Page 5 of Darkness Falls

Me: Do you know where she is?

Unknown: I want your word that if I help you, you will help me and my wife disappear. We need somewhere to start over. You and your brothers have a reputation. I know you always stick to your word.

Me: How do I know you won't betray us?

Unknown: I’m worried for the woman I love, justlike you are. It's not safe for us here. I'm being watched, and it doesn't matter what I do; they will continue to use her against me. I won't keep putting her at risk.

Unknown: I will help you get your girl back if you help me protect mine.

I consider their words for a moment. Part of me wants to say fuck whoever this is. I don't trust them. The other part of me says, don't be stupid. This could be the opportunity I've been looking for to find out if she is at the compound. What's the harm? I decide to give it a shot, taking it upon myself to make the decision alone.

Me: Fine. We'll help you. Now tell me who you are.

Unknown: I'm their hacker. My name is Soren.

Me: You piece of shit. You let them breach my system to get inside our home.

Soren: They threatened my wife. Theywould have killed her if I didn't give them what they wanted. I don't think you understand what Gabriel is capable of.

Me: If you think I care about you or your wife, you're mistaken. You are part of the reason my girl was taken, and my brother was shot.

Soren: I can't change what I had to do in order to protect my wife. Do you want my help getting Callie out or not? I'm running out of time. They will notice I’m missing soon, and I need to know how to move forward.

Me: I'll get her out myself, and then I'll kill you!

Soren: I assure you, you will not get her out. They will have me working tirelessly to ensure it doesn't happen. Gabriel is not willing to risk her escaping him again.

I hate even having to consider this. It's not right, working with the person who helped that piece of shit take Callie and shoot Kyler. I’m beyond conflicted because having him on our side could mean fewer obstacles in our way. It could be the safest way of getting Callie back.

Me: Have you seenher? How is she?

Soren: I need to know if you will work with me to get my wife out or not. Once I have your word. I’ll tell you whatever you want.

Me: Fine. You have my word. Stop fucking around and tell me how Callie is doing.

Soren: She's strong. She has been vocal about you three coming to rescue her.

Soren: They watch her closely. I won't be able to get close to her for a while. They are not going to risk her getting away like she did before. As you know, she is a lot more resilient now.

Me: I want to talk to her.

Soren: That's not possible.

Soren: I have to go. They're coming.

Soren: I'll be in touch as soon as I'm able. It may be some time before you hear from me, but just know I am on your side. I need to get my wife out before they hurt her again.

Igo to type out a response, but the chat closes out, indicating he shut down access from his end. FUCK! I hate not being in control of the situation. I hate having to trust someone else to get Callie back.

If Sebastian was in a better mental state, I would have consulted with him before making the decision to work with the hacker, but he's been unreachable since Ky was shot.

I'll dive in tomorrow and attempt to do more research to find answers, just like I’ve done every day since they took her. I'm always unsuccessful, but I still try, and that's all I can do right now. I miss her more than anything.

I bring up the camera feeds from a few weeks ago to watch her. The way her eyes light up when she’s happy causes my heart to ache. I love the way she smiles, and I want to see more, so I scroll through the footage. I stumble on one that feels like a knife to the chest. It was one of the first times we really connected.

We were down in the gym in another kickboxing session when she finally got a nice hit to the side of my face. Spit shot out of my mouth, and my head flew to the side. Almost immediately, she pulled the gloves from her hands and rushed over to grab my face to make sure I was alright.

"You've been trying to get a good hit in for weeks now, princess. My face is fine. I'm so damn proud of you."

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