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What else? I rubbed my eyes, taking several deep breaths.
Then I remembered.
“There is someone about to betray a person I care about. She reminds me of you.”
“Stop. Just stop.”
“No! I tried to help, to tell her, but she refused to listen. I took it. You need to give it to the rightful owner before it’s too late. You can help. You’re strong. You’re invincible.”
That’s when my brain had shut down completely. The word invincible had struck me hard, the notion leaving a bitter taste of bile in my mouth. He’d wanted me to carry on where he’d left off? The man was… betrayal. That was the one thing that Phoenix couldn’t tolerate. His family meant the world to him. That was one of the main reasons I’d fallen so hard for the man.
I had to find the package my father had sent. How? How?
Elizabeth might be the key. I had to take the chance. I just had to.
Sighing, I looked across the street, noticing a brightly colored tee shirt. For some crazy reason it came into my mind that I’d never seen Phoenix in anything other than a fancy button-up shirt. Hmmm… I did have a credit card.
Without thinking about the consequences, I got to my feet, using a group of people being shown their table to slip away without the other guards paying any attention. They were too busy gawking at the two lovebirds cooing over each other. Trying not to panic, I rushed across the street, barely avoiding being run over by an oncoming truck. When I reached the other side, I quickly escaped into the closest shop.
As I dialed Elizabeth, I kept my eye across the street. So far, no one was the wiser. I prayed she would answer. On the third ring, I was about to give up hope.
“Hey, girl. I was getting worried,” Elizabeth said as if she didn’t have a care in the world.
“I need you to listen to me. I don’t have much time. This could be dangerous, but you’re the only person I can trust.”
“God, you’re scaring me.”
“There is a neighbor in 3-B of my condominium building. She’s a busybody but she’s collected packages dropped off before. Her name is Mrs. Miller. Find out if she grabbed some mail that would have arrived a couple days ago.”
“O-kay. Should I open it?”
“No. Take it to your house and let me know. Hide it and whatever you do, don’t let anyone know what you’re doing. If you see anyone lurking around the building that doesn’t belong, get out. Okay?”
“Tell me what’s going on.”
I noticed one of the soldiers had finally realized I was missing, already moving up and down the area in front of the bistro. “I don’t have time. Just trust me. This is vital.”
“Jesus. Whatever you’re involved in, you need to get out of there.”
“I can’t. I just… please do this for me.”
“I will. I’ll go later today.”
“Thank you. I owe you one.” I didn’t wait for her reply, ending the call and quickly heading to the sidewalk, grabbing one of the tee shirts, immediately pulling out my card. As I headed to the cash register, I cringed seeing two soldiers had spotted me, one pointing. At least I had a decent excuse.
The girl rang up the purchase successfully and by that point, they were in the middle of the street. I plastered on a smile, my nerves getting the better of me. I moved to the curb, waiting as a line of traffic rolled in front of me. When the light changed for pedestrians, the unthinkable happened. A large, dark vehicle rolled around the corner, tires screeching. Within seconds, the sound of gunfire permeated the entire street. Screams could be heard, people running.
Everything became a blur. As the vehicle roared to a stop, I took off running toward the bistro, panic slamming my system. I couldn’t see the soldiers any longer, people pushing and shoving as another round of gunfire peppered all around me. I could tell at least a couple of people had been shot, others trampling over them.
Hands grabbed my arms from behind, and my body jerked backward. Then another explosion of activity came from two sides, more hands pulling me in the opposite direction.
Two quick pops from a weapon much closer and the momentum of the person yanking me pitched my body forward.
That’s when I recognized one of the soldiers. He covered my body with his, firing off at least two more shots but by that point, everything was a horrific blur of energy and damnation. He quickly rushed me toward one of the two SUVs belonging to Phoenix, tossing me inside the back.
“Get in. Stay down!” he commanded before shutting the door.
“Oh, God. Are you alright?” Elena exclaimed from beside me.
