Page 31 of Savage Angels

“Kat…” Stella finally says. “I know… I know how much your kids mean to you. And I don’t want them to suffer. But…”

She hesitates, then sighs heavily. “I can’t risk going to jail, Kat. You know too much. You know about Will Van Ryken and everything else.”

“Stella, please…” I plead, straining against the handcuffs that bound me to the cold, unforgiving pipe. “I won’t say anything. I swear. Just let me go back to my family.”

Stella shakes her head, the gesture filling me with dread. “I’m sorry, Kat. I just can’t take that chance.” Her voice is thick with regret, but her resolve remains unshaken.

“Dammit, Stella!” I shout, frustration and desperation boiling over. “You used to be one of us! We were family! How could you do this to me? To all of us?”

“Things change, Kat.” She turns away from me. “Sometimes we have no choice but to do what’s necessary.”

“Even if it destroys everything? Even if it hurts the people we care about?” Tears burn the corners of my eyes.

“Especially then,” she whispers.

“Listen, Stella, I promise you, I won’t say a word about any of this. Hell, I’ll even go with you to the police station and tell them it was all just a big misunderstanding.”

She eyes me warily, and it’s then I notice she has a rag in her hand and is playing with the edges of it. Is this the same one she used to knock me out?

“You’d really do that?” she asks, a hint of skepticism creeping into her tone.

“Of course,” I reply, trying to inject as much sincerity as I can muster. “I only want to get back to my family, Stella. And I don’t want you to throw your life away, either. Let’s just put an end to all this madness, yeah?”

Stella hesitates, her face a whirlwind of emotions—doubt, fear, hope. Finally, she nods, but something is lurking behind her eyes that sets off alarm bells in my head.

“All right, Kat,” she agrees, her voice barely above a whisper. “I’ll let you go. But remember, if you break your promise, there will be consequences.”

“Deal,” I say, swallowing hard against the unease snaking up my spine.

As Stella moves closer to unlock the handcuffs, I cannot help but wonder what lays hidden beneath the surface of her calm demeanor. My instincts scream at me to be cautious, but with no other options available, I have no choice but to trust in the fragile truce we have established.

“Thanks, Stella,” I say as the cold metal finally falls away from my wrist, leaving an angry red mark behind. “I won’t forget what you’ve done for me today.”

“Let’s just hope you keep your end of the bargain,” she replies, her eyes never leaving mine as she steps back, the distance between us feeling far more significant than mere inches.

“Let’s go.” I force a shaky smile onto my face. “The sooner we clear this up, the better.”

Together, we walk out of this dismal room, and as we step into the harsh light of day, I fight the urge to run. Stella has overpowered me twice, and I have no desire to be taken prisoner by her a third time. Her eyes rarely leave me, and when we climb into the car, I sigh in relief. Hopefully, she will drive me somewhere where people are, and I can signal someone for help.

***

The car hums beneath us as Stella navigates the busy streets, her eyes flicking between the rearview mirror and the road ahead. My heart pounds in my chest with every bump we hit.

“Almost there,” Stella mutters under her breath, her knuckles white on the steering wheel.

I squint against the harsh sunlight filtering through the windshield, catching a glimpse of a man on a motorcycle across the street. He seems to be watching us, and I can’t help but notice the ink-black tattoos snaking up his arms.

Stella glances at the biker for a moment before her face hardens, her grip on the steering wheel tightening even further. “Shit. Obayashi Yakuza. We need to move.”

Stella guns the engine, weaving through traffic with a newfound urgency. My stomach churns with each swerve and brake, my mind racing as I try to make sense of how I ended up in this mess and how I am going to get out of it.

“Here,” Stella says suddenly, then slams on the brakes and pulls over to the side of the road. “Police station’s just around the corner. You should go.”

“Wait, what?” Panic surges through me. “What are you going to do?”

“I’ll be fine,” she replies, her voice steady. “I’ve got some things to take care of.”

“Stella…” I swallow hard. “He could be anyone. Come with me to the police station.”

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