Page 145 of A Simple Truth

Iheld Finnleah’s letter tighter in my hand.

Anxious thoughts ate me alive like swarms of flies—not enough to kill, yet, enough to make me go permanently insane.

‘I dream of you,’she wrote.

Of us.

Of our family. Mine and her future. Together.

I impatiently rubbed my jaw.

I was overthinking it. I knew I was. I spent hours,hourspondering what to say, what to write, only burning all my drafts before deciding to hell with it all. To hell with waiting, to hell with my stupid letters, and the long distance.

To hell with it all.

I needed to see her.

My loud knock echoed off the wooden door. I took a step back from Xentar’s cottage, twisting on my feet as the thrilling anticipation of finally facing her reached my bones.

If I was royally screwing it up by coming here uninvited, there was no turning back now as the door creaked open. The speech I had come up with on the frantic flight here felt instantlyabsurd, now that I was just a step away from my lips plummeting onto hers.

Actions spoke louder than words anyway.

“Gideon…what a pleasant surprise...” Xentar gave me a tense smile, as his face paled at my appearance, making my fluttering heart pause. “We were definitely not expecting you tonight...” He swallowed, rubbing the back of his neck, and I bunched up my brows.

“Where is Finn?” I asked with my voice turning grave.

“A great question if I say so myself.” He rubbed his forehead, avoiding looking at me.

“Xentar…where the fuck isshe?” My heart filled with dread.

“She is gone...” he retorted, stepping away from the door and letting me in.

87

FINNLEAH

Islid down the dune, steadying my bare feet. The sheer, red veil covered my face as I made my way to the guards, adjusting the back strap of my bra where two small throwing blades hid against my skin. It was terrible placement—hard to access, hard to maneuver—but it was the only place on my body I could conceal them considering my revealing outfit.

Better than nothing.

My unbound hair covered the slight bulge the knives had created and night was covering my scars. Just as Nizana, the girl whose clothes I was wearing now, said, the west side of Red Rock Manor was secured by two guards.

“Come on, Nizana, don’t make them mad at you again for being late.” One of them ushered me through the door, and I hurried my steps, glad it was already dark outside. Just as she had explained, there was a long staircase leading down to the compound. But my eyes lingered on the opposite flight of stairs, leading up to the room with the giant picture, where I ultimately wanted to go. But the book had to wait, I reminded myself, as I hastily descended to the room below, knocking three times on the copper door. I uttered the password, just as Nizana hadinstructed me, and I was let in. It was an enormous gambling den, with a multitude of tables filled with dice, cards, and half-drunken men, served by barely-dressed waitresses.

The urge to burn all those loud, obnoxious men crept up my skin, but before I could act on it, my arm was painfully yanked.

“Who are you supposed to be?” a female seethed through her teeth dragging me away from the den, into the dark corner.

“Nizana, of course,” I answered, softening my voice as much as I could to mimic Nizana’s.

“If you are Nizana, then I am Merlin. And I am not. I’m Anfissa. So let me ask this again, who the fuck are you and where the fuck is Nizana?” She glowered, her nails painfully digging into my arm.

“You are just the person I was looking for. Nizana is freed, and I’ve come to free the rest of you.” I let the flames flicker in my eyes, showing her the extent of my intention. Her eyes widened but not in shock—in pure anger.

“You fucking better not,” she hissed, dragging me out to a room adjacent to the den. There were a few more girls, some of them brushing through their hair and putting on some makeup. She shut the door behind me a second later. “Whoever you are, if they find out we have Destroyers here…you might as well go kill the whole village,” she angrily jeered, as I adjusted my face covering.

“Where is Nizana?” another girl asked, surprised.

---