Chapter 154: Bad Egg Kind
- LAWSON -
"Who the hell is this?" I ask. My words aren’t accusing as much as they’re confused.
The woman this guy has brought me is not Auraya. I can’t tell who she is, because she’s still out cold in the back of the SUV, but she’s definitely not Auraya. The hair is wrong.
"Is she dead?" I ask, gaping, confused, bewildered.
We’re still at the rest stop, though we pulled around the back where the parking lot is empty and obscured from the highway by the stone building full of restrooms, snack machines, and maps. On the other side of us, there’s nothing but dense trees.
"You think I would bring you a dead woman?" He sighs, leaning on the door. "She should be out for awhile longer."
"This is not the woman you were supposed to get. Take her back and get me the right one," I glare at him.
He pulls out his phone and points to the picture I sent him. "This one," he says. "That’s who she is."
My teeth clench together, and I close my eyes. Why? Why did this have to go wrong? What are the odds that both of them would have been at the funeral reception?
"That’s the wrong one," I grind out. "I don’t want this one."
"Too bad. You got her," he says, eyes turning wild as he leans forward. "And I hope you’re in for a ride, because she’s a fighter. See this?" He turns his head and points out a few scratches on his cheek.
I scoff. "Have you seen this?" I ask, pointing to my own face.
"Exactly," he chuckles. "If you couldn’t handle whoever gave you that, then there’s no way you will be able to handle her."
I glare at him.
What the hell am I going to do with Auraya’s sister or friend or whoever the hell this woman is in relation to her? Taking this woman isn’t going to hurt Dex, and that’s what I wanted. That was the whole point. It might make Auraya upset, but...
"Want to make 20 more?" I ask.
I hate the fact that I’m going to have to pay more just because this guy couldn’t do the job right the first time. I thought he was supposed to be good. But this could still work in my favor.
The guy relaxes again against the car and considers my question before a slow smile spreads over his face. He’s a creepy fucker with that smile, I’ll give him that.
"What do you have in mind, sunshine?"
—————————
- AURAYA -
Dad and I are standing outside the club together, neither of us talking. We’re both in a state of shock, and I don’t know what I can possibly say. I’m afraid to say anything. I’m afraid to voice my fears, because they might become reality if I do.
Dex is on the phone with Luciano, and he’s walked off to either hear him better or to not be heard by others. I’m just praying for a miracle—whatever it might be. Anything. I’ll take anything at this point.
My phone goes off with a text notification, and I’m immediately looking at it in case it’s Rory. It’s not until I see it’s from an unknown number that I remember Dad has Rory’s purse, which probably has her phone in it. She wouldn’t be texting or calling unless she got away.
’Missing something important? Meet me alone and you can have it back.’
I have to reread the words over and over again, because they’re just words. They aren’t coalescing into a meaning of any kind—that is until a video comes through. Once I start to watch it, I almost throw up.
"Auraya, what it is?" Dad asks, and I slap a hand over my mouth, shaking my head.
"Just upset," I manage, squeezing my eyes shut before looking back down at my phone.
It’s a video of my sister in the backseat of a vehicle. She’s barefoot but still in her dress. She looks like she’s sleeping, but then the cameraman reaches in and moves the hair away from her face to reveal a large gash over her eye.
’She’s pretty. Is she your sister?’
Oh my god, this can’t be happening. What kind of deranged lunatic is this?
’Don’t be stupid, or I might break something before you get her back.’ The next text reads.
’Who are you? What do you want?’
’You, Auraya. I want to trade.’
I swallow hard and glance around. Dex is still on the far side of the building on his phone.
’Why?’
’Do you know the abandoned saw mill on Elk River?’
My thoughts skitter around the interior of a map in my brain. That old saw mill can’t be too far from here, if I recall correctly.
’I think so.’
’Come alone or things get broken.’
’I don’t have a car.’
’You’re smart. You’ll figure it out. Are you still at the country club?’
’Yes,’ I text back.
’Then you have 45 minutes to get to the mill. If it takes longer or you don’t come alone, you’ll never see her again.’
My hands are shaking holding the phone, and I glance around again. Should I tell someone? The police still aren’t here, so I obviously don’t have time to tell them.
What if I do tell someone and then something happens to her? What if I blow my only chance to help my sister? If this psychopath is after me, then that means she was targeted because of me and I need to be the one to fix it.
After I don’t reply, another text pops up. ’Time starts now.’
Oh my god, I don’t know if I can get there in forty-five minutes. I don’t know if I can get there at all. What car am I going to use? I don’t exactly drive often, and I’m not sure I could even find the place if I did manage to take a car.
Rory’s car. I can drive Rory’s car.
Dex strides over my way, and my heart speeds even faster than it already was. I’m torn between telling him and not telling him. If I do, then he won’t let me go and Rory could get hurt. If I don’t... there’s no telling what could happen. But there’s a chance that my sister will actually survive.
When Dex’s eyes meet mine, I’m struck with the very real possibility that I could wound him with my decision. If I go meet this guy and something happens to me... Dex has lost too much. I don’t know how he would deal with that. But before I can bring myself to tell him, he offers his news first.
"Luciano has a hacker friend who is checking street cams in the area around the time it happened," Dex says. "They think they might have the SUV on video headed toward the highway. He’s going to check it out, and I was thinking about catching up with him in case they find something."
Just like that, Dex has made my escape easy. I don’t even have to come up with a story or try to slip away. He’s going to leave on his own, and then all I will need to do is tell Dad I’m using Rory’s car for something.
"Will you stay here with your dad and the police when they arrive?" Dex asks, taking hold of my arm and drawing me close.
I nod, unable to open my mouth and lie to him. Just a nod... just a nod isn’t so bad. And who knows... maybe Luciano and Dex will catch up to the guy. Maybe I will go to the abandoned mill and no one will be there. Maybe... maybe all of this will work out.
Dex groans and embraces me. "It could have been you, Raya," he says in a deep gravel near my ear.
It sounds like that idea is prepared to unravel him if he pursues it any further.
"Don’t worry, angel. We’ll get her back, okay? Luciano has a lot of powerful friends."
"What kind of powerful?" I ask.
Can they do something with this text information? Can they trace it? Can they track guy?
"The helpful kind," he says as he pulls out of the embrace. Then his eyes do something I have never seen them do before. They shut me out.
"The bad egg kind," I almost whisper to myself.
Dex’s lips twitch toward a smile.
"Yes," he says softly. "That’s why you can’t come. Stay here with your dad, okay? Promise?"
He starts to walk away as he’s waiting for the promise to come, but I can’t do it. I can’t lie to him. It’s like there is something internally preventing me from committing that sin.
Once Dex realizes that I’m purposely not promising what he has requested, he stops in his tracks. I don’t know what expression I have on my face, but his immediately changes. His brows pinch together and he walks back my way.
"What is it, Raya?" He asks, lifting a hand to my face. "You can tell me anything."
