A ring interrupted our conversation, and I looked down at my phone; this time, my gut squeezed, and I lifted my finger to my lips before I answered. “Hello, Father. I have been waiting for your call.”
“You waste of seed! Where the fuck is Margaret Jones, and who the fuck is the girl you have with you?”
This time, all the warmth drained from my face as I realized he had someone watching us. I should’ve known better. This was my fault. Looking at Ion, whose eyes stared at his plate like a lost little boy's, Cezar mumbled, “No. Not yet. He can’t. I won’t let him.”
I failed them.
Looking at her confused face that kept bouncing between us, I couldn't help but feel sorry for her. To feel like this was all just some dream that we tried to live, and now we had to wake up. She was never meant to be ours.
“Margaret Jones is dead,” my voice hollow and unfeeling, the ruthless mask falling over me like a veil. “That woman is Margaret's daughter.” I couldn’t look at my brothers or her; it felt like I was betraying them when I was only doing what we were tasked to do.
“Bring her. Bring her to me.” His order was given, and that was it. The click of him hanging up ricocheted around my skull. My gut clenched as I realized our time had run out. Not a second afterward, all three of our phones went off. Private plane instructions for tomorrow’s departure and a blank instruction sheet for an additional passenger.
Fuck.
17
KAZIA
There was a weight, a pressure, in the air that wasn't there before, and as soon as Nicu put the phone down, the silence was deafening. Each breath seemed too loud, each movement like a thunderclap against the stillness.
Cezar grabbed my hand, squeezing so tight I gritted my teeth against the pain. A frantic energy surged around him like a wild storm, his eyes never leaving my face like he feared it would disappear. “I will protect you with my life. I swear-”
A slam on the table drew my attention to the head of the table. Nicu’s face did not change, but the fist he smashed on the table trembled. “Don’t promise her something you can’t keep.”
With my back against the chair and my hands in my lap, I kept quiet, knowing nothing I had to say would change anything. Cezar sat up, holding my hand like it was a statement he was making. “I’m not afraid to die.” Everything went still. Not even a breath was taken before the tension in the room boiled over.
“And what about her? What do you think will happen to her when you die?” Ion’s harsh, cold voice shot right through me like an arrow, making me realize that even with my crazy kidnapping killer by my side, it might not be enough. I might not survive what was coming.
“Finish eating; we have a long day tomorrow.”
Nicu’s words were like a hammer on a gavel, giving the final word. The words he didn't say were clear as day. I was going with them, and they could do nothing about it. He would deliver me to his father, whether he liked it or not.
The rest of the dinner was quiet, still. Gone was the jovial Cezar or the cocky Ion; even Nicu’s ruthless strength seemed to dim. The only sounds were the clanking of the plates echoing in the room, making each minute drag on like a bad lecture.
After swallowing my last bite, I asked Cezar to take me to the room. He nodded, holding out his arm for me to take. As soon as I did, his bruising grip was back on me. He tried to smile, but the normal twinkle in his eyes was gone, shadowed by fear.
I got up, reminding myself to breathe, fighting the tears threatening to flow. I knew I could die here, and now I guess I was going to die in the country of my origin with my ancestors. There was a sense of poetry in that, I guess.
“Get a good night's sleep.” I could hear Nicu’s unsaid words after;it might be your last. Cezar glared back at him, but I patted his arm.
“Good night, Nicu. Ion,” I called out, dragging Cezar away; it would do none of us any good for them to be fighting the night before we left. It's inevitable.
Walking down the hallway to the room, my resolve dissolved step by step; fear crept into my heart bit by bit, and I panicked when we were in front of the door. His hand was on the doorknob when I grabbed his wrist, stopping him from turning it. My small, weak words were coming out fast. “Can you… can you stay with me until I fall asleep?”
Cezar pulled me close, kissing my forehead. “Of course.”
Lying in his arms, I repeatedly listened to him promise me that he would keep me safe. He said he had a plan and was coming up with plans B and C as he was lying here. If his brothers didn't come to their senses, he would stop listening to the voices and do his own thing.
I nodded, not saying anything, as I closed my eyes and fell asleep to him talking. Hoping what he was planning would work out, but not expecting it to happen.
This time,my dream dropped me right where I left off, in the spooky forest where the doves went in after the wolf.
Looking around at the familiar gnarled trees stretching skyward, I gulped, wishing I wasn’t here. The scent of blood clung to the air around me, thick and heavy, making me gag.
The space around me was so dark that a black mist covered the forest, crawling around to keep its shadowy parts hidden from the light. Everything about this forest spoke of death, pain, and darkness that light never reaches, and I wanted to get out of there as soon as possible, but not without my doves. For some reason, I needed them, and I wasn't leaving here without them.
Breathing out my nose, I tried to close my eyes and not think about my fear or where the doves were, to just think about getting further into the forest. Taking a cautious step, the leaves along the ground crunched, and I kept going step by step until I got to a clearing.
