Chapter 12
Arcane
The silence of the night wraps around me like a shroud as I leave my bike a few blocks away from the docks, deciding to walk the rest of the distance. With a gun safely tucked into my back pocket, easily accessible if the need arises, I tread cautiously, moving as quietly as the world around me.
It’s one of those nights where the silence in my head is louder than any thoughts, screaming out their void and impeccably doubting feelings that disturb the peace. For years, I haven’t had anyone who could understand me. Once, there was one, but he didn’t stay by my side. He was a liar and a thief, stealing my heart and leaving me incapable of loving anyone else. Oh , if only he understood how hard it is to breathe when the air is too thin around me.
Beautiful crime, I think as I traverse the empty streets, memories flood my mind unwantedly. He committed a beautiful, tragic crime when he left me to fight alone in a world where women are too often regarded as disposable pawns in men’s games of power and dominance.
Will things ever change? Is the world condemned to be a place where one gender holds dominion? It’s a realm tarnished by judgmental stares, where women face prejudice simply for their gender, and men dismiss them for merely existing.
My feet pound against the asphalt of the sidewalk, a burner phone pressed to my ear with Alec’s voice crackling through the other line.
“Father announced that Viper wants to meet you by the docks to discuss a drive he found,” Alec says, voice betraying a hint of tension. He’s choosing his words carefully, lying to me as if I didn’t already know that Viper told him that during yesterday’s conference meeting.
Suppressing the urge to confront him about it, I reply. “Got it. I’ll be there soon.”
“Good, we need to extract as much information as possible. Use whatever tactics necessary to coax it out of him if he doesn’t voluntarily reveal anything of importance. We need to get to the drive before he does and destroy it.”
His words only mean one thing—the Valentis don’t fully trust the García family like I initially thought. They’re only using them for valuable intel. Relief washes over me. I never liked them, anyway.
“Don’t worry, Alec. I got this under control, trust me,” I tell him, ready to end the call before remembering a question that’s been brewing in my mind ever since yesterday. “By the way, what happened to Louis García? Why isn’t he the one leading the communication?”
I’ve pondered that question ever since I saw Viper taking the boss’s position yesterday.
“Didn’t you hear? He was killed in a gang war between the Ivanovas and the Garcías, forcing Viper to take over.”
As Alec’s words sink in, they send an unexpected wave of shock over me. I never knew Viper had taken over the former leader of the García cartel, a stark reminder of the world we inhabit, where we can lose those we hold dear anytime.
Then, Alec ends the call with a few words of encouragement.
I count my steps toward the dock, pushing away the nerves that threaten to derail me. There’s no place for nerves when I’m supposed to meet the notorious biker—now apparently the leader—of the García cartel.
Arriving at the docks, I scan my surroundings. The absence of guards makes suspicion rise within me, sending off alarm bells in my mind. I wonder if the Grimaldis have found out about their killed guards, and whether they know who committed such a heinous crime. I swallow what feels like molten lava at the thought of it, hating my underlying apprehension toward that family.
The only sound audible is the symphony of waves crashing against the dock farther away; despite that, a sense of foreboding chills me to my bones.
I stand utterly still, assessing my surroundings closely, when the creaking sound of a branch to my right breaks the silence of the eerie atmosphere. My head whips that way, the sound piercing through the air.
Another beat of silence passes when a second sound comes from behind me. With lightning speed, my eyes dart around my dimly lit surroundings for any sign of movement, slowly retrieving the gun from my pocket.
I dare not take a breath as I wait for whoever is around me to step out of the shadows and reveal themselves. It feels like I’m standing there for hours, nothing happening, making me feel as if I’ve been tricked. An utter fool for falling for the trick of someone being here; it’s probably my imagination running wild.
I move from my position, feeling the oppressive silence enveloping me like a thick blanket, suffocating the oxygen from a raging fire. A sensation I’m well too aware of seeps into my marrow and chills my bones like icy fingers gripping me, threatening to drag my body under the earth. Unlike the exhilarating thrill of danger that I’ve felt before—moments when the eyes watching me feel more territorial than predatory, more intense than terrifying—this one feels different. It’s as if this is more ominous, tinged with a sense of foreboding that makes my subconscious scream at me to instantly leave.
