Chapter 60
Alara
S omehow, we managed to run through the building and reach this girl’s car before everything was completely engulfed in flames. I don't have enough words to adequately describe how I'm feeling, so I stick with silence.
Nix is next to me in the back seat with his arm hung over my shoulder, keeping me close. I feel numb, overwhelmed, and downright freaking exhausted. It's still not even noon, and yet so much has happened in such a short amount of time.
A deep sigh rushes out of me, and I let my eyes fall closed for the remainder of the drive.
We're apparently going to River's family guesthouse, wherever that is. I don't even know how I’m supposed to face them now that I’m a cold-blooded murderer.
A tear slides down my cheek, and I bury my face into Nix's side.
I don't know how long we're in the car, but when it finally rolls to a stop, I peek outside. We’re next to a huge brick house the size of three normal-sized houses. It reminds me of one of those brick mansions you see in the movies, with a long, gated driveway that loops around a large fountain. It’s the kind of driveway that’s sole purpose is to drop off whatever passenger is in the car before the driver loops around and parks somewhere else.
"This is where my journey ends, friends." The woman turns and smiles at us. "It's been really nice getting to spend some time with you. I don't meet a ton of women who are willing to kill these days."
"I–" My voice is more raspy than I intend it to be, but she cuts me off.
"Doesn't matter. So long. Arrivederci. Au revoir. Auf Wiedersehen. Alvida. Sayōnara. Adiós."
I blink at her, unsure of what exactly she's getting at.
"Anyway. That means goodbye if you don't speak any of those languages." The nonchalant tone of her voice further proves how crazy she really is.
I push open the car door as a figure appears from the front door of the house. A second and third figure appear behind the first, and I lose it. My feet move before the rest of my brain processes what I'm doing as I sprint toward River, Ender, and Lane.
My arms circle around River's neck, and he pulls me into his warm embrace. Lane’s arms wrap around both River and me from one side, and Ender mimics his position from the other side. I relax in their embrace, taking a deep breath and hoping to hell they won’t hate me after they hear what happened.
When I go to pull away, I notice the car that dropped us off has pulled away, leaving me alone with my four guys.
"Are you okay?" River questions, and I nod .
"What happened?" Ender's eyes are full of concern.
"I got a text from Glen. He told me to meet him, but when I walked into the room, he wasn't there. His security guard tried to hurt me, and I had to defend myself. I thought he was going to kill me. The last time I saw him, he let me go. I don't think he intended to do that this time."
"Wait, what do you mean the last time you saw him? I don’t understand." River's head tilts in confusion.
"Why would Glen text you?" Lane asks.
"I don’t think that was Glen's security guard," Nix points out. "I've never seen that man with Glen before."
"One question at a time." I shake my head, unsure of who to answer first. "Here. Look." I pull my phone and bring up the text thread for them to see.
"You're not supposed to have your phone." River sighs.
"That's not Glen's number," Ender says.
"You can read it for yourselves. It says Glen wanted to meet me to sign a document that I missed when we were in his office before."
"Alara, Glen is in San Francisco for the next three days. He couldn't meet you anywhere. That’s not his phone number. Someone must have pretended to be him." Lane confirms something I never considered.
"I am so stupid." My eyes well up. "Why didn't I think about that? "
"Shhhh. Hey, it's okay." Ender pulls me in. "This isn't the kind of world you're used to. That's not something most people think about."
"You said the guy let you go last time. What do you mean?" River asks.
"The guy who was in the building. I saw him before. He was the one who hurt me two years ago. The memory came back to me."
"Son of a bitch!" Nix kicks the rocks at his feet. "Well, I'm happy you finally remember them."
"Wait, what are you talking about? Remember them?" I don't understand what he's talking about.
River, Lane, Ender, and Nix all share the same complex look. It's like they're keeping some kind of secret I'm not privy to.
"What the fuck is going on?"
Before any of them has a chance to answer, the phone in my hand dings, and I glance at it. Suddenly, what they were talking about doesn't matter. I scan the words on my screen over and over while my stomach drops.
Unknown: I know what you did.
"Someone knows." I hold my phone out, letting each of them see the text before it goes off again.
Unknown: Should I keep it a secret?
To be continued...