Just be alive.
Throbbing
Fiona
My heart wants to wait…to give Vex a chance to do what he promised. But the throbbing in my head is getting worse every minute.
There isn’t time to wait. I need to get out of here. Or at least get Mouse’s phone and call Max to bring in the troops to rescue me.
He’s close enough that all it would take is one good toss of the knife. The only problem is Trixie. If she yells, I’ll be dead before anyone has a chance to come.
But she could be a woman doing whatever she needs to do to survive. Gemma said she took care of her. I’ve got to take a chance. If she starts, I’ll do what needs to be done.
You can do this. You hesitated the last time, and your best friend endured decades of torment and pain. No hesitation.
No fear.
I pretend to trip and slide the knives out of my boots.
Visualize.
Target.
Toss.
Thunk. Mouse crashes to the ground.
“Don’t kill me. Please don’t kill me. He made me do all of this. All I want to do is live.”
Do I believe her? She didn’t yell. “Get in the cage and stay quiet if you want to live.”
She nods and runs to the cage, locking herself in.
Phone. I need his phone. And my knife back.
That’s going to be gross.
Don’t hesitate. I grab my knife, yanking hard and wiping the blood on Mouse’s shirt.
It takes less than a second to unlock the phone.
Vex gave me a number to call, but my fingers dial another.
The phone picks up before the first ring finishes. “Max.”
“Tesoro mio, you’re alive.”
“Everett put a tracker in me. I don’t know if it’s working or not. Can you track this phone?”
“Better than that, I’m right outside. I’ll be there in a few minutes. Just stay alive until I get to you.”
He’s here. He came to rescue me. “The door is locked. I don’t think anyone will try to come in here.”
“Good. The lights are about to go out.”
As he says the words, the world goes dark. I’m trapped in a room with deadly creatures, and it’s pitch black.
“Stay with me. I’m coming for you, Fiona.”
