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And Sergio may not be who I hoped he was, but I’ll be writing the chapters of my own story, and write them I will.
The church looms in front of us and my heart surges. She's in there, I know she's there.
Sergio parks, and his large, warm hand sits atop mine and gives it a little squeeze. "You are the strongest woman I know. Lean into that. You can do this."
It's all I need. Sergio may not be the man who loves me, but right now he's the only ally I have.
The front door opens, and a woman comes out. Sergio murmurs to me that it’s Mario’s wife Gloria. She holds her hands out in apology and shakes her head. "You may not want to go in there, right now," she says gently. Sergio and I walk past her.
"Oh, but I do.”
It smells terrible in here, like something has rotted in a basement for days. I wrinkle my nose and hold my breath, then blink, not understanding what I’m seeing. Not understanding what is right in front of me, right now.
Bodies. There are bodies on the floor. Broken, and bleeding.
People I know. The elders, Seth's brother, his father… Mine.
I cover my mouth and remember what Sergio said.
They aren't who you think they are.
"We think she's in this room ahead." It’s Mario. He's bandaged and he's got bags under his eyes, but he’s here.
I’m trying to piece everything together, but I’m focused on one thing and one thing only: my sister.
“Is she okay?”
Mario nods, but Sergio’s shaking his head at him.
"I had to come, don't lecture me," he says to Sergio when Sergio glares at him.
"We tried to get to her. We thought we could, but the lock combination… it’s an ancient fucking fortress, this place is. Fuck, I hope I don’t get struck by lightning or something, swearing in here—"
Sergio takes one look at the door and glances around him, his gaze hyper-focused.
“Stand back, Eden. No matter what happens, I don’t want you to interfere.” When he gives me a piercing look, I nod. I have to trust him. Can I trust the man who broke my heart?
Do I have a choice?
I swallow and nod again.
“We have to get that door open.”
“Sergio! The axe!” I point to a darkened corner of the musty hall, where an axe lays behind glass.
Break Glass in Case of Emergency.
Well, this is an emergency if ever there was one.
Without even bothering to find anything to break it with, Sergio slams his fist straight into the glass. I gasp when it shatters, shards tearing at his skin. Undeterred, he yanks the axe off the wall and triggers an alarm.
"Stand back."
It's all surreal. So strange. Dripping blood, the axe firmly gripped in his capable hands, Sergio yells over his shoulder to Mario, "Call off any response to the siren."
I watch as Sergio slams the axe into the door. Holding the axe between his two hands, he rears back and lets it fly. One stroke at a time, the wood splinters until there’s a small hole the size of a baseball. Again, ignoring his own injuries, he shoves his wounded hand in and twists the doorknob.
She’s there.
