Page 46 of Depraved

He was watching me when I got here. If he’s too scared of them, that means he knows or at least suspects who they are. Fuck. But maybe I can use it to my advantage.

I push off the wall and start back to my bed, running my hands through my hair.

“Yep. Good luck getting through them. You’ll need an army. Might as well give up now.”

“You forget wehavean army.”

I laugh at his empty threat and grab the handle of my bag. “Not unless you want to die too.”

Christopher’s voice is quiet, threatening, with a promise he plans to keep. “Times have changed, sister. And now that you have dangerous friends, we’ll need a bigger gun. This isn’t over. We’ll see you around.”

The line dies, and I feel like I do, too. He has the O’Bannions on his side. He must have made a deal with them in exchange for me. Before I can think or process what he’s just said, I grab my bag and rush out the door.

All heads shoot to my face, concern etched on theirs, not that I wait to dissect—my entire body is set to survival mode. I need to get out of here. I wish I could burn this whole building down. Just the fact that he knows where I am, where I sleep—it’s all tainted by their disgusting intentions.

I hate them.

“Sarah. What’s going on?” Matteo calls out as I reach for the keys but throw them to the ground.

I won’t ever need them again because I won’t be back.

“We need to get out of here. Now,” I yell behind me as I throw open my front door and practically run.

I hear footsteps behind me. They’re all yelling for me to stop, but I don’t. I just need to get out. I make it down a flight of stairs before strong arms wrap around me and pull me in.

“Sarah. Stop,” Dom whispers into my ear, and I shake my head.

I struggle against his arms, needing to keep moving. “We have to go. Let go, Dom.”

I feel it. The panic. The fear. It’s all there. Hiding away, waiting to rear its ugly head.

“Whoa. Settle down. You’re okay,” Dom breathes into my hair, holding me as my body quiets.

The lump in my throat feels like a boulder. And that feels like the worst part. I’m holding on by a thread, and if I let go, I need to know I can pull myself back in.

But if I can’t, Dante will.

“Call him. I need him. Call him please,” I plead in a hushed voice, turning into Dom’s chest and letting him hug me.

“Okay. It’s okay, Sarah. I got you.”

IROLL MY HEAD, TRYINGto relax my shoulder muscles. We’ve been in the car too long for my liking. But I know it’s necessary. The spot is a haul from the city but worth it when privacy is needed.

Helps to be in the middle of nowhere when people scream.

The gravel kicks up against the car as we pull into the old parking lot. There are three industrial warehouses on this plot. Two I lease out, and one stays empty for whatever we need it for. It’s a perfect cover.

I look out the window, but I can’t see anything past the tint on the glass until we pull past a dimly lit area that highlights the door. The car pulls into an overhang for the cars and stops.

My door is opened, letting in the cold night air, and I pull my black cashmere trench closed as I exit. The moment my loafers hit the ground, I see Antonio waiting at the door for me. He looks worn-out, tired in the same way someone looks when they’ve been hitting a punching bag for hours.

Too bad for the guy inside it’s him being hit and not an actual bag.

I walk toward the metal door and nod to Antonio as I slip inside.

The space is vast, empty, and dark, but the faintest smell of sawdust from some building materials stored inside fills my nose as we walk. My feet stomp against the cement floor, and it seems to echo off the steel walls.

However, not all the walls are steel. One is made with cement blocks.