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“Shirts off, bitches!” Arrow shouts, grinning when his voice echos. “Tonight, we bleed for a cause, and then, when we return home, we fuck for a cause.”
I roll my eyes when Arrow lifts his shirt over his head and throws it at me. ‘Real mature,’ I sign with a huff, throwing the shirt down.
Once we’re completely shirtless, the three of us make our way toward the platform and drop to our knees on the hard surface.
“Tonight is the night,” Jericho says again.
“We become men,” Arrow says, rubbing his hands together.
‘Men,’ I sign with a snort.
Thick silence weighs heavily on us as we wait for the inevitable. No electronics are allowed beyond the hidden entrance, including watches and phones, so we deposited them in a bowl near the door. As the time passes, we aren’t sure how long it’s been before the doors open and footsteps follow.
Stealing a car was not on my bingo card this year. Neither was getting kidnapped by deranged mafia men who insist I'm handcuffed to them twenty-four-seven.
But here I am, in the thick of it.
Hurray, me.
All I was doing was looking for my phone in the fancy bedroom they claimed to have built for me. And then, I discovered the Holy Grail of goodies in Jericho's walk-in closet. Right there, in the top drawer of one of his dressers, was my escape.
The moment I found the fancy set of car keys, I knew I had to take them. Because, why not? Honestly, it felt like destiny. Fate led me to find their precious keys, and fate now has me behind the wheel of their expensive car. What was I supposed to do? Walk away? Nope! They wanted to keep me here so badly, they should have chained me to their beds.
I'm sure there's a reason they didn't cuff me before they left. I'm not an idiot. I've been forced to play these games for years, thanks to my monster. Besides, I saw the cameras discreetly mounted on the walls all over the house. They're watching my every move, expecting me to roll over and stay. But like I've told Jericho, I'm not a dog. And I have business to attend to. I'm sure there will be hell to pay when I'm finished. But I don't care. You can't just kidnap a girl from jail with veiled threats and blackmail without backlash. So, here's my backlash.
“Fuck you!” I shout, lifting my finger toward the mansion in my rearview mirror as I drive erratically down the long, winding driveway. Thankfully, when I come near the gate, it automatically opens, allowing me the freedom they denied me.
A thrill shoots through me when I press the accelerator harder, speeding down the main road toward Briar Cove. Skyscrapers tower over the businesses below, lighting up the darkened sky. My eyes fall to the largest tower of them all, standing proud in the center of town like an overseer watching his flock.
It's visible from every direction and is the last thing you see before you leave Briar Cove and the first thing you view when you enter. Almost like a warning to never fuck with the Viotto family and their associates, which makes me laugh. Because that's exactly what I'm doing right now.
I raise my middle finger into the air, proudly pointing it at the unsuspecting building.
“Eat shit!” I shout, pressing on the gas pedal again. Viotto fucking bastards.
My heart pounds with excitement when I arrive in town, blowing through a green light at a high rate of speed. Until I finally slow my pace, careful not to bring too much attention to myself. After all, I'm in a stolen car, and the last place I'd like to see tonight is the inside of a jail cell. Been there—almost—done that, and I never want to experience that again. Especially if I have to greet Jericho's ugly mug when he inevitably bails me out.
Ahh, the beautiful noise this car makes every time I speed up has my heart in a frenzy. This is the most fun I've had in fucking years.
No one can stop me now.
The lights flash by as I make my way toward my trailer in the center of town. They may have condemned it when they took me hostage, but I need to see the inside for myself. Sure, there was tape over the door forbidding anyone to enter. But that could have been a facade to trick me into going with the Three Devils. Not that they needed it, really. They already had me by the short and curlies after signing that damn contract. Even the letters Shepp held in his hands with my name written on the outside of the envelopes could have been faked. Maybe all my shit is still inside, including my last pieces of Sunny.
But I won’t know until I see for myself.
I blow out a breath when I pull in front of my former home. Darkness seems to rest around it, shrouding it in shadows. An odd feeling prickles at my skin when I gaze around the surrounding trailer park. Every other place has lights beaming through their windows and activity fluttering around their places. Not this trailer. It’s dead. Almost eerily so.
I heave a breath, focusing on the tin can in front of me. So many horrors have happened inside those walls, hidden well behind deception and lies.
How I wish I could bring them to the light and expose my monster for who he truly is—a fucking menace.
My fingers tighten on the expensive steering wheel when I kill the engine. Dread rolls through me. Usually, my mom is in there, nodding off on the couch and waiting for her next hit. If she really is in rehab and getting sober, then I need to find her, too. Maybe she can remember where my monster stashed Sunny. Somewhere in the foggy memories that live in her drug-riddled brain. It has to be there. She's my only hope in finding her. I've had zero ideas as to where my sister is or where to even begin looking for her. Thankfully, she's given me a few clues here and there, but never a name or location.
I lick my lips, peel myself out of the car, and pocket the keys. Rocks crunch under my feet as I make my way up the small drive, climb the wooden stairs of our small deck, and stand before the crumbling front door. This trailer has seen good days. But not for many years.
“This is our new place,” my mother says with a bright smile, twirling in the empty living room. Her brown hair bounces with every excited movement she makes. “This is it, Journey Girl. We've finally found a place to lay our heads.” Dropping to her knees, she pulls me into her, brushing my hair behind my ears. “Be good tomorrow, okay? You'll remember what to call him?” Her worried eyes find mine.
“Yeah, Mommy,” I whisper. “I ’member.”
