Page 12 of Come to Head

I owed him a large portion of my soul, my innocence, my mental health.

I may need to go to therapy, but I hadn’t actually lost ityet.And that was because of Emilio, because he had saved me all those years ago. Because he had instilled confidence into me. Because he had always shown me my worth.

A million thoughts swarmed around my mind, but then he slipped something into place on my finger.

Myringfinger.

“Mine.”

Crash! Bang!

Behind us, the church’s doors slammed open.

Chapter 5

Oliver

His Isobel

“Ihave located Isa. She is safe. I will bring her to you both. ETA two hours.”

Oliver’s knuckles whitened as he clutched the steering wheel aggressively. He sped down the back roads of their town, a specific destination in mind. The words from Milo echoed around his brain.

Why would it take two hours to return? Something wasn’t right.

There was one place he knew he could go. One man that ran this town. He could help them.

The manowedOliver after all.

“You’re going to break it,” Maddox stated, looking up from his phone.

“I don’tcare. She’s missing,” he bit out. “Why did we let her go out into the hallway? Why didn’t we do anything to stop her?”

“Because she asked us not to, and we respect her wishes.” Maddox shifted in his seat; he was almost comically oversized for the small vehicle.

“Emilio will find her for us.” Oliver would be reunited with his Isobel.

No matter the cost.

“From what you’ve told me, that man is the literal devil of this town, and you haven’t seen him in over 10 years. Who’s to say he’s even the man in charge anymore?” Maddox grunted out, readjusting again, his knees squeezing against thedashboard.

Oliver turned the corner, whipping the vehicle dangerously close to the sidewalk. Up ahead, the moon shined brightly onto a church that he was intimately familiar with. It was where he went for Sunday service his entire childhood. Where he first met the young Emilio.

Where his daddied.

“Something doesn’t seem right. Why is it lit up like that? Isn’t their business usually conducted under the church?” Maddox cut through Oliver’s anxiety. The words ricocheted around the confined space of the vehicle.

Oliver wasn’t sure what was stabbing at his psyche, but without thought, he swerved up onto the lawn of the church and jumped from the car.

Just as he made it to the steps, he heard movement behind him.

“State your business.”

Oliver paid no mind to the unfamiliar voice; he didn’t pause as he flung the church doors open.

He blinked his eyes a few times to adjust to the sight before him.

“Isobel!”

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