14. Felix
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
FELIX
“Dream…” I called out her name, rolling around the bed.
I reached my arm out to feel for her, but she wasn’t there.
“Cottontail?” My head raised with half opened eyes, looking for her.
But she wasn’t there. Instead, sitting on the nightstand was a note with my name written in cursive next to a heart.
That’s cute.
I rolled around and picked it up, reading it.
Went to get Lady Zaza’s crickets. Be back soon. P.S. You look so peaceful when you sleep.
I smiled, grabbed my phone, and opened the app I used to track her, checking her location. Sure enough, she was at her apartment.
Good…she’s safe.
Just then, my phone buzzed.
Ugh.
“Hello?”
Haze’s voice hit my ear. “Good morning, sunshine.”
Fucking Haze.
“What do you want?” I asked.
My brother sighed. “You’re the one who asked me to pick up some random ass drug dealer. One that goes by the name Ray?”
My eyes shot open, remembering how I had called him last night to find Ray. “And?”
Haze cleared his throat. “Well, he wasn’t hard to find. But…”
“But what?”
He sighed again. “I only had to interrogate him for a few minutes before he just spilled everything.” He paused. “He’s working for Kief. And if what he told me is true—” My eyes widened as a sick feeling churned in my stomach.
“Felix…is Dream with you?”
I sped the whole way to Dream’s apartment, clutching the phone as I kept glancing at the GPS.
Please be okay. Fuck! Please be okay!
Her location never once changed, and I prayed she was at home.
I swear to god, Kief…if you touch my woman…
I pulled up to her street, seeing nothing amiss as I parked the bike.
I ran up her stoop but when I reached to grab the doorknob, I noticed a tiny speck of blood on the step.
“Dream?” I turned the handle, sick to my stomach as it opened without a key.
“Hello?” I moved inside her apartment and dropped my helmet at what I saw.
What the—
The entire apartment had been trashed, the floor covered in broken furniture and glass.
A fear I hadn’t felt since my mother’s death peaked through my body.
“Dream!” I sprinted through the apartment, my heart racing as I searched for any sign of her.
“Dream!” I checked every room feeling an unimaginably overwhelming amount of anxiety.
No…she has to be here. She has to be okay!
I kept looking, but she wasn’t there. She was gone. “No…No, no, no…Dream? Dream!” I shouted, walking around the living room. The sound of crunching glass under my feet could be heard as I noticed her spider’s enclosure was now smashed on the floor. “Lady Zaza.” I ran to it, ignoring my fear.
Where are you?
Thankfully, by some miracle, the tarantula was unharmed.
Dream would kill me if I left her here alone. Fuck.
After looking around, I found a small storage container. Using my knife to poke a bunch of air holes in it, I carefully guided the magenta spider inside to safety. I shivered, trying to stay calm as I snapped the lid in place. “At least you’re safe.”
But where the fuck is Dream?
I felt as if my entire world had crumbled from under my feet, and I couldn't breathe.
The sound of her phone ringing caught my attention.
I shot to my feet and looked for it. “Dream?” I lifted the flipped couch to find her phone under one of the cushions.
As I picked it up, I noticed the screen was cracked, but even worse, just under the phone was the pink leather collar she always wore.
My hand trembled, knowing something bad had happened.
No…Dream.
The call ended before ringing again, the same unknown number lighting up her pixelated screen. I stared at it before I finally hit the accept button, then raised the phone to my ear.
“Hello, cousin.”
My body stiffened and the blood drained from my face at the sound of Kief’s arrogant voice.
“Did you get the present I left for you?” I looked at Dream’s collar. “I must say, I was shocked to find your little friend wandering around all alone. I never predicted you to be so reckless with her.”
My jaw clenched as I tried not to break the phone in my grasp. “Where is she,” I demanded through gritted teeth. “Where is Dream?”
Kief chuckled. “Oh, well she’s right here. Say hello to Felix, Dream.”
There was a brief, static-like scuffling sound before I heard her gasping, panicked voice. “Felix!” she cried out, noticeably in pain. “Felix—help—help!” Her voice quickly faded away with a muffled scream.
“Dream. Dream! Kief, I swear to everything sacred and holy that if you lay one more fucking finger on her—”
“You’ll what? Kill me?” He cackled. “I’d like to see you try.”
My face burned with rage, my heart racing with hatred. “Where is she?” I demanded again.
