Expiration Date (Books 1 and 2)

50 She's Expired

Iris~~

They drag me through the Estate until we reach the dining room where they throw open the doors. Colton calls for attention, and all heads turn toward us. The Society is already seated. We're late for dinner. What a normal thought to have right now.

"What is the meaning of this, Beta? Zeta?" Jonas comes down one of the aisles. If he helps me now, he'll be jeopardizing a lot.

Colton holds out my Marked arm for him to see. "She's Expired."

With his words, commotion spreads through the room. Jonas's eyes flash to mine. I hang my head.

Colton pulls the gun from his pocket. Can that gun genuinely be the instrument of my death? I wait for him to press it to my head, but instead he holds it out to Jonas who takes it and weighs it in his palm.

"You know what has to be done," Colton says.

"I'm not going to kill her."

Colton lets go of me, I suppose believing I don't have anywhere to run. "You have to. If the world outside finds out about her."

"She's Expired, Colton." Jonas tucks the gun into the waistband of his pants. "I'm not going to kill an impossibility, not when we could just lock her in a cell."

"Why don't you sound more surprised by this?"

"Because I don't act as rashly as you do. I stay calm. A rather good trait to have. I'd suggest developing it yourself."

"Is there a problem, cousins?" Erik walks through the still opened doors behind us.

Colton points to my Mark. "Did you know about this?"

Erik reaches behind his back and whips out a gun. "I did." The muzzle presses into my head. "Let go of her, Seong-ho."

"Why?"

"Do you really want pieces of her brain splattered on your arm."

My knees threaten to buckle. He can't be serious.

But then he did kill Molly.

Jae-yeon lets go, and Erik wraps his arm around my stomach, pulling me up against him.

"Here's how this is going to go." Erik makes us back up a few steps. "I have a file on a timer waiting to be sent to the leaders of the world, including our dear friends in France."

"What file?" Jonas asks. What is going through his mind right now? What is going through Erik's?

"You know . . . our deepest, darkest secret. Expiration Dates."

"Erik"—Colton holds out a hand—"this is treason."

"Your point?" Erik waits a few seconds for an answer that never comes. "If you don't let Iris and me walk out of here, I won't be able to stop that file from being sent out."

"I call bull." Both of Jonas's palms are turned toward us. "Why would you just happen to have a file on a timer?"

"Ah," I can hear the grin in Erik's voice, "I always have one on a timer. Living with you lot is quite the roller coaster. So, I ask you, which is more important to keep hidden, Iris or them?"

Jonas moves his hands back to his sides. "I hope you're happy, Erik."

Erik backs us out of the room, the gun still pressed to my head. "Shut the doors."

Fire burning in their eyes, Colton and Jae-yeon push the doors shut. The last thing I see inside is Jonas staring after me, a look of defeat on his face.

I'm sorry, I mouth. And I truly am. I wasn't able to defend myself. To prevent Jonas from being put in that position. To stop Erik from pointing a gun at my head.

Erik pushes open a door and finally moves the gun from my head. "This way."

I let out a sigh full of relief to have that gun gone and follow him inside. It's a stairway. Erik's already started down it.

"Hurry."

I catch up with him, and we both run down the hall at the bottom of the stairs. At the end of the hall, he pushes open another door, leading out to the Society's underground garage. I've only seen it once when Erik, Vienna, and I went to dinner. I don't know how many stories it goes down, but I know that it's positioned underneath the yard. It's hard to imagine that on the other side of the wall is the Society's somewhat disturbing and unusual basement.

Erik opens up the door of his car and slides inside. The windshields have since been fixed, bullet holes in the car gone. I get in on the passenger side, and Erik backs the car up before racing it up the ramp and out the garage and into the night air.

As he drives the car up the hill to the gate, the car feels like it's flying. I grip the handle on the roof above me.

"What about the file?"

"There is no file."

"Jonas was right then?"

We're quickly approaching the gate. Erik's not slowing down.
"My cousin's usually right."

"Were you actually going to shoot me?" I'm surprised I manage to get the question out.

"No." The engine roars as Erik presses down harder on the gas.

"Erik!"

The gates fly off their hinges as we collide with them. Erik keeps driving, and though my arm aches, I don't let go of the handle.

End of Part 1: Libra