Page 66 of Fire in My Blood
And the kids. Where are the kids?
My whole body starts to go numb at the thought of what the asshole might have done to them.
“That might be an acceptable trade if you get here as soon as possible. My patience is about to run out.”
“Where are you?”
He chuckles, the sound so menacing the hairs at the back of my neck stand up. “Nice try. Where areyou?”
“In my apartment.”
His snarl through the phone makes me shrink in my chair. “Don’t fucking lie to me.”
“Please, I’m not lying to you. I just walked in the door. I’m sitting at my kitchen table.” My tone is pleading now, but if that’s what it takes to save my brother and his family, I’ll happily beg until my voice gives out.
“Where have you been?”
“Staying with friends after I got out of the hospital.”
He lets out a growl, but he seems to accept my words. “My brother will pick you up by the southeastern gate of the park in fifteen minutes. He’s driving a blue Mustang. Leave your phone behind.”
I’m relieved he doesn’t ask any more questions about where I’ve been. Because I can’t lie to him and risk David’s life.Hopefully, my brother hasn’t told him about Lucas, but knowing David, it would take a lot for him to give up any information.
“Please, give me a few more minutes. I can’t move as fast as you.” That’s the truth. And I need more time. If one of my protectors outside catches me, I know I’ll have a hard time convincing them to let me go.
“Fine. But if you’re not there in twenty-five minutes, I’ll need some amusement while I wait. I’m sure your brother screaming and pleading for his life would be quite entertaining.”
“Don’t hurt him. I’ll be there.”
“Good. The clock is ticking. Tick-tock.” He ends the call, and I sit frozen in the chair for several seconds unable to move.
Now I know why he wasn’t staking out my apartment or hiding inside. He went after my brother instead. All I can hope for now is that my brother is still okay, and that Mina and the kids are somewhere safe.
The thought of the kids snaps me out of my stunned state, and I get to my feet and grab a notepad and a pen from one of my kitchen drawers.
Forcing down all my emotions, I write a quick note to Lucas and leave it on the kitchen table. It’s unlikely I’ll ever see him again. I hope it doesn’t mean he’ll die like Markus said, but there’s nothing I can do about that now. Hopefully, Markus and Lucas will figure it out.
After getting a small backpack from my bedroom closet, I throw in some clothes and toiletries, and grab the small amount of cash I have in my wallet. I put on a long black coat with a hood and my black running shoes, before I leave my apartment door unlocked and walk silently down the stairs.
Now all I have to do is get past my three protectors without being spotted. The irony of that isn’t lost on me.
There’s only one possible way to get out of the building without them seeing me, and that’s to escape through the hidden passage in the garbage room.
I stumbled upon it by accident a few months ago, when my garbage bag rolled off the top of the overflowing dumpster and down behind it. The passageway became visible when I walked behind the dumpster to retrieve the bag. Two sections of the wall are built to overlap with a narrow gap between them. Whether it happened by accident or it’s for ventilation I have no idea, but it’s just wide enough for me to squeeze through.
As soon as I’m outside, I get down on my hands and knees and start crawling through the shrubs covering the fifteen feet to the neighboring property. It’s slow going, but I finally arrive at the wire fence separating the properties.
I let out a silent curse when I realize there’s no way to get through or over the fence. It’s five feet tall and rising above the shrubs, and I can’t climb it without sticking out like a sore thumb. My only option is to crawl along the fence to see if I can find a gap large enough for me to get through.
Cold sweat coats my body as fear and frustration push me to move faster through the narrow space between the shrubs and the fence. This is taking too long. I’m never going to be able to save my brother if I can’t get past this fence.
I’m just about ready to risk climbing over it when I spot what looks like a hole about three feet ahead. When I get closer, I see that someone has cut out a circular section of the fence, leaving a hole about two feet in diameter.
A relieved smile spreads across my face, and I do a mental fist pump. But a sound to my right stops me dead.
Turning my head, I try to see through the shrubs to the open grassy area beyond. There’s someone there. I can’t see who it is, but based on the height of the person it might well be Lucas.
My heart clenches painfully in my chest, knowing he’s so close and yet so far away. I stay completely still not to alert him to my presence, but there’s no stopping my tears. They flow freely down my cheeks and blur my vision. All I want to do is run to him and tell him everything, but I can’t do that to my brother.