Page 45 of Crimson Flames

“I’ll go so you can head out,” Kai says, jerking a thumb over his shoulder at me. “Clearly this old guy needs a break.”

I glare at him, only half joking with the threat in my stare.Okay fine, I’m totally joking, but he can’t know that yet.

When he comes back, he has a brown paper covered box in his hand with red writing on the top. “What’s that?”

Kai shrugs. “The driver said it was in the mailbox down the way and he brought it up.”

We have a mailbox?

Dread fills me as I look at the words across the paper.

To my perfect little doll.

My stomach bottoms out as Kai reads it. “I told you something bad was about to happen.”

“How does he know where we are?” I ask more to myself than anyone else.

Kai shrugs, his face draining of all its color.

“I have no idea, but if he knows, we aren’t safe here.”

His eyes dart to the door, then the window, his anxiety building with each passing second.

“Kai,” I say gently, but he doesn't stop looking at every entrance as if someone were about to pop out and shoot him. “Kai!”

His eyes widen as they snap to mine. “Open it.”

“Let’s take it to Nessa first.”

He shakes his head and tries to grab it from my hands, fear bleeding through his eyes. “What if it’s a bomb? Or…or something worse.”

I pull it out of his reach. “What’s worse than a bomb?” I try to joke, but he isn’t having it.

“You can’t take that to her. You can’t! What if it hurts her?”

Just then, Nessa steps into the room. She looks better today, but I think she heard us.

“What is–” she starts before Kai pleads with her.

“Please don’t open it, just throw it away or burn it. Please.”

She takes his hands in hers. “I’m okay, Kai. This isn’t anything we haven’t dealt with before. If someone leaves notes, it means they don’t have the resources to get to us. We have too many people here guarding the property.”

Kai’s worried gaze meets mine as I hand Nessa the box. When she releases his hands, she turns her understanding, kind gaze towards his frightened one.

“We don’t keep secrets here, that’s how people get killed. I know this life is new to you, but we protect each other by making sure we all have the same information.”

“What information?” Boris asks as he walks in.

Nessa is staring at the inscription, and I motion to it.

“We’re about to find out.”

Boris reads the words before angrily plucking the package from Nessa’s fingers and tearing it open.

“How do you know that isn’t a bomb?” Kai yells, hands going up in defense.

Boris scoffs. “It is too light to be a bomb.”

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