My heart is a steadfast drumbeat of unease as I step forward, ignoring the warning alarms that heighten the sense of unseen eyes scrutinizing my every move.
A thunderous bang erupts ahead, wrenching my soul from the confines of my bones.
Nothing is there.
With hesitant steps, I move toward where I heard the sound, wondering what the fuck that was. I curse my curiosity for leading me to a place that might as well be my downfall, but it’s too late now. With stiff shoulders, I peek around the corner, only noticing a speaker on the ground hidden between two containers.
Another sound crackles through the air, and I clench my fist in frustration.
“Motherfucker,” I curse under my breath, feeling a mix of stupidity and annoyance at whatever twisted game he’s playing.
Thereafter, silence ensues until a tape starts playing. My brow furrows when a voice begins speaking, and I recognize the darker tones and low timbres. It’s dark, slithering its way into my soul with a gentle yet harsh caress, and the image of him pushing me against the wall the day before displays in my mind, causing my cheeks to heat.
“ Here you are, little angel. As you can see, I’m not here now, am I?” A chuckle erupts, making my nipples pebble underneath my hoodie. “ One mile from here, there’s a cliffside where the cliffs meet the water in endless waves. A beautifully tragic place, might I say. Meet me there, and we will discuss the information on the hard drive. Ruin any evidence of this speaker when you’re done listening. We cannot have any trace of the organizations knowing about this.”
Confusion swirls within my mind as I stare at the device, pondering the meaning of his words. He told me to meet him here by the docks, revealing the location in front of both of our families. Now, he changes his mind, telling me to meet him at some other place. Is this a joke? Or is he truly that paranoid of anyone overhearing our conversation?
The questions make suspicion rise within me, uncertainty a gnawing feeling, and I’m torn between the choices of what I should do.
Clutching the radio tightly, I bring it with me as I navigate the desolate streets again, climbing onto my bike. The image of the location where he wants to meet haunts my mind, a heartbreaking reminder of those damned cliffs. It’s a sacred place Viper’s now withholding, staining it with his intense presence and lurking shadow.
No. I make my decision. I won’t go there.
Instead, I rev the engine of my Kawasaki, speeding off onto the winding roads that lead the path home. I will not let him dictate what I should do; it’s his fucking fault for not telling me the right meeting place immediately.
It takes shorter than usual to drive my way home. Everyone in the neighborhood is asleep as I park my bike outside my apartment.
When I reach my door, an invisible hand seems to squeeze the life from my heart, leaving a sudden emptiness as it spreads a hollow feeling. It sucks the warmth from within as I stare at the sight before me.
A note.
An ominous fucking note, its presence changing everything I thought I knew.
He knows where I live. The realization hits me like a sledgehammer, making me stumble backward before regaining my composure.
Of course, deep down, I’d suspected he was the one slicing my shoulder weeks ago, invading my home. I reread the chilling message, each word searing into my mind like a brand, yet they barely make sense through the cloud of shock.
“I knew you wouldn’t listen to me. The reaper knows where you live, and he will come to reap his victim once she’s a bloodied angel fallen asleep. Come, my devil angel, dare defy me again, and you won’t like what will happen.”
Shock soon gives way to a fierce rage that bubbles up inside me, boiling over with a ferocity I cannot contain. He dare fucking come to my apartment and threaten me? That self-observed fucking asshole.
Without a second to spare, I tear the note from my door, fingers curling into fists as I enter the apartment. The air crackles with a sense of unease as I methodically activate the security alarm, which will alert me if anyone tries to break in. I double-check every lock and window, ensuring no one can trespass. I make sure he hasn’t entered my apartment while I was gone before finally retreating to the safety of my bedroom.
Adrenaline shoots through me as if I’ve been drugged with the strongest chemical before I grab the gun in my hand, the weight of it a comforting reassurance.
Minutes drag on with agonizing slowness as I steel myself for the inevitable to come, not knowing what the future holds.