Total pages in book: 76
Estimated words: 73880 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 369(@200wpm)___ 296(@250wpm)___ 246(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 73880 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 369(@200wpm)___ 296(@250wpm)___ 246(@300wpm)
I swipe the tears on my cheek and finger the locket while Adriano and Sergio talk on the phone. I am vaguely aware of them sending a helicopter with night vision out to find Timeo. Of course they are.
With a shuddering sigh, I open the locket.
Inside is the picture as I remember it. I stifle a sob. Even now, just looking at him makes my heart do a somersault in my chest.
I don't want this anymore. I want to get rid of it.
My head feels so fuzzy. I wish I could snap out of it.
I look at the picture nestled inside my necklace. It blurs in my vision. I pull it from the locket, start to rip it, but drop it because of my trembling hands.
It falls into my lap.
Something catches my eye. I turn it over in the palm of my hand, and gasp.
"Starla, I put Sergio speakerphone, he wants you to tell him everything."
"Wait a minute."
"Starla.”
“Adriano, pull over. Give me your phone.”
“What the fuck?”
"Give me your phone!"
Sergio blows out a breath over the car’s speakers. “Pull the car over.”
Adriano reluctantly pulls over with a growl and parks the car, motioning for me to talk to Sergio through the Bluetooth.
"Starla, we need to know—"
I talk to him in a rush of words.
“Sergio, right before they took him on board, Timeo grabbed at his neck. I had no idea what he was doing.” I swallow and shake my head. “I didn't know what he meant. But then I remembered this.” I touch the locket he gave me. With shaking hands, I turn over the picture. “Timeo gave me a locket a while ago. There's a QR code on the back of the picture that was in it."
Adriano looks curious. "Go ahead, scan it."
He hands me his phone and I scan it, then touch the link it brings up.
There’s a video of Timeo with a triangle to hit play.
"I need to listen to this alone,” I say, my voice choked. "Find Timeo.”
I step out of the car, leaving it to Adriano to explain to Sergio what’s happening. The bitter cold snaps at me like a rabid animal. I shiver and pull my coat around me, huddling for warmth. But I can’t watch this in front of Adriano. I have no idea what Timeo left for me.
With a trembling, freezing finger, I touch the link. I can tell Timeo must have filmed it a little more than six months ago, before he was taken — he’s clean-shaven and his cheeks are fuller.
He smiles and my heart does a somersault.
Dammit, Timeo.
“Starla, if you're getting this video, then I'm probably either dead, or close to it.”
My stomach drops to my toes. Adriano is watching from the car but leaves me to watch alone.
As Timeo continues, my heart races. He’s sitting in a dark room, all alone, hands folded in his lap. I swallow the lump in my throat.
“You'll see a second code pop up in just a few seconds. But first I wanted to tell you. If I'm dead… Starla, I love you. I love you more than I ever thought any human could love another person. I would never hurt you. No matter what happens in the next couple months or even years, I want you to know that." He clears his throat. The second link pops up, but I don't touch it yet because I can tell from the video link he still has more to say.
"The day that I found you. The day that we rescued you and brought you back to Boston. It was obvious you’d been abused.” His eyes on the camera darken. Even though he’s staring at me from a place in the past, it feels as though he’s staring straight at me now. “Sergio and Mario said that monsters had hurt you. And I made a promise then that I would hunt those monsters."
He leans forward in the video, forearms on his knees. "That's exactly what I’ve done for the past few years. We killed some of your oppressors when we got to the compound, but some of those monsters were hidden. Some of those monsters had different identities. And when I promised my brothers I would go undercover to repay a favor to the cartel…I knew it was my chance.” He swallows. “Click the second link.”
I do.
“The link after this one is a dynamic link which I keep updated as I gain information. It's on a highly secure location that no one but you and I can access. That information is everything I've compiled on my monster hunt. I want you to click it when this video is over. I want you to know that everything I've done is because I love you. This isn't just revenge, Starla. Revenge is bitter, and sometimes necessary, but it doesn't keep anybody safe.” Taking a deep breath, he pauses before he continues, giving weight to his words. “This is about making sure that no one ever hurts you again. I love you."