My ears are ringing.I'm so disoriented that for a second, I don't know where I am. I look around and I'm stunned. My vision is blurred, I can't see much. I'm dizzy. How'd I get here? What's the meaning of this? It feels like I've woken up from a coma and I'm unsure about where I am. I try to move and everything in my body hurts. My wrist, especially. I cry out in pain.I look up and my duffel bag is hovering above me. How is this possible? It's literally above me. I could try to touch it if I wanted to, but I won't risk feeling pain again.I look around again.There are cars all around us, and suddenly, I remember. Devon wanting to leave in a hurry. The black car following us. The van heading straight towards us. It hit us. I look up again, then realize that I'm not looking up at all. I'm hanging upside down. The duffel is beneath me, not above.I look to my left and I see Devon, also hanging upside down. There's blood dripping down his face, his nose especially. He's unconscious. I
Felix is in and out of the place.Mostly, it's just the two of us. A man was here earlier, I assumed that he worked for Felix. He looked my way briefly before resuming his conversation with him. I couldn't hear what they were talking about, but I wished I could. I have to know what's happening; have they communicated with Damien? If so, what happens next?It's getting dark and we're still here. He's always on the phone, and he's clearly anxious. He kicked a crate an hour ago, so maybe things aren't going according to plan? That pleases me. I hope Damien ignores him. I hope he doesn't walk into this trap they're laying out for him.I don't want him to die because of me.I had good intentions, even though I was a little careless about the execution of my plan. For starters, I could've taken a cab, but I thought walking would be safer. Besides, how could I take a cab when I didn't know where I was going? It's too late to think about these things, but this will haunt me forever if things
But of course he didn't die.Devon Tyler is a tough son of a bitch. He broke his arm and his nose and lost three molars, is on the verge of losing his left eye, but he's alive. He's in a stable condition, too.He's been in and out of consciousness for hours. He's already been told what happened, not that he needed an extensive explanation. He felt it in his bones when that van hit them. His last thought was 'fuck' as the car rolled over. He doesn't remember a single thing after that. What he wants to know is how Amelia is. He's been asking about her, but no one seems to hear him. He doesn't even know if he's talking or if it's all in his head. Why won't anyone answer him?He doesn't want to hear bad news. She can't be dead. He took most of it. They both had seat belts on. If she's hurt, it can't be anything life-threatening. He tells himself this over and over again, but without news, he's slowly driving himself insane. He wished vehemently that he didn't care, but there's no point in
“Where is she?" That's all he wants to know. He got the message earlier. News travels fast in LA, especially when it pays.He was called anonymously. Someone claiming they knew where Amelia was. Now, of course that grabbed his attention. This man knew she was missing, so he was a reliable source. Damien wired him what he asked for and then he was told everything before Felix made the call. He knew she'd been taken, but he didn't know where she was. He only knew that she'd been in an accident and that she was with Devon Tyler.He wanted to know where she was, and Devon would answer his questions before Damien put a bullet between his eyes. Where was he planning on taking her? Is he working for Felix? Someone else?Finding him was easy. He had men go to every hospital to find out. It didn't take half an hour. Damien has connections everywhere, which is why he's standing here with a gun pointed right at him. No one's going to disturb him. He could shoot him and walk away, and no harm wou
This is torture, the absolute worst kind.If he wanted to kill me, he should've just done it already. I feel worse by the hour; everything hurts. There's not an inch of my body that isn't in pain. I don't have any ibuprofen or aspirin to feel better, to alleviate my symptoms. I'm enduring this pain, and there's no guarantee that this will come to an end soon. This particular moment feels infinite.I can tell Felix is bored, because he starts talking to me. And as much as I'd love to ignore him, I just can't. I have to force myself to listen to everything he says. I'm looking for clues. I want to know what the plan is. I have to know. "You don't look so good, Amelia. Do you want me to call a doctor?" He's being sarcastic, son of a bitch."No, but thanks for offering."He shakes his head. "It's that George pride my father always talked about. He said it's the only reason why their relationship didn't work. Your mother was too proud. And then, Aaron came along, and he was just like her.
"Not a chance. No way. You're not going to do something that stupid. Do you realize how dangerous that is!?" "Theo," Damien says, trying to reason with her. "I don't have a choice. We're running out of time and I need to act quickly. Keep in mind that she was in a fucking car crash earlier today. Could you do that for me?" "There has to be a better way," she argues. "How do you know Felix won't kill both of you? Who says he's a man of his word? Because that's the only guarantee we have. His word." "He's an animal," Ethan adds. "There's no humanity there. You've heard of him, we all have. He's probably fuming because you killed his brother. And his father, let's not forget that." Damien is aware of all this. He rarely acts rashly. But time is of the essence, and if he keeps delaying this, he'll lose her forever. He's come too far for that to happen. He'd rather risk dying than risk losing her. Gary clears his throat and says, "The men have received the payment. Tracking them d
I turn to Felix, or Richie, whatever his fucking name is. How can this be? I saw him dead. He was lying on the floor of the apartment with a gunshot wound on his forehead. I didn't look for too long, but I know what I saw.He's using a cane. The first thing I notice about him is his limp, then his shaved head. There's a white bandage around it. The left side of his face is drooping, and there's a scar on his forehead where the bullet hit. It's ghastly. No, why am I focusing on these things? He's alive, that's what I should be worrying about. He isn't dead. How can this be? I saw him die. I saw him."No," I shake my head vigorously. "This is some sick joke. No, you're dead. You're fucking dead!""You put far too much faith on that man," Felix says, completely ignoring my outburst. "He can't even shoot straight. Miraculous, isn't it? Do you know how many people survive a gunshot to the head? Five percent. Five fucking percent. And our father, he's one of the lucky ones."Lucky ones. I g
I thought this moment would never come. I heard everything that was said, but I had hopes that something would change. It's unlikely that Felix would change his mind that, by some miracle, he'd let me go. But anything could've gone wrong. However, that hasn't happened. All my hopes and dreams have shattered. "Make sure he's alone," Felix says to two men. "Pat him down to see if he's got any weapons. Then, bring him to me." They walk out of the room and the door shuts forcefully behind them. I can't breathe. I'm lightheaded. I think I'll faint again. But I can't do that. I have to see. I have to be strong now, even if it's only for a little while. Felix is rubbing his palms together. I can tell by the expression in his face that he's surprised. He sounded confident, but I don't think he was, which explains why he was tearing the place down like some kind of unruly child. The seconds just tick by. My hands are shaking. Why are they taking so long? Is something happening? Felix does