Page 12 of Craving Chaos

“Sounds almost Greek.”

“They don’t look Greek. At least, not the one I saw.”

“You saw one of their faces?” I crane my neck to look at her, my words taking on a hard edge. If she can identify them, that might make her a target. It’s an added complication, and I don’t like it.

“Ripped off one of their masks before they got me bound. The short one. Sure didn’t look Greek to me, but that doesn’t necessarily mean anything. You have beef with the Romanians?”

“Not that I know of. Could also be the Albanians. Their languages sound similar.”

“No,” she breathes.

“No, what?” A new sliver of tension coils in my muscles.

Before she can explain, a phone chimes. All four men still before one lifts a phone to his ear and answers. His eyes flick our direction as he speaks a string of hushed, wary words. The others watch him with rapt attention.

A call from their superior. And they’re having to report a snag. Us.

The call goes on for no more than two minutes, and after, he reports the results to the others.

They immediately launch into an argument, tensions skyrocketing. One man marches over to us and pulls out a gun. It’s aimed at her head.

“Wait,” she demands. “Don’t make a mistake you can’t undo. Think about it. If you take us with you, you’ll have time to consider your options. Our families will want us back. You could ransom us.”

The man’s hand tremors, and desperation glints in his wide eyes. Two of his buddies seem to try to talk him down. While they are distracted, I murmur to Shae. “You know what you’re doing?”

“Isn’t that obvious? Buying us time. Can’t figure a way out if we’re dead.”

“True, but don’t you think we should at least try to convince them to leave us here alive?”

The men start yelling at one another. The one with the gun seems to be running the show. He barks one last time before they begin to get the last crate loaded. Time is running out.

“Shit, shit!” Shae’s voice is pitched his with urgency. She wasn’t concerned before, but something’s changed. Something has her spooked, and while I may not have spent much time with her, Shae has made it clear that she doesn’t spook easily.

“What the fuck is happening here?” I demand quietly.

“You’re right. They’re Albanian.” The last word is spoken so softly it’s nearly inaudible.

“And I take it that’s a bad thing?”

“It’s complicated. They’re not going to want to leave us alive. Not when I can identify them.”

Fuck.

The sound of continued bickering announces their return. There’s only one reason for them to come back inside, and that’s us.

I speak up before they reach us. “The guns are replaceable, we’re not. You should know that you’ll be making this infinitely worse for yourselves if you kill us. Our families will come after you.” I inject every ounce of authority I possess into my voice. Their ski masks prevent me from seeing their expressions, but their body language conveys plenty.

Three of the four taper off before reaching us, all of them tense and fidgeting with nervous energy in various ways. The leader walks all the way over, his steps determined. But when he stands over me and raises his gun, he’s close enough that I can see the conflict in his eyes. His back is against a wall. He feels he has no choice.

“Take us with you,” Shae demands with absolute confidence. “Why rush this decision when you don’t have to? You can always kill us later, but for now, take us with you.”

CHAPTER 5

SHAE

They shove us into the back of a gold Penske truck parked on the side of the building. My guess is it’s a rental. The crates only take up half the space, so we have plenty of room. Movement is difficult, though, with our hands still bound behind us.

“You guys have security cameras?” I ask once the doors slam shut, and we’re engulfed in darkness.

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