Finally, Patel’s voice explodes in my ear. “Move out now! Go! Go! Go!”
Chapter Forty-Nine
ELIZA
My father pulls out a buzzing rugged-looking black phone with an antenna from the inside pocket of his jacket and taps a few keys before he answers.
“We’ll rolling out at 1800 hours,” he says. “Yeah, I have the coordinates for the drop-off.”
He looks at me with a worrisome smirk while nodding along to what the person at the other end is telling him.
“Yeah, she’s here,” he answers. His tone rattles me to the bone, but his next words are even more ominous. “She’ll behave. I know how to keep people in line.”
The man claiming to be my brother sits on his haunches, lips pursed, and eyebrows drawn together. He sighs like hurting me was the last thing he wanted to do.
“I’m sorry, sis.” He looks hurt when I recoil. “I didn’t mean for the whole thing with Quinn to get so out of hand.”
“I hope she hunts you down and puts you through the meat grinder,” I spit out. I can’t believe I fell for his act.
My father places a hand on Josh’s shoulder and looks at the both of us like this is a cute little family reunion.
“Are you going to hurt me?”
“No,” he drags out the sound, lifting his index finger. “Ifyou play nice.”
I swallow my unease. “What does that mean?”
“All I want is my kids together. I wanna pass on the Hall legacy to my bloodline. Your mother didn’t get it.” His nose crinkles in disgust. “In the end, she was too weak.”
I have to keep him talking. Maybe if I buy some time, someone will find me, before they take me to God knows where. “What legacy?”
I’ve played this game before. Get the heat off me by letting proud angry men talk about themselves. I scan the dusty room for any way out but the door behind me seems to be the only exit.
The two men share a knowing grin.
“You’ll see soon enough.” He tilts his head and a vicious smirk curls his lips. “I wouldn’t think about doing anything stupid, if I were you.” He pulls another phone out and shows me the screen. To my horror, it’s a video of Carter. He’s talking with the sheriff in front of my house. The threatening message is clear. With all the security Carter has, they still got close enough. I’d never do anything to put him in danger and this asshole knows it.
“I won’t,” I grit through my teeth.
My father’s expression is softer when he continues. “You’re a tough cookie. Josh got his hands on your file.” He looks at me, expecting me to wear my miserable childhood as a badge of honor. Anger boils inside of me.
“You had no right to dig through my life!”
His jaw ticks and I get a glimpse of a scary man, his fatherly facade crumbling in an instant. “I had every right!” Spit flies out of his mouth, his face turning red. “I’m your father and your place is next to me. Your mother wasted enough time, I could have taught you how to—”
The sound of breaking glass sucks the air out of the room and cuts his rant short. Through the window closest to me a metal cylinder flies and rolls to a stop at Josh’s feet. They both jump back as the can hisses out dark green smoke spreading around the room like a misshapen snake.
“Fuck,” my father spits. “Go! Go!” He pushes my brother to the opposite corner. I make out a pile of cardboard boxes he throws to the side, bending to the floor.
The taste of chemicals burns my mouth and eyes. Tears fall uncontrollably as I gasp for air, coughing and spluttering, pulling on the zip ties around my wrists. They only cut into my skin, warm blood coating my palms and dripping from my fingertips.
“This isn’t over, little fox. I’ll come back for you,” a dark shadow half-buried in the floor yells through the thick smoke.
The claws of darkness slowly close over my eyes. My heart is in my throat, tired and slow. Through the haze in my mind, voices and shouts pierce the murkiness. I don’t have the energy to keep my head straight and it lolls from side to side. Blue and red lights paint the room and loud bangs echo rhythmically behind me. I never thought dying would be similar to a poorly ventilated rave.
Loud thuds rattle the metal door behind me, over and over again until it flies open and smashes against the wall and the sound of heavy boots reaches my ears.
“Rawlings, stand back!” A booming voice travels through the smoke. “Are you insane?!” The voice bellows again. “Don’t go in!”
