Page 3 of Judas (The Lito Duet #2)

Chapter one

Babalon

Today

“ I can’t, I can’t, I can’t.” The words flooding past my lip perforated with desperate gasps.

You can, now get the fuck up Nadia and get the hell out of here.

“No, he… he has her!” Pleading against the words in my head.

I know, now get off the damn floor and go get her!

Sheer pain radiates through my chest. My hand steadily squeezes the letter as I find myself crumpled on the floor of Sadie’s bedroom.

The soft scents of her body spray fading the longer I remain here—begging on my hands and knees.

Breaths pump desperately in and out of my lungs, struggling through a panic that seems like it’s about to swallow me whole.

Each gulp feels like pure fire blooming behind my ribs.

But he’s right, the voice is, I can’t just sit here.

Caving in, surrendering, it’s not allowed.

Not when I need to get to our daughter. It doesn’t matter what I tell myself, I know I must get up.

I need to find the strength to get the fuck out of here and find her.

Sitting back on my calves, I glance over the letter Lucien sent her.

Scouring the paper for any sort of clue as to where he might have taken her.

Or why, when deep down I know why. Because of me, because of who she is and what she means.

All this time, and the fucker still won’t let go of me.

And now he’s targeted Sadie—and that terrifies me.

They could be anywhere by now, half way across the country, in another one.

Fuck, she could be dead for all I know which fills me with a level of dread I refuse to come to terms with.

Just when I thought I’d be able to have a life with her, give her the mother I never had, the psycho snatched her out from under me.

Leaving destruction in his wake like only he would.

The lingering trauma from his mere existence has more panic bubbling in my stomach—I thought I was safe, we were safe, from the likes of Luicen.

He should be locked away, living under the jail at this point, but no.

Instead of leaving us alone, he contacted Sadie and kidnapped her.

The past seventeen years, apart from being locked up, has been relatively quiet and low on the drama front.

I had a few run-ins with other female inmates here and there but for the most part they left me alone.

I even made a couple of friends who got me through some of the most painful memories and nightmares of my assault, too.

There were times that they stood up for me when I had no idea someone was plotting to come for my ass in the middle of the night.

Which, those times only reminded me of Kace and how he was gunned for as well—sending me into another d epressive spiral.

It was rough, surviving prison, but I made it. For her.

I would always talk to my lawyer about my psudo—family, explaining how I felt more of a belonging with them than my own flesh and blood.

But when he made attempts to get a hold of their inmate-files, and find out about their cases and why they were incarcerated, he was shut down—blocked from accessing any information.

After the third or fourth time, we gave up.

Chalking it up to staff who just wanted to ensure the privacy of the inmates inside Bluitt.

Other than curiosity, and outside of what they told me, there wasn’t any real reason that my lawyer and I needed to know.

Perhaps it was so he could assist them in their own trials, or parole hearings— who knows.

Frankly, they should have beat the ever loving shit out of me.

I’m their mortal enemy– well, I’m not a cop but I’m close enough to it that my place ought to have been on a very-very short hit list. I thank the universe, daily, that they showed me some mercy.

I witnessed a few female police and correctional officers come into the penitentiary a time or two.

And, like usual, they were put in protective custody.

The more violent inmates never got to me though, thanks to whoever is looking out for me out there and my family.

Flipping the letter over, I pull out the cellphone given to me at release, and take a quick picture of it.

Doing the same for the back and the envelope.

If there is one thing that prison brought to me, it was my own connections.

Fury, one of the women in my circle, has the most uncanny way of finding things out even when the penitentiary is locked down.

No communications in or out, but that didn’t stop her.

I swear she is a mole or something. She always showed up and had information with her.

Scrolling through the contacts list I pull up the one that is labeled as ‘Ra,’ guess it’s some Egyptian sun god shit but I don’t care enough to think about it more than that.

Fury let me know that I could depend on him for any sort of information.

All I had to do was reach out. Knowing damn well I struggle to ask for help under normal circumstances, and this is far from fucking ordinary.

Right now I don’t really have much of a choice.

Considering my history with Lucien, this could mean life or death for my child and I already lost her father. I can’t lose her too.

Sending a quick text, I thrust my cell into my pocket then push myself off the floor.

Quickly gathering a few of Sadie’s things to take with me—something small and portable for the trek I’m about to face.

If… if there is the possibility that I never get to see her again, I want to have something of hers to keep with me.

It may not have ever held significance, nor does it hold any sort of value to her, but everything matters in my eyes.

Stepping out of her room, then heading back down the hallway, I look over her deceased mother.

Her body is bloated, yet not quite as much as the fathers, which gives me some sort of time line for Ra.

Other than having a breakdown in Sadie’s room, I’m not about to reach out and leave my DNA on her mother by patting her down or looking for anything of use.

Not with the cops on the way—that would be stupid and I have done some down right stupid shit.

Carefully, I step over her body again and keep walking.

A piece of me feels terrible for not staying back to make sure they both received proper discovery but at the same time, I have resentment too.

I’m not saying they deserve what Lucien did to them, but what they did to me? A little punishment was warranted.

Trying to combat the stench of death that keeps trying to dig its way into my nose, I hold my breath and only gasp when I need to.

In through the mouth, out through the nose.

I’m sure the aroma will end up sticking to my clothes which means I’m going to have to find replacements.

There is no way in hell I’m going to walk around anywhere for an extended period of time, reeking of decay, in hopes I find a laundry mat where I can wash them.

By the time that happens, the pungent odor will have soaked into my damn skin.

Just as I step into the living room, I hear emergency sirens wailing in the distance. Likely heading here since I called in the dead bodies not too long ago—I need to get lost, ASAP.

Right as I go to open the door, the cellphone rings in my pocket, startling me.

Causing me to jump as if someone just sprang out of a crawl space and screamed at me.

Huffing, I drag the device out and see ‘Ra’ on the screen.

I no sooner punch the green answer button , when a deep voice barks through it. All gravel and assertiveness.

“Don’t exit through the front or the back. The owners of that house have cameras set up there and I’ve already had to scrub you off the front one. You’ll want to find a window.”

Responding takes up precious time, which multitasking isn’t my strong suit under dire circumstances.

Therefore, I immediately turn and head back down the hallway to the bathroom across from Sadie’s room.

I noticed it earlier when I came in but didn’t think much of it.

At least some of my observational skills still exist—have that going for me, I suppose.

Stepping inside, the echo of my steps and ragged breathing surrounds me. Adding to the unfolding chaos I’ve been experiencing since I climbed out of the damn Uber.

Quickly, I lock the door as if it’s going to save me from hundreds of pounds of eager-to-subdue police officers.

With a quick spin, I turn to look at the window which sits high on the shower's back wall. It’s barely big enough for me to squeeze out of but thankfully it’s too small for the dogs to get to me easily.

I just hope I don’t slice myself open in my attempt to squirm through it and escape.

“How did you know I was at this location?” I ask, not stopping for a single second.

Knowing better than to linger in a place that has fucking cameras—something I should have looked for, or even anticipated before walking up to the damn door.

No time to dwell on that fact, I can kick myself in the ass over it later.

“GPS location ping on that phone you’re using. Now, you have about thirty-five seconds to get your ass out of there before the pigs get a hold of you. Any longer and your window of opportunity is gone.”

Don’t have to tell me twice.

Sliding the phone into my right rear pocket, I shove the few things I snagged from Sadie’s room into the front ones and come to stand before the toilet.

Wrenching up the ceramic tank lid, I carry it with me when I step into the shower.

Skimming my surroundings, I double fist one side of the long stone-like lid, swing, and smash it into the glass window.