“Explosives,” I explain, keeping my voice low.
“Why?” is all he asks. One word that holds at least five questions.
Why explosives? Why here? Why are you doing this? Why are you betraying us? Why are you telling me this?
All these unasked questions deserve an equal amount of answers, but again, I only speak a single word, “Sorry.” It’s a half assed response but what more could I say?
Carter studies me for another moment before he speaks again. “What do you need me to do? Let me help?” Young and naïve. He doesn’t even know what he’s asking. Does he want to die? Anger rushes to the surface.
“If you help me, you go against Julian. Do you know what that means? A life on the run… that’s if you are lucky and we get away.”
Carter straightens, standing a little taller. “I know what it means, but I also know you. You wouldn’t do this if you didn’t have a good reason. Plus, I’ve already seen you, so there is no way out for me now. Either way, I’m an accomplice.”
“I could knock you out.” Carter snorts at my remark. “I’m serious. You could tell them you tried to stop me and I knocked you out. No one would doubt that story.”
Another snort. “Sounds a bit unbelievable to me, old man. Now tell me how I can help.”
Asshole. I hate bringing him into this, but he has a point. He’s already seen me, and knocking him out would be a risk. I’ve done a lot of really fucked up shit, but to let Carter get killed because of my own doings? I don’t think I could live with myself.
“Make sure all the other guards are occupied.”
The rest of this fucked up mission goes smooth. We leave before anyone knows it was us. My phone keeps ringing, but I ignore the constant buzzing in my pocket for a while. I know it’s Julian, and I know what he is going to tell me.
My phone rings again, and I finally find the courage to pull it from my pocket. Julian’s name lights up the screen and the pit in my stomach grows. I know I can’t ignore his call forever, so this time, I accept it.
“Hello,” I answer, knowing that this will probably be the last time I ever talk to Julian.
“Where the fuck are you?” Julian screams into the phone.
“I’m sorry… I had no choice,” I say with a heavy heart.
“You fucking betrayed me! You let them in, didn’t you?” Julian rarely lets his emotions show, and even though I can’t see him, I can hear the disappointment and hurt in his voice. He’s given me everything, and I betrayed him.
“I’m sorry,” I repeat honestly. I am really fucking sorry. “They have someone I love.”
“That’s no fucking excuse!” Anger overtakes his sorrow. “You vowed to protect this family. You vowed to protect Elena with your fucking life! You took an oath, Lucca. A fucking oath.”
“Long before that, I vowed to protect someone else.” I drop the phone from my ear and disconnect the call before he can say anything else. I know everything he was going to say anyway… I will kill you, and you are going to pay for this, are on the top of that list.
Part of me wishes I could make him understand, make him forgive me for my betrayal, but I know there is no going back now. Julian won’t tolerate a man who betrays him, he won’t see past this. He will hunt me down for the rest of my life, and I don’t really blame him for it.
I just hate that Carter got mixed up in all of this. He involved himself by pure accident.
If it wasn’t for him finding me, everything would’ve gone off without a hitch. Now he is in the same boat as I am. Running for his life.
Thankfully, he got a head start. I shoved a stack of cash into his hand and told him to drive south and don’t stop.
I’ll contact him as soon as I can, but until then, it’s better to stay apart.
I pull up to the Volocove compound. Right away, I know something is off. There are no guards stationed at the front. The normally shut and heavily guarded gate is now hanging wide open.
My hand tightens on the steering wheel. I drive through the gate and park outside the steps that lead to the front door. With my phone and gun in hand, I jump out of the car. I run toward the front door, and I’m surprised to find it unlocked and ajar.
A warning bell goes off in my head. Something is wrong.
Shoving the door all the way open, I slowly walk inside. This might be a trap, so I walk in with my guard up and my gun drawn. After doing a quick walkthrough of the foyer, I find the area deserted. Fuck, this is worse than I thought.
I don’t think twice about my next move. I can only hope they left Claire here before disappearing. I jog to the basement and descend the stairs as fast as I can.
I just want her to be in her room. I want her to be safe, but the closer I get, the more my heart sinks, and when I come around the corner, I see the open door of her cell. There’s a tightness that develops in my chest that spreads outward like a slow-moving cancer.
Fuck. They took her.
Shoving my gun into my holster, I fish my phone out of my pocket and dial Felix’ number.
“I told you they would move,” Felix says as soon as he answers, knowing what my question was before I could even speak.
Anger and fear rush through me, fucking with my head. Focus. Time is everything in this situation if I want to save Claire.
“Tell me you know where they took her.”
“Don’t worry, I’ve got the location. Sending everything to your phone.”
I sigh, literally fucking sigh. “Thank you.”
“Thank me by not contacting me again. Julian already hates me. I don’t need him to add another reason to kill me.” The line goes dead, and I make my way back to the car.
My phone buzzes again. Felix delivered a location. Now it’s time to go on a killing spree.
13
Claire
They’re going to kill me and send my body in pieces back to Lucca. When the guards came into my cell and dragged me outside, I didn’t know what to think. I hoped they were releasing me. Squeezing my eyes shut, I pretend my hands aren’t bound, and I’m not in the trunk of a car, being driven god knows where.
Dread trickles in as the time passes. I’ve been trying my best to be brave, but after yesterday, and now, I’m not sure being brave is going to cut it. Lucca never came back like he said, and now it’s over. I’m going to die. I can feel it with every beat of my heart. It clings to my skin, and by the day’s end, that will be my fate.
The car slows, and I slide forward, crashing into the wall of the trunk. Before I can gather my bearings, the driver hooks a right, and I roll the other way, my head slamming into the sidewall of the car. I feel like a basketball being tossed around. The car finally stops, and all I can hear is my heavy breathing and the thundering of my heart.
Doors open and then slam, and I tense, preparing myself for a fight that I know I won’t win. The trunk opens, and the light hits my eyes, temporarily blinding me. I’m grabbed by the arm and dragged out of the trunk. My feet barely touch the ground, and we’re moving. I glance around, trying to put together what is going on and where I am.
“Please, let me go,” I plead, wondering if using my words might make the man dragging me away break down. It does nothing, as he doesn’t even react to what I’ve said.