Luna
I stare out the window as we pull up to the site, and, oh God, we’ve got our work cut out for us. There is so much to do.
We’re here to scout a new location for one of the schools we’re building for the children rescued from the trafficking ring Maksim, Roman’s twin, dismantled last year. Many of them have no homes, no parents, no one to care for them, so they stay with us.
The abandoned factory sits in the middle of a field where you can barely make out a few houses in the distance.
At least there's plenty of space.
As we cross the expanse to head inside, Sergey, my bodyguard, says, "Let me call the contractor."
I'm walking around the building, my eyes scanning for all the repairs we'll need, when I hear a sound.
A ringtone. My gaze immediately shoots to Sergey.
"What the hell..." But the melody's coming from inside.
I have a bad feeling about this, and so does Sergey by the look on his face as he sends a message.
"I'm going to check it out. Stay here. You have your gun?"
I nod, still surveying the surroundings.
There's no other car here, just weeds stretching across the entire horizon, so I walk a few yards, looking for any sign of someone.
A breeze pushes a few strands of hair into my face, and that's when I hear a scream.
My first instinct is to shout Sergey’s name, but it's clear we're not alone.
The next instant, my phone vibrates and somehow I know it'shim.
With one hand, I pull my gun from behind my back and with the other, I wedge my phone between my shoulder and ear.
"We're at the location. No sign of another vehicle, and Sergey's inside the factory. I heard a single scream."
"It's the psychopath stalking Roxy."
The man who killed her mother. The man who killed other women. The Bloody Dahlia. For a split second my body freezes, but that's exactly the reaction I'm sure he expects from me. This whole setup was orchestrated to get Roxy's attention, and I'm just the perfect bait. So I straighten my spine, grip the gun more tightly, and refuse to give him the satisfaction of seeing me scared.
I reach the entrance of the factory and for a brief moment I try to calm my nerves.
"Luna," Roman murmurs nervously, because he's on his way.
Because he'll always come for me. Because whatever hole I fall into, I know he'll be there to pull me out. I just have to hold on long enough.
"I love you," I whisper, and he knows there's no point telling me not to move from where I am.
Not with Sergey's life on the line.
"Don't you dare say that like there's a chance you won't get to say it to my face again."
"You'll find me," and though I hate to, I have to end the call and focus on my surroundings.
"Always." The same answer he gave me a year ago.
The factory door swings open with a screech of rusted hinges, the sound echoing through the empty space like nails on a chalkboard.
My footsteps scrape against the sand beneath me, and I try to analyze what's to my left and right. I see a trail of blood in the center, so I head toward it.
