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“I’ve called in reinforcements,” Jinx says, raising his voice when yet another ambulance takes off from the scene. “We have two shooters dead, and one injured and headed to surgery. We have two civilians dead and four more injured. Everyone is accounted for except Devyn.”
“What the fuck aren’t you saying?” I growl.
I watch Jinx’s throat work on a swallow.
“One of the dead guys had a note on him that said kill all Cerberus.”
My blood runs cold. “This was about us?”
“We aren’t wearing our cuts,” Stormy growls. “This was open fucking shooting.”
“They had to be amateurs,” Jinx says.
“Did we miss a shooter? Do they fucking know she’s linked to us? Did they fucking take her?” My voice raises with every fucking question.
It’s the only thing that makes sense. Devyn might have hidden to stay safe but once emergency services showed up, she’d come out of hiding to either look for me or help. She wouldn’t continue to stay hidden.
“What’s their connection to us?” Stormy asks.
“Is this Cortez related?” Oracle snaps.
That poor guy hasn’t even been involved in anything related to Cortez and yet he and Newton are here getting fucking shot at for something that happened before he became a member.
“It’s possible,” Jinx says. “But Cerberus has been involved in a lot of takedowns.”
We’re responsible. Two civilians are dead and four are hurt because of us. What we do has bled into this tiny community, and we have blood on our hands because of it.
Chapter 35
Devyn
I don’t have to move to know my body is covered in bruises, but I guess I can’t exactly demand I be treated with kind hands by the guy who dragged me away from the wedding.
I fought him like I remembered to do from every self-defense advice I’ve ever heard. I know the chances of surviving after being moved to a second location are slim. What they don’t tell you is that as high as my adrenaline is at being abducted, theirs is just as high at committing the act. I grew slack, dropping all of my weight to the ground, but it didn’t keep him from picking me up and carrying me along as if I weighed nothing. He easily overpowered me, yelling in Spanish as he tied me up and shoved me into the trunk of a car. I didn’t have a hope of understanding what he said, and my pleas in English didn’t faze him either.
I guess I should be grateful he didn’t rape me, but I also know the trip isn’t over, and that’s still a possibility.
He’s careless in his driving or at least it seems that way as I suffer even more injuries. He seems to hit every pothole in the state, each one ramming my body against jagged things in the trunk.
My entire body shakes in that way it would if I forgot my coat and had to walk a far distance to get where I’m going. If it weren’t for the gag in my mouth, I know my teeth would be chattering despite the bloom of sweat generated by the unfiltered air I’m repeatedly breathing in and out.
I’ve never felt terror like I do now, but that doesn’t stop my mind from cycling through my short lifetime of regrets.
I never told Emmett I loved him, although I’ve known I do for weeks. I didn’t thank him enough for his generosity and willingness to share the found family he had in Cerberus. They welcomed me with open arms. Although I’ve expressed my graciousness for specific things, I’ve never thanked each of them for their kindness.
Em and Kincaid welcomed me into their home with limited questions asked. Em fought for me to open my business and helped me without reservations. Kincaid just smiled at me when Emmett made it clear I was with him. He even asked me if I needed help moving my things out of their spare bedroom when it became clear that I was going to be staying in Emmett’s room with him. They didn’t argue or try to talk me out of it. They never once judged the age difference or made snide comments. They fully supported me and the choices I made.
I scream into the gag when it feels like the car turns and ends up on two wheels. I slide against debris in the trunk, my head smacking against the side, my body crumpling with my neck taking the brunt of the jolt.
Tears sting my eyes, the dirt inside the trunk settling in them. I’m going to die in here, possibly from a car accident. My sobbing grows uncontrollable, my chest constricting until I feel like I’m having a heart attack. Breathing becomes unmanageable.
What if someone saw me get taken and someone is chasing after this guy? What if they get in a gunfight and someone shoots into the trunk?