A text came through from the same unknown number. I looked at it, putting the call on speaker as I looked at the coordinates. “Be there in twenty minutes, or your little white-haired friend is dead.” Dream’s scream pierced my ears and my knees buckled at the sound of her pain.
“Dream!”
The call ended.
I stared down at the cracked screen, the image of us split right down the middle. Every fiber of my being raged with fire, the temper I had kept at bay for so long finally breaking free as I decided to become the very monster I was made to be—The green-eyed devil.
I pulled my phone out and dialed my brother.
“Felix—”
“He’s got Dream. I’m sending you the location.” I sent it via text. “If you don’t hear from me by tonight, you know where to look.” I paused, looking down at the spider. “Oh, and, Haze?”
“Yes?”
“Make sure Indigo swings by Dream’s place to pick up her spider for me. I can’t leave it here…alone.”
Haze paused. “Spider? What?”
I sent him Dream’s address.
“Felix—”
I hung up and stared at the location on Dream’s phone.
You’re fucking dead, Kief.
The address Kief had sent me was on the other side of town, ironically the same abandoned warehouse Haze and I had used to torture the man he had tailing Indigo last year. The choice of location felt intentional, as if he were purposely taunting me, telling me nowhere was safe. Not for me.
I raised the Benelli M4 shotgun, clutching it close while controlling my breathing under my balaclava.
All my training from being in the military and working for Charlotte’s Web took control as I moved, keeping my eye on my surroundings.
My steps were silent, every inch of my body protected by gear.
I had numerous weapons on me, fully prepared to take every fucker down until I found her.
But more than anything, I was looking for Kief.
You’re going to die today, cousin.
Without making a sound, I turned a corner and spotted two of his men up ahead. I lowered the shotgun, pulling the MP5 I had hanging along my side, and aiming it as I raised my gun. The silencer kept my shots as quiet as a ghost as I took them both out with a headshot.
Don’t worry, I’m coming for you, Dream.
I stuck to the wall, keeping my posture firm as I continued along the dark hallway, spotting another one of his armed men up ahead.
With the MP5, I dropped him with two shots before he fell to the ground.
Another one of Kief’s men turned the corner, spotting me.
He shot, missing me as bullets sprayed in my direction.
I grabbed my shotgun and fired at him, running as he took multiple shots.
I jumped, wrapped my legs around his neck, and tossed him to the ground before shooting him in the forehead. He went limp as I panted.
Voices carried through the maze of hallways and I knew my position had been compromised. “Fuck.” I shot to my feet and sprinted in the direction I knew Kief had to be, taking out at least ten more of his guys.
My MP5 ran out of ammo as an eleventh man appeared.
He spotted me, running toward me with a knife.
I lowered my gun and tilted my head. “Really?” He kept coming and I rolled my eyes, shooting him once with the shotgun.
He dropped the blade and fell to his knees, gurgling through the new gaping hole in his throat as blood poured from it.
I approached the guy and picked up his weapon.
“Who brings a knife to something like this?” I then shoved the blade straight through his temple and kicked him over. “Amateur.”
I turned down yet another dark hall, noticing a door ahead. I stopped, hesitant to keep going, listening to my instincts that were never wrong.
Don’t…it’s too easy.
I turned around and went to walk away when Dream’s pain-stricken scream ripped from behind the door and filled the hallway. “Dream?” A chill went down my spine as she cried out again. Without any fucking thought or hesitation, I bolted after her. “Dream!”
I kicked the door open, shotgun in hand, to find the room filled with Kief’s men, all armed and watching my cousin.
He stood in the middle of the room, a single light flickering above as he turned and smiled at me.
“Cousin, you finally made it.” He stepped aside, ripping out a knife that was embedded deep in Dream’s hand. “I was getting worried you got lost.”
Dream’s head was slumped forward, her hair hiding her face. Her body was partially beaten and she was chained to a chair, small puddles of blood staining the dirty floor.
“Dream,” I breathed.
Her soft cries stopped and she slowly raised her head, those hazel eyes meeting mine as she exhaled and forced a smile. “Stalker…you…came.” She laughed softly, then spit out a mouthful of blood. “I knew you’d come for me.” Her head tilted as she looked over at Kief. “Fuck you,” she spat.
My heart broke at the sight of her, and in that moment, I hated myself more than my cousin.
I aimed the shotgun at Kief, glaring as his smile fell.
“Let her go. Now!” My shout echoed through the warehouse.
Kief’s men tried to move, but I placed my finger on the trigger, gently applying pressure. “Nobody fucking move!”