Ghosted (Team Zero #3) by Rina Kent

They stare at me, but they seem to see through me. Their expressions are haunted, robotic, as if they’re possessed by something.

I approach with hesitant steps, my heart almost leaping out of my throat. “Julian?”

He lunges at the bars and jams a fist through it, and so does Mist. I jump back. They still don’t see me, but they’re following my movements as if by hearing.

They pull at the handcuffs. The frantic clinks of metal against metal cause my skin to crawl. The cuffs keep Julian and Mist in place, but due to their force, blood soaks their bandages and drips to the floor.

That’s why Julian’s wrist is always bandaged and Mist only wears long sleeves. They must do this – whatever this is – all the time.

Is this some type of drug they’re trying? But makes no sense to hurt themselves. And they are hurting. Even if their expressions are robotic. The blood forms a pool on the white marble. No one bleeds that much and doesn’t feel pain.

I should turn around and leave. Julian and Mist’s couple torture is none of my business, but my heart tugs at the sight. For a foolish reason I can’t even pinpoint, I dislike seeing Julian in pain.

So, I call in my loudest tone. “Julian! Snap out of it!”

Mist lunges again, but Julian remains in place like a statue. His eyes are twitching. That should be a good sign, right?

I would’ve advanced, but the risk of being caught and choked to death keeps me in place. “Julian!”

“So noisy.”

I yelp at the sound coming from right behind me. My heart almost falls to the ground as I spin around. The man standing in the entrance, wearing a hood and considering me with a bored expression is the same man who has Zoe’s bracelet.

Ghost.

I glance at his wrist, but the bracelet isn’t there anymore.

“You shouldn’t be here.” His freakily pale blue eyes are similar to Julian and Mist’s, but unlike them, he’s clearly concentrated on me.

The thug.

“Are you the one who put them through this torture?” My voice raises. Mist rattles the bars in unison.

Julian’s tugs on his cuffs, drawing more blood, but he faces away from me.

My chest tightens at all the blood dripping from his wrist.

Ghost is watching me with a strange gleam like a researcher studying his lab rat.

“What are you doing to them?” I ask again.

He places an index finger in front of his mouth. It has the word ‘BEWARE’ tattooed vertically. “Your voice makes it worse. Get out.”

“But –”

It happens so fast, I don’t even get to react. Ghost yanks my arm and shoves me out of the room and then out of the office in a beat.

The fucking brute.

I jerk my arm away, and the skin is already reddening. Ghost stands at the threshold of the office and stares down at me as if I’m a peasant at his feet. “Ask Scar to tell you about Omega.”

My lips part. “What’s that?”

The door slams shut in my face.

I throw a punch in the air. The bloody bastard.

Although I’m confused out of my mind, I put on my shoes and run all around the place, searching for Scar. She’s not at her usual private room.

I try calling her. No answer.

She sends me a text.

Scar – Bit busy, Ellie. Talk to u later.

Shit.

My eyes stray to the clock, and it’s near the thirty minutes deadline Julian’s given me.

My feet automatically lead me to the storehouse. All I think about is how much I want to see Julian’s intense eyes again.

I hate the robotic ones.





Chapter Ten





Sounds buzz back into my consciousness, loud and erratic. My breaths.

I shake my head, once, twice, before the white room comes into focus. The metal bars blur like mismatched colours.

It’s over. For now.

Something is nagging at the back of my mind. No idea what.

I check my watch. Ten minutes. Not bad. We’ve progressed from thirty minutes to this. If we continue our gradual detoxification, we will soon lose Omega altogether.

These small drops ease the withdrawal, but they also push me back into that mindless state.

Omega’s effects are different for every Team Zero member. Shadow and the others don’t usually go on a rampage, even after receiving the dose. They either fall asleep or meditate. Actually, Shadow does, but only because he’s been cheating the detox and taking a stronger dose than needed. That’s why I’m keeping an eye on him.

Mist and I suffer from the exact opposite effects from everyone. Whenever the drug shoots into our veins, we turn alert as hell. So we have Flame or Shadow cuff us.

Blood soaks my bandage and pools against the white marble. Mist shakes her head and stumbles to her feet. Her wrist is also coated in blood.

Why is there blood? If we’re kept in complete silence, we do nothing.

The nagging from earlier returns. There’s something important that I can’t remember.

Fucking Omega.

The door swings open. Flame saunters inside, keys dangling from his forefinger and a cigarette from his lips. He isn’t wearing his hood and his dark ginger hair is slicked back. He almost looks like a respectable gentleman if it weren’t for his bored expression.

“What happened?” I croak, my free hand clutching my throbbing temple.