Chapter 32

My heart pounds as I climb the narrow steps leading to Donnie’s front door. The sun has dipped below the horizon, casting long, ominous shadows across the street. The evening air feels thick, making it hard to breathe. I glance at Luke beside me. His jaw is set, his eyes focused straight ahead, but I can feel the tension radiating off him. We talked about this, and Luke convinced me that confronting Donnie here, on his turf, is the best way to get answers. But every fiber of my being screams at me to turn around and run.

The memory of Donnie trying to take me is still fresh—his rough hands grabbing at me, the sound of my pulse thundering in my ears as I fought to escape. And now, here I am, about to walk into his home, and I can’t shake the feeling that something terrible is waiting for us inside.

Luke knocks on the door, the sound sharp and intrusive in the stillness. We stand in tense silence, every second dragging on, until finally, the door creaks open. Donnie’s face appears in th