Total pages in book: 29
Estimated words: 26918 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 135(@200wpm)___ 108(@250wpm)___ 90(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 26918 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 135(@200wpm)___ 108(@250wpm)___ 90(@300wpm)
“Fucking let me go, man! There are witnesses to all this, you do anything to me and—”
“Shut your fucking mouth and get in the car. You tell us the way or I’m going to tear each of your fingers off one by one and feed them to you.”
“I don’t know where they are! How am I supposed to know that? Why don’t you just wait for them to tell you where to go? Ow!” Brandon’s head slams against the side of the car.
“Oops,” Max says as he pulls open the door and shoves him inside. A moment later, he’s climbing in the front, starting the engine. “Directions. Now.”
“I don’t fucking—”
“They have Cyn!” I scream, turning in my seat as Max clips my seat belt. “Brandon, if you have any sort of backbone, now is the time to show it. Tell us where to go!”
Something in my tone must hit home, because he pulls away, slumping back in his seat, and nods. “OK, fuck it. Fucking…” He gulps a breath, shaking his head, then his eyes light up. “There’s a warehouse, I bet that’s where they have her. Down on the docks. I’ve picked up from there before. Quiet, out of the way, nobody would hear her shouting.”
“Thank you,” I tell him, breathing a sigh, then settle into my seat as Max starts the car.
On the way, Max stops at the bank and picks up a massive bag I can only assume is filled with money. He tells Brandon that he’s going to be paying it back, but I have no idea how anyone could ever make that kind of money, especially if what they said is true about his gambling.
“Why don’t you just wait for the fucking exchange?” Brandon asks as we head onto the docks, gunning it for the warehouse he told us to make for.
Max sighs. “Hostage exchange is the most dangerous part of the process, for both sides. They’re going to be jumpy. I can’t take that chance. We turn up here, and I offer them more money than the drugs you stole could possibly be worth, and hopefully they’ll take the deal just to get rid of us.
“I didn’t steal anything.”
“Yes you did. I could see it in your face yesterday, and so could Steve. You stole from them and let Cyn take the blame for you. I’m paying them back.”
Brandon is silent as we drive, pulling around the side of the warehouse. Then he grunts. “I needed a bit extra, OK? Kind of a debt to this guy I know… I didn’t think anyone would notice. Crackheads, man, they don’t care if it’s pure, they just need a fix.”
“Where is it now? The half you stole, where is it?”
Brandon shrugs. “Crawl space under my house. It’s all still there. I don’t do drugs and like I said, I needed it.”
Max nods, pulling the car to a stop, then gets out. I reach for my door, but he grabs my arm.
“You stay here, Keryn. Me and Brandon are going in alone, and we’ll be back with Cyn, I promise.”
“What the fuck? I’m not going in there.” Brandon laughs from the back seat, and I grind my teeth.
“I’ll come in with you,” I tell Max, but he shakes his head.
Grabbing my hand, he brings it to his lips and kisses my fingers. “Baby, I don’t want you in there. I don’t want to take the risk. I promise I’ll bring Cyn back.” He turns to Brandon. “Out of the fucking car. You’re coming. I don’t trust you out here on your own.”
“They’ll know I told you how to get here. They’ll fucking kill me, man.”
“No they won’t because I won’t let them. And they’re going to know who told me either way. Now get out.”
Every minute feels like a lifetime without Max, without Cyn.
I stare at the doorway, gripping the edges of the seat as I try to keep my heart rate under control. What if they don’t just want the money? What if they want to punish Max for standing up to them? What if they’ve already hurt Cyn? They said they wouldn’t but who knows what they’re capable of?
I can’t do this. I can’t just wait.
But what choice do I have? Go in there on my own, and maybe scare them into doing something stupid?
God, this is a nightmare. It’s the worst day of my life—
“Cyn!” I’m out of the car before I even know what I’m doing, rushing over to her as she and Max exit the warehouse.
It’s clear she’s been crying, eyeshadow dripping down her cheeks, her clothes filthy. But she doesn’t look physically hurt. And when she sees me she picks up the pace, rushing to throw her arms around me. We hug as she sobs, and Max ushers us both back towards the car.