Page 112 of Devious Lies

Fuck.

He’s brought me to one of their safe houses, and I start to get really scared.

“Where the fuck is Zip?” Matteo asks.

“Back room,” the stranger grunts.

“Call him.”

The man shrugs and yells.

“ZIP!”

“Callate!” Matteo yells and throws something at him.

I recognize the word and I know it means shut up.

Another man comes running out of the back room and he’s pulling up his pants.

“What? Matteo! Junior didn’t say you were coming. What is this? A present for me?” Zip asks.

“Don’t even fucking look at her. This one is mine,” Matteo says, and I am almost grateful to him.

Zip looks mean and rough. He has a skeleton tattooed over his face, obscuring his features, and making him look like something out of a nightmare.

They exchange some harsh words in Spanish, and I cringe.

I have to get out of there.

The discussion is getting heated, and I inch back towards the door. I need to at least try to get out of there.

“Where the fuck do you think you’re going?” Matteo grunts.

He grabs my arm, shoving me to the ground. I whimper. His fingernails cut into my skin and the floor is hard and unforgiving as my bare knees slam into it.

“Oh shit, I know you. This is the puta the Viper Council beat the shit out of Eduardo for! Get her out of here, man! Junior’s gonna flip,” Zip says.

“You don’t fucking tell me what to do, man,” Matteo yells, and I see he’s losing his temper.

This is not good.

Matteo is volatile and crazy.

His hand is on his gun, and in the blink of an eye, he’s pulled it out of his waistband and has it pressed against Zip’s throat.

That’s when shit gets crazy.

The doors bust open. I gasp and tears well in my eyes. It’s Luc. And he has people with him.

Thank God.

My heart squeezes. He’s come for me. I knew he would, but I’m still stuck somewhere between hope and disbelief.

My whole body is shaking. A mixture of fear and relief warring inside me. I want to run to him so badly, but I can’t move.

Something isn’t right. We are not safe yet.

Matteo swings around, waving the gun wildly.

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