Bodies.
At least a dozen littered across the parking lot. Some of them are still conscious with paramedics doing everything they can to help as their mouths scream in agony and their faces twist in pain, but most of them are lifeless. Nothing more than piles of raw skin and charred bones. A raging fire burns bright behind them, swallowing the old decrepit building with a startling quickness.
Cyrus immediately seeks the fire marshal and pulls him aside, discreetly sliding him a few bills for his time. Tristan does the same with a few of the police officers on scene, doing what he can to get as much information as possible. I’m frozen in place as I look out at the scene before me. I’ve never seen this much damage. This much brutal carnage.How the fuck did this happen?
Numbly, I duck under the caution tape and begin scanning the bodies for signs of my sister. I’m doing my best to keep my emotions under lock, but it’s hard not to be affected with so much devastation surrounding you. Everything in my gut is telling me she’s not one of them, but I have to be sure and with no one around to stop me, this may be my only chance to see for myself.
The scent of charred flesh and burnt hair fills my lungs as I stop by each body. I gently slide the white sheets down and assess their features before carefully pulling them back up. Their faces are charred, some of them burnt beyond recognition, but none of them are even close to looking like Alex. Once I finish with examining the last body, I release a shaky breath and signal the twins. She isn’t in the parking lot, but that doesn’t mean we’re in the clear.
I spot room 132 and my feet start moving towards the door of their own volition. At first, my steps are clumsy and unsure, but once I get my bearings, they turn into powerful and determined strides. A firefighter who takes notice of my path, tries to intervene, but my body easily slips out of his hold. I have to know she got out and I need to see it with my own eyes.
Ignoring the protests of the firefighters and medics on the scene, I dash for the doorway and throw myself straight into the burnt room. The fire already tore through this side of the building and I don’t give a fuck if it isn’t structurally safe. If Alex is in there somewhere, I’m not leaving her behind.
As soon as I get a good look around the room, I freeze. Everything is burned beyond recognition, but that isn’t what rattles me. There, on her bathroom mirror in giant crimson letters, is a message. One that feels personal.
IT'S NEVER A CRIME TO STEAL FROM A THIEF.
In an instant, all the air in my lungs leaves my body. My world feels like it’s spinning and my breathing becomes ragged. I try to find my balance, but my shaky knees give out from underneath me and I crumple into the singed carpet.
This was no freak accident.
This was a targeted attack.
And there’s only one person I know that has the power to pull off something of this magnitude. The only person left who has something to gain by hurting me.
Melanie fucking Diaz.
Twelve
The three ofus storm into Hell’s Tavern with one thing on our minds... finding Atlas and Ezra. As soon as we step through the front entrance, we see the club is raging, with a large crowd of sweaty bodies grinding on the dance floor. Diplo is pumping through the speakers, and the hypnotic red lights only add to the seductive ambiance oozing from wall to wall. There’s only thirty minutes left until closing, but by the way the crowd is behaving, you wouldn’t know it. The bar is just as packed as the dance floor, and the bartenders are doing what they can to push out as many drinks as possible.
Hell’s Tavern is loud, chaotic, and honestly it’s the last place I want to be right now. But after trying to get a hold of Atlas and Ezra for the last thirty minutes with no luck, coming here was our only actual option.
The lighting in Hell’s Tavern is so abysmal, I can barely make out the twins as they guide me through the dance floor. I try to search the crowd for Atlas and Ezra, but the flashing strobe lights make it nearly impossible to decipher anyone’s features.
“We’re never going to find them like this.” I shout, my voice barely carrying above the thundering bass.
Tristan lets out a high-pitched whistle, and the DJ’s head instantly snaps up. Tris gestures for him to cut the track, and within seconds, the music comes to an abrupt halt. The drunken crowd immediately goes into an uproar, but before it can escalate any further, Cy steps up on the stage and gathers everyone’s attention.
“Listen up!” He booms over the sizable crowd. “We’re closing early tonight. Everybody out. Now!”
As soon as the crowd recognizes who’s making the call, they waste no time at all. They charge out of the building in such a rush, you’d think Cy just lit the place on fire. Even the drunk assholes sober up enough to join the evacuating crowd, deciding to wait outside for their Ubers.
As the last few stragglers trickle out of the front entrance, a slow clap starts from somewhere in the darkness. The twins quickly form a barricade around me and the three of us circle around the center of the room, searching for the source.
The search doesn’t take long. Before we make a move, a large silhouette emerges from one of the dark corners of the bar and steps forward into the light.
“Nice performance.” Dimitri says, cocking his head with amusement. “If I may ask, what’s the special occasion?”
None of your fucking business.
“Just looking f… for our brothers.” Tristan says, keeping his face neutral. “You haven’t s… seen them, have you?”
Dimitri shrugs his shoulders as he swirls the drink in his hand. Little beads of precipitation flick off and fall to the ground as the rich, coral liquid sloshes around the glass.
“Your guess is as good as mine.” He responds, slinging back the rest of his hellhound in one gulp. He places his glass back on the bar and then slowly levels his eyes on me. “Kroshka,” he says, licking the remnants of grapefruit juice from his lips, “care for a drink?”
“I’m good.” I hiss, stepping closer to the twins. I haven’t forgiven them, not by a long shot, but I need to set aside my feelings for Alex’s sake. Every minute she’s gone is critical and we’re wasting time entertaining Dimitri’s stupid questions.
