Augusta and lives.”
I wasn’t entirely sure he was joking. “Yeah, well, guess you were right about how much they need me. See you when she decides my sentence is up.”
I wanted to add something about Benjy, to tell him to take care of him, but the guard moved closer. Instead I gave Knox a small smile and slipped inside Lila’s suite, closing the door behind me.
Benjy’s life was in his hands now, and if he did something to get him killed, Elsewhere would be the least of his problems.
I was locked in my suite for two days straight. Servants brought me my meals on silver platters, and I had an endless amount of movies and music to keep me entertained, but that didn’t make it any better. More than once I thought about using the necklace Greyson had given me to pick the lock, but I didn’t want to risk letting Augusta know I still had a way to escape.
There was nothing I could do for Benjy anyway. The day of his seventeenth birthday, I spent the morning staring out the window, wondering where he was and if he would get a VI. No matter what Knox and Celia had planned, they couldn’t predict every variable, and anything could happen to him. I wanted to believe them badly, but all I could do about it now was hope.