AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I was a little scared about going toward the warehouse, but I steeled myself as I got out of my car. Sofia Reyes and her story were my big break and I was going to do anything it took to keep pursuing it. I took a deep breath and slipped out of my car, toward the barbed wire fence.
“Hey guys!” I said into my phone. “So I know this looks hella sketch, but I promise you it’s not. This lot belongs to one of the most notorious gangs in Orlando, but the weird thing is that they seem to be with also one of the most famous journalists in the country right now, Sofia Reyes. Now, I know lots of people have fact checked her article and have found it to be mostly true, but there’s something so fucking weird about her entanglements. I’m just going to find out a little more...”
I slipped past a hole in the barbed wire. If anyone else was here, they might’ve shouted at me for doing something dangerous, but no one cared.
And I had to get my story.
It was important.
“If I get enough likes, I’ll tell you guys exactly where I am in the city,” I said into the camera, trying to keep my voice perky and upbeat. I slipped past the barbed wire fence, making sure my phone was well away from danger, and took a deep breath as I stepped into the warehouse itself.
“This may be a bust,” I said. “So if nothing happens, please don’t come here to investigate! It’s super dangerous. I’m only doing it because I’m a trained professional.”
I let out a nervous laugh as I continued. “It’s because I have the experience. Woo, this is so exciting! Update you in a sec!”
I took a couple of steps toward the warehouse. There were no vehicles around and I couldn’t see anyone. It was dark, there were no lights anywhere, and I had yet to spot anyone around me.
“Hi guys,” I said, my chest heaving with each breath. “So...um...I’m in the warehouse that one of you told me would have Sofia inside. It looks pretty empty right now, but I’m not turning back until something happens.”
I paused.
Was I a trained professional?
Who was I kidding?
I was being paid to do this. My views paid for this. That was the only real training I had.
“Just remember guys, I wouldn’t let you come here if it wasn’t safe,” I said. “Even though my channel is called TrueCrimeCharm because of my more... indulgent videos, the main reason for my channel is my investigative work. Getting this information out should be more important than entertaining people.”
I heard a sound that stopped me and straightened up. I thought, at first, that I was going to be held up at gunpoint if someone was around.
That wasn’t what was happening.
Instead, I saw three faces, two men flanking a woman. Every single one of them looked puzzled.
But I didn’t care.
Because I was here for a reason and I’d just had a breakthrough.
Chapter Fourteen: Jace
Thesundippedlowin the sky, casting a warm golden light across the Blades’ property. Sofia and I stood near the pond, where a family of ducklings paddled around, their mother keeping a watchful eye. The tender scene was a stark contrast to the danger that permeated our lives, but for this brief moment, we allowed ourselves to forget.
I was glad I had taken her up on it. This was nice, and the ducks were incredibly cute.
“Jace,” she whispered, her breath tickling my ear as she leaned closer. Her brown eyes glistened with desire, her lips slightly parted, begging me to close the distance between us. And who was I to deny her such a simple pleasure? Who was I to deny myself of such a simple pleasure?
As our lips met, the intensity of our shared passion surged through me, igniting a fire deep within my soul. I pulled her closer, her body melting into mine as if we were two pieces of a puzzle finally coming together. Our kiss was sweet, yet intense, fueled by the unspoken knowledge that every moment we spent together could be our last.
Then I heard something.
A car, an engine being killed. Someone was nearby. The warehouse was somewhere remote and I didn’t think that Teo or Grayson were going to come back here so soon, and that definitely didn’t sound like one of their vehicles.
“Jace! You heard that?” Victor’s voice suddenly shattered the tranquility. Sofia and I broke apart, our chests heaving as we gasped for air.
“Let’s see what’s going on,” I muttered, grabbing Sofia’s hand and leading her towards the warehouse. “Stay behind us, okay?”
“Someone’s here,” Sofia murmured, her grip on my hand tightening. I nodded, my heart racing as adrenaline coursed through my veins. We crept further into the lot, toward where the car was.
