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“You’ll want to know this,” he insists, looking at Dominic. “It’s about Dr. Richard Thornton.”
“Rich?” I raise an eyebrow. “How do you even know him?”
“I know you guys were close to him,” he says, a smile curling on his lips. “Let me go and I’ll tell you what you want to know.”
“How about you tell us first, then we’ll decide if the info is worth sparing your pathetic life?” Bastian says, eyes flashing dangerously.
“Fuck you,” Diego curses.
I cock my gun and Diego yells out again, “Wait! Fine. Dr. Thornton was paying us!”
The three of us freeze, looking at each other as Diego continues. “He paid us a lot of money to cover up a crime about two years ago. That’s how we had the resources to go after this territory again. He’s been giving us money. If you want to go after anyone, go after him. We’re just his pawns.”
“Nice try,” Bastian says. “You’re lying.”
“I ain’t lying, bro,” Diego insists. “Ask him yourselves. He came to me two years ago or so, looking for help. Said he did something, and he needed our help to get away with it. Told me he’d pay me enough money to do whatever I wanted if we helped him.”
As Diego's revelation about Dr. Thornton sinks in, a whirlwind of emotions overtakes me. Disbelief, anger, and profound sorrow collide within me, threatening to consume me from the inside out.
The image of Emily's face flashes before my eyes, her laughter echoing in my mind. She died two years ago.
Rich came to them two years ago to cover up a crime.
Bastian's cry of denial echoes in the air, mirroring the turmoil raging within me.
As the reality of Dr. Thornton's betrayal settles in, I feel a profound sense of loss wash over me. The foundation of trust that we built our lives on has crumbled, leaving behind a gaping void of betrayal and heartache.
“Rich killed Emily …” I say, the pieces finally falling into place. “He killed her and covered it up!”
Dominic's brow furrows, his eyes flickering with conflicted emotions. I can see the internal struggle etched on his face, torn between his sense of justice and the desire for retribution. His clenched fists betray the intensity of his emotions, the decision weighing heavily upon him.
My heart aches with grief for Emily, but a voice reminds me she wouldn’t have wanted this, she wouldn’t have wanted the bloodshed. Before I can voice my concerns, the decision is made for me.
“Kill him,” Bastian says, cold fury radiating from every pore.
Dominic and I raise our guns and pull the triggers, emptying them into the filthy bastard until he flops over, blood pooling beneath him.
“It’s over,” Bastian says, turning to face the remaining Serpents. “Your leader is dead. Surrender now or face the same fate.”
The Serpents slowly raise their hands in surrender one by one. I breathe hard, feeling the sting of tears in my eyes as I come to grips with what I’ve just found out.
The woman we loved is dead, at the hands of the man we once considered a father.
44
SIENNA
The trunk pops open and sunlight temporarily blinds me. The figure in front of me is lit from behind, casting an eerie glow and obscuring their features until Dr. Thornton’s face gets closer, revealing himself as he bends down and yanks me up by my wrists.
“Come on,” he growls, pulling me to my feet. I try to struggle but he pulls out a gun from behind his back, pointing it straight at me.
Fear and adrenaline course through me as I walk, unsteady from our fight and the blow to the head I received, but he nudges me forward with the barrel of the gun to my back as I walk over overgrown grass and leaves.
The building we’re at is some kind of old fire station, converted into an apartment. The place looks abandoned though, devoid of any of the usual signs of life, and the garden is overrun with weeds.
My face is wet with tears and snot as I put one foot in front of the other, trying my best to keep my wits about me as Dr. Thornton shoves me through the creaking front door.
Once inside, he keeps making me walk until we head up the steps and into a rundown loft apartment. It looks as though the owner abandoned it in a hurry, leaving everything behind.
