Total pages in book: 71
Estimated words: 69155 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 346(@200wpm)___ 277(@250wpm)___ 231(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 69155 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 346(@200wpm)___ 277(@250wpm)___ 231(@300wpm)
Her eyes meet mine, and a tiny movement of her hand catches my eye. She slips something through the cages, something she had clenched in her fist—a small slip of paper.
I nod.
She gives me a weak smile.
Then Steven jerks her back and looks to Dax. "We gotta move. We've got four hours if we're lucky."
"Let's move."
"You can't hide forever!" I scream after them. "Eventually, you'll have to come back here. Eventually, you'll have to return to work. Eventually, you'll have to show yourself."
Steven looks to me as he reaches the end of the cages. "You underestimate me, Zariah."
Then, they're gone.
I shake the cage, screaming out Lilian's name until the darkness takes them, and I can no longer see anything except the cages and the area around them that is lit up by a sensor light.
Within a few minutes, that light goes out, too.
I drop my head, and a tear rolls down my cheeks.
I failed.
I god damned failed.
22
KENDRIC
The second we step off the boat that we fuckin' stole, we know that it's too late. We know that somehow, they fuckin' knew we were comin'. The island is dead, not a single soul for miles. The house lights are off, and there isn't a guard or person anywhere to be seen. Alarick, Cohen, Samson, Bohdi, and I decided we'd be the only ones to come, being that we had to find a way onto the boat, threaten someone to bring us out here, and then take down god knows how many men.
That was a fuckin' challenge in itself, but we got onto it.
We came early evening when it was dark. We found the boat Samson pointed out, and we took it over. There were only two people on it at the time. We tied one and forced the other at gunpoint to bring us to the island. Somehow, even though one of us was watching the entire fuckin' time, they alerted Steven that we're coming.
"We're too fuckin' late," I bark, slamming my fist into the ship's side, then I turn on the man we've got tied and grab him by the shirt. "Did you fuckin' squeal? I'll blow your fuckin' brains out."
"I have been tied up the entire fucking time, you dick," he spits in my face.
Rage fills my body, and I slam him to the ground, pulling out my gun and aiming it at his face.
"Kendric, stop," Alarick orders. "Not yet."
My hand shakes as I look down at the man staring up at me with wide eyes. I shove my boot into his chest. "If nobody is here, you and your friend fuckin' die."
Then I turn to Alarick. "There ain't a soul here."
"He's too smart, I fuckin' warned you," Samson growls.
"Let's go check it out," Alarick mutters. "Move."
We get off the boat, Bohdi and Cohen dragging the two men with us. We go through a large house that is empty except for furniture. Some of the beds are unmade, which means they were here and got out quickly. My chest tightens with every step we take, and when we finish searching the house and go outside, I about fuckin' roar with relief. In a group of fuckin' cages, sits Zariah. She's in the middle one, right at the door, her fingers curled around the wire. When she sees me, she cries out, and I move.
Fuck, do I move.
I reach the cage and squat down, staring at her, feelin' somethin' explode into my chest.
Relief.
Pure relief.
"You came," she croaks, smiling weakly at me.
"Of course. Would never let you get hurt."
"Alarick!" I bark, and a moment later, Alarick comes running outside.
The moment he sees her, he mutters something to himself and moves quickly towards the cages. I stand, rattling the padlock. "It's locked. Zariah, step back."
Zariah stands and moves to the back of the cage. I pull out my gun, aim it at the lock, pray it doesn't bounce back, and shoot. The loud shot is piercing to my ears, but the lock busts open, and I quickly shove my gun into my jeans and pull the lock off. Zariah moves fast, and before I can say a word, she throws herself into my arms.
I wrap them around her, feeling how she trembles just a little when I hold her.
She's fuckin' brave.
Beautiful.
I let her down by treatin' her the way I did.
"I'm sorry, Zariah. Never meant what I said. You matter to me more than you know. You hear me?"
She looks up, nodding. "I hear you. Jayden?"
"He's safe, would never let anything happen to your boy."
She makes a pained sound, and whispers, "Thank you."
"You alone here, Zariah?" Alarick asks.
She steps away from me, but her fingers stay clutched around my hand. "Yes. He found out you were coming, and he left. He disappeared and..."
Her eyes go past Alarick, and she sees Samson walk out beside Cohen. The moment she sees him, she lets go of my hand and moves. The way she rushes towards him, I fear she's goin' to break his nose or something, but she doesn't. She throws her arms around him. Shocked, we look on. She hangs onto him like he's her best god damned friend, and she hasn't seen him in years.