- RAYA -
As I’m approaching the terrifying old abandoned saw mill, I’m overwheld with relief that I didn’t co alone. Up until now, I hadn’t been able to decide if I did the right thing by telling Dex, but now I know that I did.
If I had to walk in here without a plan other than to just trade myself for my sister, I would feel completely hopeless and alone right now. But I don’t feel those things. I feel gratitude and relief and so much love—even though I’m still terrified and worried about Rory.
But Dex is with , and I know he won’t let anything happen. Not to ntion Luciano and whoever his friends are.
I’m starting to wonder who Luciano really is. Dex said he has powerful friends—helpful, powerful friends. Good eggs who are willing to be bad, and Dex obviously didn’t want around them.
He wouldn’t have even let co here if I hadn’t refused to be left behind. I may have played the whole ’I feel safer with you’ card a little too hard, but it’s not like it’s a lie. It’s definitely true at this point.
Obviously one of Luciano’s friends is a hacker. The three who are with him are willing to follow him into dangerous situations. They all look dangerous—like collectively they ARE the dangerous situation, to be honest. But sohow that is more reassuring than anything. A dangerous crew is needed for a dangerous situation.
My shoes crunch over gravel as I approach the mill and look up at the black, empty eyes of the building staring back at . Its windows have been shot or broken out long ago. Graffiti is scrawled along the side of the building in a variety of vibrant colors. It’s a skeleton of what it was—only standing now in gradually depleting ruins left for others to explore and leave their mark on. Maybe so take shelter here. Maybe so et here for nefarious purposes like today.
Rory. I repeat in my mind. This is for Rory.
I cross the threshold of where the door once was and see that the wilderness doesn’t stop at the door. There are plants growing inside, too. There are leaves that have fallen and littered the ground from where part of the ceiling has crumbled. The earth has started to take this building back.
"You ca," a booming voice says from my right, and I gasp. "I wasn’t sure you would, but apparently he knows you. It’s a sha he does. You’re a beautiful girl."
My heart thunders as a man approaches from the shadows, a slice of sunlight finally cutting across his face. He’s broad and muscular with a chiseled jaw and short, grey beard. Other than his build, he looks pretty average. But his eyes look as empty as the windows of this building—vacant and black, having been worn from ti and all that they have seen.
"Who knows ?" I ask on a shaky voice.
"The rich asshole who wants you," he chuckles and shakes his head, pulling out his phone and taking a picture of before typing away. "I think I can retire after this gig."
"Where’s my sister?" I venture, casting my eyes around to take in all the shadows and far corners.
"She’s safe, don’t worry. He definitely can’t handle two of you, so he’ll let her go. If he doesn’t kill her first," he shrugs, finishing with his phone and putting it away. "Should we do this the easy way where you just follow out to the car?"
I take a step back when he starts to advance on , but he doesn’t stop. His legs eat up the space between us so quickly, and then he grabs hold of my arm.
"You’re not a fighter like she is, are you?" He chuckles and pulls back through the doorway.
As soon as the words leave his mouth, there’s a gun against his temple and the threatening click of the safety being released or... sothing. I don’t know anything about guns—just that I’m grateful for this one and for Luciano who was standing right outside the door waiting with it.
He has a murderous look in his eyes like he’s trying to refrain from pulling the trigger as he presses the barrel into the guy’s head. I flinch, wondering if he’s going to do it while I’m standing this close.
"Let go of her," Luciano growls, and the guy drops my arm, putting both of his hands in the air.
Dex grabs from behind, and I gasp, whirling around only to find myself in his arms. He’s holding a gun, too, and once he’s put himself between and the man from the shadows, he raises it. Luciano’s friends also erge with guns raised, and then the stranger starts chuckling.
"What is this, the damn mafia?"
"Where is the other girl?" Luciano asks in a tone so cold and threatening, he doesn’t even seem like the sa person.
"Look, I’ll tell you no problem," the man says. "I’m just a hired hand. This isn’t personal."
"Oh, it’s fucking personal," Luciano replies, a wicked smile curving on his face. "It was personal when you took sothing that didn’t belong to you. When you put your hands on sothing that didn’t belong to you."
"I didn’t know she was yours man," the guy says.
"But you knew she wasn’t yours, right?" Luciano asks, head tilting. "Where. Is. She?"
"A cabin not far from here. She’s fine. I’ll take you there, man. I have no beef with you. It was just a job."
Luciano nods to his friends, and one of them grabs the guy and shoves him toward the sedan parked in the gravel lot while Luci follows. I watch them get into the car—Luci’s friend in the passenger seat and Luciano in the back, continuing to hold the gun to the guy’s head.
"Co on, Raya," Dex says, kissing my head and tugging toward the SUV, snapping out of my daze. "You did so well, my love. Now let’s follow them and get Rory back."
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