Page 33 of Lock Up the Darkness

Aurora: Are you okay?

I waited, but still not response came in.

Dammit.

I pushed off the couch, taking my phone with me as I left the living room and bolted upstairs to the single bedroom inside the old tiny house.

I dropped my phone on the bed, then started stripping off my sweats as I headed for my closet in the far left corner.

Every moment that went by where Liza wasn’t responding back had adrenaline thrumming through me, pushing me into a hyper alert state.

I reached my closet and rummaged in the back for the only thing that would really be appropriate to wear to something like this ridiculous Blowout.

Wincing as I slid it off the hanger, I took in the little black dress with the built-in bra, then hurriedly slid it on. I snatched my fitted leather jacket out too and shrugged it on.

And then I went to my nightstand, opened the bottom drawer and lifted up the false bottom, revealing the titanium safe inside. I punched in the six-digit access code, waited for the chirp and sharp click, then opened it. I snatched the two-inch black metal square out. A very useful device that could do a hell of a lot. It really was a testament to the whole good-things-come-in-small-packages thing.

Might as well multitask.

My phone rang, jolting me, and I dashed to the bed and snatched it up to see Liza’s name on the call display.

I swiped it open. “Liza, what’s going on?”

Sniffles sounded down the line. “God, I’m sorry. Sorry to call you like this,” she choked out in choppy, overwhelmed breaths.

“What’s happened?”

“Please just come get me.”

“Did somebody hurt you?”

“I… I shouldn’t have come.”

“Liza, did somebody hurt you?” I pushed calmly, even though my fingers were tightening around my phone to the point of painful pressure.

“Just… please come.”

The line went dead.

Shaking my head to myself, I pocketed my phone and headed back downstairs and started putting on my boots by the entryway.

I twisted the heel of one of them to reveal the hollow compartment within, and I stowed my device inside. Securing the heel back into place, I blew out a frustrated breath.

I hated going into any situation unprepared.

And this was the fucking definition of that.

I didn’t know what was wrong, what had happened to her.

I didn’t know where exactly she was within the Infidel’s mansion. I knew from my research and the floor plans I’d obtained that it was a hell of a lot of ground to cover.

This was a really bad idea.

All my better instincts were warning me against it.

But I couldn’t leave her there when she was in distress, when she needed help.

Son of a bitch! This fucking hero complex was gonna be the death of me.

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