Page 46 of Corrupted

"Reuben would want Kurt taken care of," Gianni whispered.

I shook my head. "Not at the expense of family. Killing him isn't worth losing them. We need to go back. We have to help them."

Another shot rang out, followed by a cry of pain. One that was cut short by another gunshot.

The blood froze in my veins.

For the first time in my life, I was unable to move.

It wasn't indecision, it was fear. This was my plan and so much could go wrong. It might already have gone to hell. If it had, it would be my fault. I could have let them kill Leon, or done it myself.

Instead, I'd come up with a plan to try to get Kurt's attention. To get him to come to us. My guys, the twins and Caleb had all filled in the blanks, but it was my idea.

If they died, their blood would be all over my hands. Seeping into my skin. Soaking my soul, like the blood of that little girl.

So much blood it would turn black and flow through the streets.

It threatened to wash over me and drown me, filling my lungs full until I couldn't breathe. My head spun.

"Mina." Gianni gripped my shoulders tight enough to bruise.

I wanted to flinch, but I couldn't even do that. My mind took me right back to the first moment when I woke up in that cage.

I was cold, bare. A tight strap around my ankle. I hurt all over. The insides of my thighs were sticky. I tried to sit up, but I bumped my head on the bars of the cage.

I winced and rubbed my head. What the hell was going on? Was this some kind of prank?

It was dark. My eyes took a while to become accustomed to the gloom. While they did, I felt around me, trying to figure out where I was and how I could get out.

A cage?

The cage was locked. It wasn't long enough to let me stretch out fully, or high enough to let me sit up. I had to curl up to get… Not comfortable. That wasn't happening here, there wasn't room. I couldn't lie flat. I was coiled like a spring instead.

There weren't bars underneath me, just concrete. The cage must have been bolted to the floor. The floor was cold and hard.

How had I gotten here? The last thing I remembered was my father bringing me a drink of… Was it lemonade? He had a strange look on his face, but talked to me about nothing in particular until I drank it all down.

I couldn't remember anything else. Nothing until I woke up alone.

Outside the cage, a door opened and someone stepped inside.

My blood turned cold.

"Mina," Gianni said insistently. "Come back to me. We need you right here, right now. You're not locked up in that cage anymore. No one will do that to you again. I promise. But we need to move. Come on, sweetheart. Come back to me."

I blinked a few times to clear my vision and my mind.

Where was I?

Still on a suburban street, an SUV parked nearby. Gunshots. Shouts.

Shit.

Could I have chosen a worse time to freak out and lose my mind in the shadows of the past? Anyone could have crept up behind me and I wouldn't have known. I tried to remind myself that wouldn't have happened, but I was so lost in the memory… There was no guarantee.

"I'm here," I whispered. "I'm sorry, I don't know what happened."

"What happened was, you're still human," he said gently. "But we need to decide what to do. Do we see if that's Kurt, or do we help the others?"

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