Page 64 of Unmasked Legacy

“I have never, nor would I ever, hurt another person. I’m not my father. I would never touch your daughter.”

“Liar,” she bellows, and a woman gets out of a nearby car and rushes over, taking her by the shoulders. “Give her back to me, sinner. You will go to hell for this. You will feel the wrath. I want my child back. She belongs to me.”

I swallow the lump in my throat as I try to fight the tears. The woman sounds delusional, but I’ve never lost a child so I have no idea what that could do to someone.

A hand on my shoulder has me jerking, but the calm voice that follows, brings a sense of relief. “I’m sorry about your daughter, ma’am, but you have no right to do this.”

Jace.

“Come on,” he urges, turning me away and rushing me towards his car.

I get in, without hesitation, my heart racing. He takes off, and only when we’re out of the parking lot, do I exhale thebreath I was holding. “Thank you,” I say, softly. “I didn’t see that coming.”

“I guess it was lucky we were at the store at the same time,” he smiles, warmly. “Was that Nia’s mother?”

I nod. “I guess you saw the news articles, too?”

He nods. “Yeah, it’s the talk of the town. Don’t worry, Mera. One day soon, this will all be a bad memory and nothing more.”

I wish that were the case, I really do.

“I appreciate that, but I fear until Nia is returned, I’m never going to be free.”

He falls silent, driving away from the town. I don’t know where. I don’t really care. I just want to get out of there. The last few days have been rough, and I feel as though I’ve taken two steps back when it comes to finding answers, even though I have already received so many. I just need this to be done with. It’s all I want. To move on with my life free of this.

“Do you want to go to a café I like? Are you hungry?”

I glance at Jace. “I guess I could eat. Thank you.”

We continue driving silently for a moment, when I notice Jace keeps looking in the rearview mirror. Concerned, I turn in my seat, glancing out at the back of the car to see nothing more than a white van following behind us.

“Is everything okay?” I question.

“I think that van is following us.”

My heart skips a beat as I turn and look again. Jace turns down a street, and of course, the van does, too. Maybe they’re just going in the same direction? Looping around, Jace ends up back on the highway and the van follows the exact route. I glance back at Jace, hoping we’re wrong but thinking he may just be right about this.

“Just keep driving,” I say carefully. “Head towards the club.”

Jace nods, and we keep driving down the long, quiet highway. It’s too quiet, and that makes me feel uneasy. Whydoes there seem to be nobody on this road? Rubbing my hand over my chest, I try to remain calm, but something about this situation feels wrong. Like a terrible thing is about to happen, and I don’t know how to stop it.

Reaching down, I pull out my phone. I haven’t spoken to Wolfe since he told me everything, but he’s the only person I can think of right now who might be able to help. I’m just about to unlock the phone when a loud gunshot rings out, then Jace is swerving. His frantic yelp sends shockwaves through me, and I drop my phone, gripping the door as the car spirals out of control.

“Jace,” I cry out.

“They shot the tire.”

This is bad.

The car skids to a stop on the other side of the road, and I’m incredibly thankful for seatbelts in that moment. Spinning around in my seat, I see two men wearing all black get out of the van and begin walking towards us at a rapid pace, a gun in their hands. Oh no. Frantically, I unbuckle the seatbelt and reach for my phone, just as Jace locks the doors.

The men reach the car, their faces hidden behind dark masks. My heart races as one of them taps the window with the gun, signaling for me to get out. I glance at Jace, horrified that I have put him in this position. I don’t want him to get hurt, and so I know I have to get out of this car. I don’t know who these men are, but I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if something happened to him.

"Mera, stay calm," Jace whispers, though his voice trembles. “Don’t unlock the door. I’m going to call 911.”

The men slam their gun onto the window once more, before turning it and pointing it right at Jace and indicating for me to get out. "Jace, please," I beg, my voice breaking. "Let me go. Ican't let you get hurt because of me. I won’t risk it. Find Wolfe, tell him what happened. Please.”

He hesitates, gripping the steering wheel tightly. "I can't just leave you, Mera. They’ll kill you.”

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