Gray swiped a thumb across my cheek, catching the tears.“David tried to warn Luca too, begged him to stay away from Matteo, to leave New York and forget it all. I guess Luca wouldn’t listen, saying he’d handle Matteo himself. Luca spent years trying, but we all know how that ended.”
I squeezed more tightly onto Gray’s arm and hand.
“So, yes. We can trust David. He’ll get your father back, no matter what. David is our best option. He might still be a criminal, but he has a conscience, and I can accept that he needs something in return to appease the organization.”
“Me too,” Nash added, putting a reassuring hand on my shoulder. Nash’s sudden faith in Gray shocked me.
I sniffled and dipped my head.“Okay.”
Nash left my side to comfort Sybil, and Grey pulled me into a long hug. It felt good.
We spent the rest of the day packing our supplies and gear, getting ready to leave by chopper the next morning. But when morning came, Sybil and I found our beds empty and the chopper gone.
They’d left us.
The secretive conversations between Gray and Nash suddenly made sense. Sybil and I stared at each other in shock, bubbling over with anger.
They’d always planned to abandon us, hadn’t they?
Chapter 32
Betty
“Those fuckers!” Sybil shrieked, her usually delicate complexion flushing crimson. The cabin trembled with her pint-sized fury.
I wanted to laugh at her reaction, were it not for my need to say the same.
How could they do this to us? Gray should know better by now, yet I couldn’t shake the feeling that I deserved this. I’d put him through hell this last month, so it only made sense he’d get back at me, at least once. Still—the audacity of that man!
I paced a hole through the floorboards, unable to push down the feeling of abandonment, my personality refusing to let him win. If Gray and Nash were risking their lives, there’s no way in hell we’d let them do it alone.
Never underestimate a scorned woman,and all that, am I right?
I whipped around.“Come on, Sybil, pack your things. We’re going after them.”
Her grin was wicked, her tiny body brimming with pent-up energy and barely leashed fury.“Yes!” she squealed.
I loved it.
“Do you still have your phone?” I asked, heading straight for Gray’s secret cabinet, only to find he’d locked it again.“Fucking dickhead.” Annoyed, I growled and stomped over to the stove. I snatched up the fire poker. Holding it above my head, Sybil leapt back with a scream, and I swung it directly at the lock of the cabinet. Wood splintered around the brass handle, and the hinged door let out a pathetic whine as it fell open an inch.
As if he thought a flimsy lock could stop me now? Dream on. I was angry, and this small hurdle was but a bump in the road.
A diabolical cackle passed Sybil’s curled lips, and she danced up behind me.“Nice one, Betty!” She put her hand out, presenting her phone.“And I have my phone!”
Nodding, I brushed away a few splinters of wood and rummaged inside the cabinet.“Good, I’m glad you still have it. At least they’re dumb enough not to take it and leave us with nothing. Make sure it’s charged; we have plans we need to set in motion once we reach cell service.”
Gray had taken all the guns from the cabinet, which was fine, but he’d left my taser. I had begrudgingly handed it over to him after the bear incident. Gray persuaded me to show him where I’d hidden my purse and illicit contraband, promising me he’d keep it safe.
I scoffed, yeah right. I never should have given it up, but I let my guilt get the better of me.
I plucked the taser out and hugged it to my chest with glee before checking its charge. The battery was low. I scanned the area near the solar station and spotted a cord that would fit.
Bingo.
After plugging in the taser, I returned to the cabinet and found the four-wheeler keys hanging beside a few rolls of cash. I took all of it, not wanting to risk using any of my credit cards in case they were being tracked. I thumbed through a stack of papers. It contained fake passports, birth certificates, and death certificates, all in a jumbled mess. What surprised me even more was finding my passport there.
“Yes!” I cried out, cradling it in both hands.
