Page 105 of Caged

I hear someone walking through the woods.

Is that her?

FORTY-SIX

NIKOLAI

Song- Follow You, Bring Me The Horizon

“Good news, Nikolai,” Enzo says.

Finally. “What did you find?”

“I was able to use the tracing app she installed on your phone to reverse the signal.” He sounds proud of himself.

“What does that mean?” I’m not a tech person. I’m a bash-them-in-the-head guy.

He sighs. I must have missed some epic feat.

“I know her location. Follow the dot on the map.” He hangs up with a click.

It must irritate him being the smartest man in the room sometimes.

“I know that place,” Alexei says, staring at the navigation screen. “I had a dealer that would meet me there when I was a kid.”

That makes me look sideways. “What are you talking about? You didn’t do drugs.”

He shakes his head with a serious look on his face. “No, much more important. He had these American candies. Jawbreakers. They last for days.” He rubs his cheek with a distant stare.

“You’re fucking with me. You and your sugar addiction are going to get you in trouble.”

He shrugs. “Maybe. Maybe not.” He points at the small red dot on the map. “This is going to get you killed.”

He’s right.

I should leave.

But, I can’t. I don’t want to leave her forever. She may not have been honest, but she’s still given me new hope for a happy life.

Elena loves her.

Fuck. I do, too. I just hate what she’s done.

Couldn’t she have just told me from the start?

Thinking back, I know better.

It’s taken her weeks to work under my thick skin and burrow her way into my heart. I wouldn’t have given her the chance when I first met her.

“I have to do this. I know the truth now.” Will I ever be able to trust her again? “Go. There’s no way of knowing what she’s up to, or who she’s with. With my father involved, no one is safe.”

Alexei’s left eye twitches as he watches me pull out the bag of diamonds.

“You’re sure about this?” he asks when I put them in my pocket.

I give him a quick nod.

“I’ll find a way back. Keep Lara and Elena safe for me until I do.” Mila should be there, too.

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