Page 170 of Devious Knight

My aunt and uncle are like that but to me their different because they’re my guardians.

My friends are my confidants.

My phone buzzes with a message. Thinking it’s one of the guys I grab it, but I see it’s from an unknown number.

Straightaway my nerves spike and I wonder who the message could have come from. I don’t usually have unknown messages or calls to this number.

Today is the day when the most money will leave Nikoli’s account, then within the next two days there will be nothing left.

Does he know it’s me?

The message has a picture attachment inside it.

Taking a deep breath I open the message and the first thing I see is a picture of Isabelle.

Isabelle in the coffeeshop.

My blood drains out of my body when I read the words beneath the picture are in block capitols which say:

I KNOW WHAT YOU DID, MOTHERFUCKER. SEND THE MONEY BACK RIGHT THE FUCK NOW OR YOUR GIRL IS DEAD! I WONDER IF YOU CAN REACH HER BEFORE I DO.

Fucking fuck. My God. Nikoli knows it’s me but he’s not coming for me. He’s going for her.

Shit. Where is she?

My heart lodges in my throat as I look over the picture and try to figure out where she is.

The coffeehouse isn’t on campus. Nikoli wouldn’t be able to get on campus. I also don’t recognize it as being one of the campus coffeehouses. At least not from the angle the picture is taken from.

I scan the picture and see a napkin on the table with an insignia of a fox.

Foxie’s. That’s where she is. It’s a coffeehouse by the river. Isabelle has been there with Mackenzie a few times.

I gun my engine and drive. It crosses my mind that if Nikoli has sent me a picture of Isabelle I’m already too late, but maybe the picture is from the surveillance.

I hope I’m right. And I hope against hope that I get to her in time.

I can’t let anything happen to her.

Chapter 39

Isabelle

I needed to get off campus to blow off some steam.

I also needed to be by myself. I’m sick of the constant questions of what’s wrong with me and not being able to answer them. My friends mean well. I know they do, but there are some things you can tell them.

Foxie’s Café was my best option because it’s one of the few cafes that close at midnight. It’s also so far away. As it’s quite late I have very little chance of running into anyone.

So here I am sitting here with a large cup of cold mochaccino and a slice of chocolate cake I don’t have the desire to eat.

I ended up here after I offended Annika. I love all my friends but she’s the last person I wanted to hurt.

She came to see me because, like everyone else, she knew things haven’t been right with me.

I refused to talk to her even though she reminded me that I was a good friend to her when she had no one. Despite the reminder I couldn’t indulge her.

I felt so bad because she was the only friend I’d ever had where we connected on a deeper level. I’m not like that with Mackenzie and that’s okay. Mackenzie has her secrets but she presents this strong face to the world as a form of defense.