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“Let’s go get our princess back,” Dominic says, a fierceness in his eyes that shows how much he’s grown to care for Sienna.
I stick my fist out and my brothers tap theirs against it and we head out again. Every second we delay is another second for them to hurt Sienna.
As we approach her location, we veer left into an empty office park. We don’t want the Serpents to notice our bikes in the area, so we park two blocks over before killing the engine.
Dominic and Caleb do the same and we get off and check the tracking signal once more, just to be sure.
“She’s still here, or her phone is,” Caleb says. “No way to know which until we check.”
“One of us needs to go over and spy on them. If all three of us go, we’ll draw too much attention,” Dominic points out.
“I’ll do it,” I volunteer. “Dom, no offense but your size means that they’d notice you instantly. And Caleb needs to stay here to track her signal.”
“Be safe,” Dominic says, clapping a hand on my shoulder. I nod and creep along the wall, keeping an eye out for any stray Serpents as I go.
Rounding the corner of the building, I keep low and run across to hide behind a dumpster on the next block. A few Serpents are patrolling this block, no doubt keeping an eye out for us.
I wait until they pass before taking off again, running to hide behind a stack of old pallets near the loading dock of the factory. The building is large, a looming presence in this part of town. Graffiti is painted across the walls and many of the windows are broken or boarded up.
It’s far from the main drag here, with traffic only a low hum in the distance. The parking lot has seen better days, with weeds pushing up through the gravel.
There’s two Serpents guarding the loading dock entrance, standing with guns strapped to their chests like they’re in some kind of freaking war. Rolling my eyes, I creep closer, getting behind another dumpster. It’s hard to be quiet, but I can’t afford for them to see me. Not yet. Not until we’ve figured out where they’re keeping Sienna.
The doors are flung wide open, enough to see what’s happening inside. With the amount of Serpents standing watch, I have a feeling she has to be nearby. I watch a few Serpents loadcrates and roll them down the dock, then shove the crates into a truck.
What are they doing? Are they transporting something? It has to be weapons, with the size of those crates. Or it could be drugs. I’m not sure.
For the millionth time, I wonder where the Serpents got the resources to start running an operation of this size. They were barely hanging on by a thread the last time we saw them around town. Now they’re smuggling guns or running drugs and causing all kinds of chaos in my town.
The rage boils back up inside me. If they think they can turn Caspian Springs into their Mad Max wasteland, they have another thing coming.
I keep as low to the ground as I can and slip closer to the loading dock doors. The musty odor of decay fills my nostrils and I step on something sticky. Trying to free my foot, it catches the side of the dumpster and makes a rattling bang.
Panicking, I fling myself to the ground and roll under a bush on the other side of the dumpster.
“What was that?” one of the Serpent guards calls out.
“Go check!” the other admonishes.
The guard starts walking closer and I suck in a breath, holding it. His footsteps crunch ominously over the gravel floor, drawing nearer to my hiding spot. I squeeze my eyes shut, praying that they won’t look too closely at the bush.
“I don’t see anything,” the Serpent calls to his friend. He steps closer to the bush and I freeze, blood pounding in my ears.
“It was probably just a wild animal,” the other Serpent calls. “Get back over here. Stop messing around. The boss said we have to make sure no one comes for that chick.”
“Why are we guarding her again?” Goon number one grouses out.
“Because she’s got some ties to the Blades,” he hisses. “I don’t know what, but Diego says he got an order to take her out.”
My breath comes out in a whoosh as he walks back over to join his buddy, fear stabbing me in the heart. Who’s ordering the Serpents to take out Sienna?
Getting to my knees, I crawl closer again, avoiding the dumpster, and peer into the warehouse. Several Serpents are standing guard over another door inside, which leads to the far side of the factory.
That must be where they’re keeping Sienna. It has to be.
Resolve fills me up and I start creeping backward, trying to be careful. I start running once I’m past the dumpster but my foot hits it again, letting out another echoing bang.
“Someone’s over there!” the Serpent guard yells. The two of them race towards me, but I duck in between the office buildings to the left, weaving my way through the alley until I disappear from their view.
