“Anything I can help with?” His voice softens slightly, and even with the electronic hum warping his tone, it’s like he’s right here beside me, his hand in mine, his lips against my ear and his words sweeping through my soul.
“If I do this,” I say quietly, “all of this will be over.”
“That’s the plan, yes.”
“All of it.” The words almost catch in my throat. “I’ve been caught up in this for so long that I haven’t thought about what comes after. What I do next.”
“You can do anything you want,” Bradley replies. “If it’s something we can help with, then we will. A home, a job… anything.”
“Anything?”
Even you?
I can’t say that out loud. The last thing I need is to admit my growing feelings for the man who saved me only to be met with rejection right before I go face the tyrant in my life.
“Anything,” Bradley repeats, and my heart aches to hear more.
Even me.
“Okay.” Breathing deeply, I press on the accelerator and turn the car to the right. “I’m okay. I’m sorry.”
“No apology needed,” Bradley murmurs. “We’re with you every step of the way.”
Hard to believe when the road in front and behind is completely empty. Harris ordered me to meet him on some abandoned farm on the outskirts of the city, one that looked to me in the middle of nowhere when Valentina brought it up on the map. I sat there and listened to them planning how they were going to secure the tree line that was so far from the house, they’d barely be able to see anything, how they’d try and use a distant water tower as a point of advantage, and how the surrounding dead fields would make any sneaky approach terrible, so no one would act until I was out safely.
Through the discussions, all I could see was how long it would take someone, anyone, to reach me if I ended up in danger.
They’re with me, but I’m alone.
Harris likely chose this place for that exact reason. He knows I have help. After all, he traced the car, killed those men, and attacked poor Raven. He knows I’m not alone, so he’s done everything to make sure I approach him alone.
Fuck, I hate him.
I hate him so much.
That hatred burns in my chest just under my ribs for the rest of the drive toward the middle of nowhere, and all too soon, I’m turning onto a winding gravel path that leads down to the lone farmhouse in the middle of untouched, empty fields. They stretch for miles in either direction, and the tree line plus the water tower look even further away than in the pictures.
My heart races, so I grip the steering wheel tighter and force deep breaths to steady myself. With the farmhouse in sight, I remove the contact device from my ear and toss it out the window as instructed. Valentina wants us to take no risks with communication, but they’ve given me a necklace that holds a tracker and a small mic, so everything will be recorded.
Also, as advised, I stop the car a distance from the rundown farmhouse and turn off the engine. The building’s pretty fitting for Harris as far as he’s concerned. A rickety porch frames peeling white walls, slatted wood that’s seen one too many rainstorms, windows with missing glass and crumbling shutters keeping the world out. Every metal fitting is rusted orange with age and the roof’s lost a few tiles over the years.
It’s a shithole.
I climb from the car with the metal case in hand containing the diamonds and Bradley’s promise of protection ringing in my ears. All I need to do is confirm Harris is really there and whether he has the rest of the diamonds. Then I’m supposed to leave and let the others take care of everything. A simple role given to me only at my insistence to be involved, but as I walk the gravel path and toy with the pendant hanging from my necklace, I want to do more.
I want to see the exact moment Harris realizes he’s lost on his stupid fucking face.
A few feet from the house, a familiar voice yells out from inside.
“Stop!” Harris barks. “You stop right there!”
I stumble slightly as I obey and quickly scan all the windows searching for him, but the inner house is shrouded by darkness and I can’t tell if Harris really is here or if he’s remote-linking in from somewhere.
“Not coming to say hi?” I call back. “Figure you owe me at least that.”
“I don’t owe you shit.”
“My brother’s dead because of you,” I snap back. “You owe me everything.”
