Page 38 of Emerge

He began swiping on a tablet before placing it on the table in front of me. A video was playing from what looked like a body cam. At first, I didn't see much besides shoppers at a mall, but then he entered a store.

"Who's following them?" Them being Aiden and Ivy, who were none the wiser about the danger that lurked right behind them.

Dylan reached forward and swiped, and another camera angle showed them. "Just some friends of mine. Right now, they're keeping their distance, but they are on standby if needed."

I shut my eyes and took a deep breath. I didn't need to ask what he meant by standby if needed. My friends were in danger and I was the only one who could keep them safe.

"What do you need me to do?"

* * *

Comingto terms with the fact that my mom was working with Dylan was hard. She hadn't said much on the plane ride, and Dylan was always so close that I couldn't ask her why she'd join forces with a lunatic.

If he was holding leverage over me, it was possible he was doing the same to her. I really couldn't get a good read on what was going through her head.

We were headed to Greece and the flight was long. We stopped for fuel after crossing the Pacific and were right back in the sky again. We were headed to the Aegean Sea, which was East of Greece.

We were about to land, and Dylan finally left the sitting area we were in to make sure the landing went as planned. He had left a few times to go to the bathroom or grab us food but chose when I was napping to leave. We had been stuck with him the entire flight, not giving us any privacy to talk.

"Are we really doing this?" I whispered.

My mom moved to the seat next to me and buckled her seat belt. "They are our family, Riley. We need to get them out. It's what your grandma would have wanted."

She sounded like she was telling the truth. "But what about Finn?"

She bit her lip, and it was the first-time uncertainty flashed in her eyes. "It’ll be fine. I'm doing this for him too."

I wanted to ask her what that meant but the plane touched down, and before the seatbelt light went off, Dylan was back. "Let's go. We don't have much time before they figure out what I'm up to and come for us."

I was uncuffed with a warning not to try anything and we exited the plane as soon as it came to a stop. The sun nearly blinded me, and I shielded my eyes as we waited for an SUV that had just turned onto the tarmac. We were at a small airstrip in the middle of nowhere.

I looked around, contemplating making a run for it, but my mom looped her arm through mine and gave my arm a pat. She leaned close to me so only I would hear her. "It's going to be fine, Riley. Don't do anything rash and piss him off."

I gave her a slight nod as the car pulled up, and Dylan opened the back door for us. We climbed in and buckled up as the driver took off. He was a burly-looking guy who had a permanent frown on his face. I was sure he'd snap my neck with no problem if I tried to run.

About ten minutes later, the ocean came into view, and it took my breath away. I wanted to rip off my clothes and dive into the tranquil blue waters.

"So, we're just going to swim down to this castle and take the trident from Poseidon?" I had been given a vague description of what we were doing, but I really didn't see how we'd get something so important away from a powerful god, or how we'd go undetected.

Dylan dug around in a backpack he had and pulled out a small pouch. "That's exactly what we're doing."

"But won't he know you're up to something?" I furrowed my brows as he pulled out a syringe and stuck it in his arm, extracting some of his blood. "What the hell are you doing?"

The car came to a stop in a secluded area. The ocean was just a drop off the side of the area we were parked. The driver came to my side and guided me out by my elbow. I tried pulling away, but that just made him grip it harder.

My mom was already stripping out of her clothes and gave me a small smile. If it was supposed to be reassuring, it wasn't. She was going to lead the tritons protecting the palace away so Dylan and I could get in. I'd then use the knife to break in and get the trident.

"Everything is going to be fine, sweetie." She kissed my cheek, climbed onto the cement ledge, then dove into the water, leaving me alone with two men that scared the shit out of me.

I'd never forgive her for this.

"Now, before you freak out, know that this is only temporary, unless you want to make it permanent and then we can arrange for a blood transfusion."

I didn't understand what he was talking about until he stabbed me in the arm with the syringe that had his blood in it and pressed the plunger. He nodded to the guy holding me, who immediately let me go and I fell to my knees.

Dizziness hit me first, then an overwhelming need to follow Dylan, who was stripping out of his clothes as he walked to the water. The knife was strapped to him in a sheath that wasn't that much different from the one the guys had made me.

I stood and followed him, peeling off my clothes as I went, vaguely aware he was controlling me in some way. I dove in after him, my body instantly shifting. I looked down at myself and gasped; I was now the same coloring as the tritons.

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