Somehow, I end up at the front of the convoy, leading us towards the light spilling into the alleyway. Tall cinder block walls guide us to the pier where a built-in loading dock stretches before us, directly attached to the open sea.
But we aren’t alone.
A welcoming committee awaits.
My feet skate to an abrupt halt, almost causing Blaine to slam into me before he pivots. Directly ahead, a semi-circle of armed assailants train multiple guns on our group. One by one, each masked figure slams the lid down on Luis’s intricate trap.
No… wait. It can’t be.
That isn’t Luis.
CHAPTER 8
EMBER
GODDESS – XANA
Past and presentcollide somewhere in the battleground that separates our two groups, carving deep fissures in my mind that unravel my sanity. It’s familiar territory after spending six years existing in those crevasses to survive the trauma of captivity.
Each iteration of those horrific years lives in the face grinning at me. The torturous training sessions where survival was hammered into my broken skeleton. Fight after fight, proving my worth to the masters who held me hostage. Shedding blood to guarantee my next breath.
Carlos Morello.
Unspeakable, twisted memories form an onslaught, pouring from his painfully cold stare. At his amused chortling, my state of shock shatters, allowing rage to infest the skin stretched tight over my bones.
“You,” I spit out.
“Took you long enough, 768.”
Flashing pincer-like teeth, emphasised by his wrinkled olive skin and piercing eyes that gleam with victory, Carlos looks perfectly at home in the breezy dockyard. He’s unchanged.Stocky. Corded with muscle. Shoulders slightly hunched. Fists curled.
“Mierda,it’s been a long time.” Carlos smiles slyly. “Thanks for joining us.”
“Where’s Luis?”
“Indisposed. You’ll be dealing with me now.”
“Meaning what?”
“Meaning he has outlived his usefulness. Even Señor Gael’s patience is limited.”
The others hover around me, creating a circle of protection. All my focus remains on Carlos. My ex-trainer. Gael’s right-hand brute. The monster who helped to break me. And he’s standing literal metres from us.
“Weapons down,” Carlos commands.
“Like hell!” Hyland yells back.
“You’re outnumbered.”
Multiple red target dots appear on the three men surrounding me. It doesn’t take long for terror to take flight inside me.
“Do as he says,” I plead urgently.
“Ember.” Hyland starts to move, freezing when the dot follows. “Shit!”
“He won’t hesitate to shoot every one of you and drag me away from your dead bodies, kicking and screaming. Trust me. Just drop the guns.”
“I’d listen to her, boys.” Carlos chuckles.
