I bit hard into the side of my thumb as I struggled to keep my emotions in check. Now he had my best friend in his grasp, ready to inflict whatever twisted horrors he could imagine upon her.
“He’ll hurt Sabrina if I don’t do what he wants,” I whispered. “That’s why I was going to…”
“Give yourself up to him,” Liam finished for me, his tone heavy with understanding. He locked his gaze onto mine, searching for something. Hope, perhaps? Or maybe just a trace of sanity.
I nodded, swallowing hard. “I thought it was the only way to save her.”
“We’ll come up with a better plane.” Ty stepped closer, finding my hand, and giving it a reassuring squeeze. “We’ll find a way to save Sabrina without putting you in danger.”
“Ty’s right,” Liam said. “We can’t let Castro win. Not like this.”
I drew in a shaky breath. I wanted so badly to believe them, but the cold tendrils of doubt wrapped around my insides, threatening to strangle what little hope remained inside me.
“Remember,” Ty said. “You are not a sacrifice. We will not let you walk willingly into Castro’s clutches.”
The air in the room buzzed with tension as Ty picked up his phone and punched in a number. I rubbed my sweaty palms on my jeans, trying to keep my thoughts from spiraling out of control.
“Isaiah,” Ty said curtly. “We need you here. Now.”
Within minutes, Isaiah appeared at the front door, concern marring his handsome face.
He stepped into the living room and scanned our faces, taking in the serious expressions before settling on me. “Talk.”
“Castro’s taken Sabrina,” I said shakily. “He wants me to give myself up in exchange for her.”
Isaiah’s nostrils flared, but his expression otherwise remained calm. “Let’s see if we can find her first.” He pulled out his laptop, his fingers flying over the keys. “We can try tracking her phone.” Isaiah’s words were clipped and precise, his attention fully on the screen.
While he worked, I let my mind drift back to Sabrina, her infectious laugh, her vibrant energy, and the way she could always lift my spirits. The thought of her at the mercy of someone like Castro made me sick to my stomach.
“Damn it,” Isaiah said under his breath. “Her location services are turned off. All I’ve got is her last location, right outside Presley Acres.”
“Let’s break this down,” Ty commanded as he leaned over the table. “We need to come up with a plan that takes Castro by surprise.”
Liam’s fingers thrummed on the table as he considered our options. “If we can catch him off guard, it’ll give us the advantage.”
Isaiah nodded, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. “So, first things first. We need to make him think Liza hasn’t told anyone about Sabrina. If he believes she’s acting alone, he won’t be prepared for the rest of us.”
“Okay, so what’s the plan?” I asked, folding my arms, trying to steady my nerves. At least we were going to do something. Action. I needed to take action.
“Here’s what I’m thinking,” Ty said. “When Castro calls for you, we’ll have you agree to meet him, but we’ll be hidden nearby, ready to ambush him when he shows up.”
“Sounds risky.” I bit my lip as I studied the map, my stomach churning at the thought of facing Castro alone. “What if he figures it out?”
“We’ll be close,” Liam asked, placing a hand on my shoulder, and giving it a gentle squeeze. “We won’t let anything happen to you or Sabrina.”
“Besides,” Isaiah added. “Castro won’t be expecting it. He won’t expect you to have asked for help if he told you not to. He expects to be obeyed. He’ll think he has the upper hand, and that’s when we’ll strike.”
“Something about this still feels off. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but… I don’t know. I just have a feeling that Castro is smarter than we’re giving him credit for.”
I tapped my fingers on the table, watching as Liam, Ty, and Isaiah pored over maps and notes, trying to finalize our plan. I couldn’t quite get enough air into my lungs. Something felt off. We were missing a vital piece of the puzzle.
“Guys,” I said, interrupting their intense discussion. “I don’t think this is going to work.”
They all turned to me, but Ty spoke first. “Liza, we’ve been over this a dozen times. We’ll be there with you every step of the way, and we won’t let anything happen to you or Sabrina.”
I shook my head, frustration bubbling up inside me. “That’s not what I mean. It’s just… I have this gut feeling that Castro is expecting us to try something like this. He’s too smart to not have a backup plan in place.”
“Your instincts have been right before,” Isaiah said, scanning the map as though willing it to reveal some hidden truth. “But we can’t just sit here and do nothing while Sabrina’s in danger.”
