Chapter 39
THIRTY-NINE
LAYA
M y vision blurs again as my mind tries to make sense of what is happening. I was shopping with Brynn; we went into the baby store, and I took Romeo to change his diaper, then I felt a sharp pinch at the back of my neck. Oh my God… Romeo.
I snap my eyes open, only for complete terror to rip through me.
My mouth is gagged, and I glance down to see I’m tied to a chair by my ankles and my wrists are bound behind my back. I shuffle, hoping to loosen the ties, to no avail. I’m in some warehouse. It’s dark, but the daylight from the windows offers enough light for me to see the silhouette of men lined against the large doors. Each holds a machine gun, adding to my panic.
Then I turn to my head to the side, hoping to locate my son, but my heart stops when a man drags Brynn across the floor by her hair. She’s lifeless, and he’s treating her like he’s taking the trash out. A wail erupts inside me, battling to escape against the limits of my restraints.
“I wouldn’t cry over her if I were you,” a dark voice drones out lazily, and my eyes locate the man in the shadows.
He sits with his legs spread out, watching me, scrutinizing me, and I feel his gaze deep inside my soul, chilling me to my bones. It’s calculated, cruel, and unjust. Every part of me screams that this man is the devil himself, and I know deep in my heart that Carlos has something to do with him. For the first time since his cruel death, I wished him dead all over again.
“She wanted more money to bring the baby with her.” He tilts his head toward Brynn, and I mewl at the betrayal. Surely, she wouldn’t, not my friend. Sickness rolls inside me. What the hell did she do?
“She learned you’re not the penniless friend you claimed to be. Jealousy can make you do just about anything. Even sell your friend and her baby out,” he asserts, and I hate myself for not telling her my truth sooner, but I hate the person she must truly be more.
My eyes flick around the room in utter devastation as tears surge from my eyes while I search desperately for Romeo, silently begging him to cry for me so I know he’s okay.
“She negotiated well, and I told her what she wanted to hear.” He flicks his finger toward the man holding Brynn, and he drops her to the floor with a thud. Her head lolls toward me, and I wretch against my gag as blood pools around her.
Oh shit, they slit her throat.
They. Slit. Her. Throat.
Someone please help me.