Page 80 of Loco

“It’s okay, I’ve got you. You’re safe now. We’re together, and that’s what matters. You’re doing so good.”

Their sobs softened just enough to let me finish untying them. I pulled off their blindfolds one at a time and kissed their foreheads as I did.

And the whole time—I kept my voice soothing and stayed calm, pretending I didn’t want to kill every single person who had touched them.

But inside, I wasraging.

It took everything I had to keep my voice soft and whisper calming things to the kids while seething beneath the surface. I felt like a kettle at full boil, barely holding the lid down. My heart was thundering, not just from fear but from fury that someone had taken us. Fury that they’d blindfolded children and tied their tiny wrists like they were criminals. They’d made them scream and cry and tremble in the dark, bringing out an emotion I’d never experienced before.

Everything I owned with even thepossibilityof helping Roque find us, was still in his house. I didn’t know how far we’d been driven or how long we’d been in that car. We could be on the other side of town or halfway across the state.

And then I saw a window, small and dusty with cobwebs clinging to the corners. It was set high up in the wall, near the ceiling,too high for me to reach without help. And worse—there was nothing in the room. No furniture or boxes, stray pipes or crates, nothing to climb on to get to it. Just a cold concrete floor and walls that seemed to lean in closer the longer I stared at them.

If I could get up there, I might be able to lift the kids through it, but they were too young and too little. Kaida wouldn’t know where to run, and Kairo was brave, but he was only three. Sending them out alone would be a death sentence.

No, that wasn’t an option. I wasn’t risking them like that.

So, I did the only thing Icoulddo: I pulled them close. Their tiny bodies were still shaking, Kaida sniffling quietly, her head buried in the crook of my arm, while Kairo clung to me like I was the only thing keeping him grounded. I wrapped my arms around them and held them tight, whispering gentle, steady reassurances, words that meant more to them than to me.

“We’re okay,” I murmured, brushing their hair back. “I’ve got you. No one’s going to hurt you.”

But in my mind, the wheels were already turning.

I was planning and thinking through every detail I’d seen. Every breath I’d taken since being brought into this place. The way the stairs creaked, the sound of the door locking behind us. The way the air smelled—old, damp, and just slightly metallic.

We weren’t going to wait for a rescue, we were going tosurvivethis.

And when the time came—when I found even the most minor crack in their plan—I was going to make sure they regretted ever laying hands on us. They hadn’t taken a victim, they’d takenachild protector, and I was going to be their worst fucking mistake.

DB

The front door had barely clicked shut behind Roque when the quiet settled over the house like a heavy blanket. None of us spoke right away. We just stood there, the sound of his truck’s engine fading into the distance, each of us knowing exactly where he was going and wishing he’d get there in time. The weight of it all hung in the air—fear, anger, helplessness—but none of us dared to name it.

From the living room, a strange sound echoed, low and guttural, like a growl mixed with a bark.

“What the hell was that?” Raul asked, glancing around like a dog might charge out of the pantry.

Mark, ever calm, just pointed upward toward the tall shelf above the fireplace. “That’s Dog.”

Alex turned to him, brow furrowed. “Dog?”

“Yeah, that’s the cat’s name.”

There was a beat of silence, then Raul’s face contorted with confusion and something close to horror. “Wait… he named a catDog? Did he—did hebreeda cat with a dog?”

Mark grinned. “That’s exactly what I said the first time I saw him.”

The weird barking sound echoed again, louder this time, followed by the scuff of claws against wood as the cat shifted on the shelf. We all looked up. Its yellow eyes glinted in the dimlight, and its tail twitched lazily as if it had no idea it sounded like it belonged in a kennel instead of a house.

“Is it actuallybarking?” Alex asked, his voice still filled with disbelief at what he was seeing.

We paused, listening. The sound came again, unmistakable.

“Yup,” we all agreed at the same time.

Before we could linger on it any longer, Reid stepped back into the room, phone in hand, face pale and tight. He looked like he’d aged a year in the last twenty minutes.

“I called Sayla’s parents,” he said quietly. “Told them what happened, and as could be expected, they’re shattered. My brother’s breaking it to Heidi now.” He rubbed at his face, voice thick. “I also texted her brother, he’s headed over to check in on their folks. My brother’s staying with Heidi and keeping her and the kids safe just in case.”

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