I exchanged a worried look with Kyan and we ran the other way, circling the church and finding the blinds closed over every fucking window.
“Tatum!” I bellowed, real fear carving into me as I imagined her trapped in there with some psychopath.
Kyan stopped at the stained glass window which fronted the building and tried to get a look through it, but it was fucking pointless. The glass was too blurry and the only light inside seemed to be coming from the fireplace.
Thunder crashed overhead and the freezing rain pounded down on me. I finally found the single window in the building where the blinds hadn’t been drawn and I dashed towards it to see inside. I cupped my hands around my eyes as I leaned close to the glass which looked over the kitchenette towards the main living area and fell still as the sound of No Scrubs by TLC washed over me from the sound system inside.
Tatum was in there. Alone. Dancing in the middle of the room and singing at the top of her lungs.
I banged my fist against the window and she looked around with a wicked smile, staring straight into my eyes as she mouthed the lyrics and laughed her fucking head off.
“I found her!” I yelled before one of the others started smashing windows to get inside.
Saint appeared first, his eyes flashing with fear and I moved aside to let him look through the window too.
“What the fuck is she doing?” he demanded.
“Dancing,” I replied, pointing out the obvious.
Kyan rounded the corner next, his teeth bared with rage as he spotted her. “What the hell?” he snarled.
“She’s knocked the dining table over in front of the fucking door,” Saint said, craning his neck to get a look.
He banged his fist on the window and Tatum looked around again, flipping us off before tossing her hair and getting back to her dance.
Kyan burst out laughing and I smirked too, but Saint looked ready to murder her.
“She’s getting out of hand,” he growled.
“I think it’s hot,” Kyan replied.
“We can’t let this stand,” Saint insisted. “Let’s go and teach her exactly what happens when she’s defiant.”
“What’s that then?” I asked.
“I’m working on it,” he grunted, peeling away from the window and leading the way back to the front door.
Saint picked up Kyan’s helmet from where he’d dropped it by the door and shoved it into his chest. “Break down the door if you have to,” he snarled and Kyan grinned wickedly as he yanked the helmet down over his head.
Saint tossed me my helmet too and I laughed darkly as I pulled it on.
Kyan backed up several paces then charged at the door with a yell, aiming his shoulder for the heavy wood.
He slammed into it with a tremendous bang and the door shifted a few inches.
Tatum shouted something from inside but between the roar of the storm and the volume of the music she’d set playing, it was impossible to tell what.
Kyan launched himself at the door again. And again.
The fourth time he struck it, the whole thing shifted a foot forward and he instantly forced his way through the gap that had been created.
Saint was right behind him and I followed last, locking the door behind me quickly to make sure she couldn’t escape us.
The Temple was dark and we stalked into the open living area where Tatum had backed up to stand before the fire, biting down on her bottom lip.
“Oh, hey guys,” she called over the music. “I didn’t know you were back.”
“There was a table blocking the door,” Saint growled, moving closer to her and I moved to the left as Kyan circled right, making sure she was surrounded.
There was something equally exhilarating and antagonising about us surrounding her like that. Like we were hunters and she was our prey. I loved that she was at our mercy. That we held her next move in the palm of our hands and she could only wait to see what way the axe fell.
“That was to stop the stalker if they showed up,” she said.
“You looked me in the eye and flipped me off,” he added in a dangerous voice.
“Was that you? I thought there was an angry looking ghost out there…”
“Give it up, baby, we know what you’re playing at,” Kyan said.
“Is this because we left you out in that storm that time?” I asked. I was actually pretty impressed that she was still willing to stand up to us like this. Even after all the fucked up punishments and cruel pranks we’d subjected her to.
“Oh, I’d almost forgotten about that,” she said, backing up a step as we closed in.
We were leaving huge muddy footprints on the carpet and the fact that Saint wasn’t currently freaking out and whispering sweet nothings to the Vax machine should have been warning enough about just how mad he was.
“I’m gonna warn you once not to touch me,” Tatum said, holding a hand out before her like that might stop us.
She was wearing a pair of sweatpants and a black shirt with a knot tied in it. It definitely wasn’t what Saint had told her to wear this evening and I was willing to bet that that was the bit of this which was pissing him off the most.
Saint lunged at her and she whipped her other hand out from behind her back, slamming her thumb down on the top of the canister of pepper spray she had gripped in her fist and blasting him right in the face.
He bellowed in pain and rage and I leapt back as she swung the spray around
