Chapter 29 #2
“It’s not the screaming or crying or even begging for your life.” I wipe a smear of his blood onto his pants. “No. No. The real fear, is realizing that nobody is going to save them in their time of need.” I pat the side of his face where I cut him, ushering a shudder to ripple through his body.
“I want you to understand something Christian.” I stand up and my eyes flick to the chains above him. “Whether you talk or not… you aren’t leaving this basement alive.” I yank on the chains, pulling him back into a standing position.
His raspy scream echoes around us.
“The only thing your answer will change,” I remove my knife from my pocket and pick some dried blood from under my nail, “is how long this takes.” His eyes widen and fill with fear.
And then, in a split second, they are replaced with something else. Something empty and void of any feeling at all.
Acceptance.
Good. Because I am longing to hold my Little Firecracker. I lean in closer until my face is inches from him. My lethal stare locked with his.
“So let’s try this again. Why Serena?”
Christian coughs weakly. “I-I don’t know.”
I click my tongue in disappointment and shake my head
“I swear! All Enzo told me to do was grab her and bring her back to him directly, because Tyler couldn’t do it himself.” He pleads.
“Say I believe you.” I wave the blade in front of his face. “How did you get back in the club that night and drug her?” I would have noticed if he came in through the front door. The only way he could have gotten inside was through the back.
He licks his dry lips. “The blonde let me in?”
My spine straightens. “Savannah? The waitress?”
“No,” he wheezes, “The one who went to the break room with you after you grabbed the girl. That one that looked like a fragile doll.”
My entire body stiffens. He’s talking about Keirsten.
No. It can't be. I watched the tapes myself. Nothing in them showed her slipping anything into Serena’s drink. And she was a complete wreck in the break room.
But then again, she could barely look at me at first. And if she was working together with Christian and the guy who bumped into her, it’s not entirely impossible that she’s the one who slipped the drug into her drink when Serena was distracted.
But why? What does she have to gain from all of this?
Christian laughs weakly. “Looks like you don’t know your girl as well as you thought you did.” His lips pull into a smirk. “You should really pay attention to who she hangs around with.”
All the composure I had before leaves my body. My eyes meet him for a split second and his smirk falters. With a roar, I shove the knife into his chest. The blade sinks deep with a sickening resistance before giving way.
Christian lets out a strangled gasp, blood sputtering from his mouth. His body jerks against the chains, but I hardly notice.
My hand is buried against the hilt in his chest as I watch his eyes glaze over.
I remove the blade and wipe it against his arm before sheathing it away. I can’t help but smile knowing that he’s not going to be able to hurt anyone else again. Especially Serena.
I wash my hands and take my phone out from my pocket, dialing Cole’s number as I walk up the basement stairs into the house.
He answers on the first ring. “What’s up, Isaac?”
“Do you know anyone named Enzo?” I cut straight to the chase. I’ve had enough fucking around for one night.
The line is quiet on the other end. And then Cole answers. “Enzo DeLuca, yeah. I’ve heard the name a few times from the girls over the years.”
“What is his importance?” I put him on speaker when I get to my bedroom. After last night’s events dragging into today, I need to shower.
“From my understanding, he’s the king pin of the ring here in Seattle. I’ve been trying to track him down for years.”
My jaw tightens. Cole has connections all over Washington State. If he hasn’t been able to find Enzo, it means he’s buried deep.
Making it all that more satisfying when I find him. Nothing is going to stop me from finding this fucker and tearing him to pieces. You thought what I did to Christian was horrific?
The things I have planned for him and his peon Tyler would make the Grim Reaper look soft. They’ll be begging for mercy that Christian was never granted.
“What makes you ask about Enzo?” Cole’s voice echos in my bathroom.
“Somehow Enzo is connected to Serena, and Tyler works for him. I’m not sure how, but he knew her by name.”
“I’ll have Theo look into it.” And with a click the line is dead. I put my phone on the counter and get in the shower.
A man of many words. I can always count on him to know when I’m not messing around and when not to push me. Whatever connection this Enzo has with Serena, I’m going to find out.
And Keirsten better hope I don’t see her anytime soon. Putting Serena in danger like that was a big mistake on her part and I hope for her sake that she has a good explanation.
Wrapping the towel around my waist, I check on Serena. She’s still at work.
That’s odd. She should have at least been on her way already. Either home or to the hotel for me to go get her.
I dial her number and she doesn’t answer. Trying three more times and still coming up empty handed. My heart pounds, drawing out the dial tone.
Something’s not right.
I quickly throw on my jeans and combat boots. Grabbing my red sweatshirt, I race down the stairs and to the front door. I swing it open and skip the steps all together.
My legs aren’t going fast enough.
Gravel spits behind me and the house disappears in my review mirror. I race through the back roads and into town, making it to the clinic in record time.
The clinic is dark. There are no lights on inside, and the parking lot is empty.
Except for Serena’s car.
My stomach drops. I throw open my door and run towards her car. Every inch of asphalt between us feels like it’s stretching too far. Like the ground itself is trying to slow me down.
The sound of my boots pounding against the ground is a stark contrast between the quiet stillness of the night around me. My chest tightens with every step. Dread gripping me tighter and making it hard to breathe.
Her car sits there under the single streetlight. Waiting.
This is wrong. Everything about this feels so wrong.
My stomach twists tighter. “Serena?” I call out to her.
Nothing.
I finally reach her car and yank open the door. My eyes sweep the inside and that’s when my world crashes down around me.
She's lying unconscious over her steering wheel. Blood spilling from her nose, mouth and a gash on her head. Her hair a mixture of crimson and gold.
There’s bruising and swelling around her eyes and it looks like her nose is broken. I grab her underneath her shoulders, pull her out of the car and lay her on the ground. Dropping to my knees beside her, I cradle her head in my arms.
“Serena…” My throat tightens and my voice cracks around her name. “You can’t leave me in the world alone.”
My hands tremble as I lift them to her neck to check for a pulse.
Relief floods my body when I feel her thready pulse moving underneath my touch. Tears fill my eyes and my body shakes.
I gently brush her hair from her face and kiss her forehead. Resting my forehead on hers for a second before lifting her in my arms and taking her to my car.
Whoever did this to her better pray to God I don’t find them.