Who would try and bug the cell of a dead man?
Nobody. I hope.
So I dial my father’s number. Just punching the digits makes my fingers tremble.
I never thought I’d call this number again.
As the line connects, I almost convince myself I might hear my father’s voice on the other end… Instead, the phone just rings and rings. The tone goes on long enough that I’m ready to give up when I finally hear a click.
Silence drifts through the airwaves.
I suck in a breath. “Hello?” Fresh tears quake my voice.
“Trinity!Holy fuck.” Finn exhales a long, loud breath. “You scared the shit out of me. Where are you? What happened? I sent Kellin to search the town you texted me from, but he found some kind of bloodbath. Are you all right? Why’d you call this number?”
My brother’s deep, familiar voice sends me sobbing all over again.
The awful part is that I’ve spent years believing he and Dad didn’t really care about me. That I was just a burden to them, an obligation neither could fully shake.
The intensity in Finn’s voice shows me how wrong I was.
What a shame that after spending so much time alone and unable to feel the warmth of my family’s affection, it took a life-and-death horror ride to realize that my resentment was founded in my own insecurities.
“Listen to me, Trinity.” Strength pours through his voice and straight into my soul. “Calm down and tell me what’s going on. You can cry as much as you want later. Right now, we need to get you to safety?—”
“The Russians got to us before Kellin did.” I cough, attempting to catch my breath. “We escaped?—”
“Wewho?”
Brody…“A Port King enforcer…Brody…kidnapped me after graduation. On Declan’s orders.”
I can almost feel Finn bristling from the other side of the country.
“The Port Kings.” The weight in my brother’s voice anchors me. “I should have fucking known.”
“What do you mean?”
“This is my fault. I should have expected their retaliation after we essentially took over the Cypress.” The scraping noise suggests that Finn’s rubbing a hand over his beard. “What do you mean the Russians got to you? What Russians?”
Even though he can’t see me, I shake my head. “I don’t know. The guy leading the pack is called Andrei?—”
Finn’s voice darkens even more. “Andrei Kruschev?”
“Yeah.” I push out a breath while scanning the perimeter outside the phone booth. “I’m sure that’s bad news.”
I came across his name in my research, but I really don’t know details. I’m assuming Finn has more intel.
“Trinity, if Andrei Kruschev’s involved, that changes things.” He curses under his breath. “What the hell would those Russians be doing there?”
I want that drive!
At the memory of Andrei’s ragged, quaking roar, fear races down my spine.
“Trini.” My childhood nickname in Finn’s mouth leads me back to the present. “These guys aren’t like the Italians. They wouldn’t be after you just to piss me off. They’ll have a reason. A serious one. What do they want?”
With my heart thundering in my chest, I unveil the truth for the first time ever. “They want the hard drive.”
Finn’s silence rings loud with fury.
