Page 99 of Unspoken Promises

“Like I’d be able to sit around while you and Rio and the guys at the office are plugging away. It’s been intense…” I’m exhausted. I don’t like to admit I’m emotionally drained, not when he needs me, but this has all happened at warp speed, and getting out of this situation will be a much-needed refuel.

And I might as well do it while also helping a friend.

I reach up and wrap my arms around his neck. “Me aside, it’s really hard to get a manuscript called in by a big publishing house. This could be Pen’s break.” I kiss him. “Maybe she’ll thank me in the acknowledgements.”

Enzo relents and releases me, but the concerned, furrowed brows are still there.

The drive over to Penelope’s is silent. I don’t think either of us will be able to talk about much until this is over.

When we arrive, I can see from the road that Pen’s light is on and I unbuckle.

“I’ll walk you up,” Enzo offers.

I don’t miss that he’s being more than a gentleman in this moment.

“Can we just pretend things are normal until the sting? There will be enough change to cope with then.”

“True,” he says, reluctantly staring at the small complex where Penelope lives. “Text me when you’re inside?”

I take his cheek in my hand. “I can do that.” I kiss him. “Pen said she’d drop me off at the ranch when we’re done. Good luck.”

Enzo gets out of the car to open the door and leans against his vehicle until he can’t see me anymore, and instead of me feeling controlled, a warm sensation comes over me. Something shifted inside me now that we’re totallyraw with each other. Now that we see each other for who we are… and are here to stay.

I used to think love must be the best feeling in the world but now I think it’s having someone accept you for who you are. Then again, maybe they’re the same thing. If we don’t find anything tonight that leads to Father, or tells us exactly what Anton needs out of tomorrow, I’ll have to be careful. I’ll have to keep my wits about me.

What I have here with Enzo, and here in Echo Valley, is precious. Hopefully, if I do meet Anton, it will be to bring him back here with me.

I give Enzo one last wave before I round the corner to where Pen’s apartment is, and he blows me a kiss. I’m obsessed with him and I’m burning to actually start living together. For real. I want to dance all over this crazy town and even all over the world. I want to go to Europe. And Australia. And hike up to Machu Picchu. I have seen nothing of this world, and Enzo is the man I want to experience everything with.

He’s my true match. Never in a million years did I think with all my crooked edges I’d meet another piece that fit.

The entrance to Penelope’s apartment is surrounded by a long, tall row of refreshing California pines. I breathe in the cleansing scent. A cool breeze plays on some of the shrubs, and shadows dance on the pavement I follow. Shadows that don’t look right and cause my bones to chill. Suddenly, my intuition screams I should have let Enzo walk me up.

Just then, a familiar, bass voice wraps around me from behind. “Menace…”

I don’t need to turn to know that voice. It’s the only one I really, truly knew in all of my years before Echo Valley.

I turn to see what rests in Anton’s face, ready to eitherhug him or to run, but before I even twist, my mouth and nose are covered with a hand and a rag is stuffed in my mouth. A fierce needle jabs my arm, and I let out a muffled scream. I hang on to his forearms. I kick and thrash, gagged, but my throat bloodies with futile screams. Betrayal sears my bones. How could I have been so wrong? How could he be doing this? Enzo was right… I should have believed him. He’s so much more worldly, older… wiser… he knew…

I kick my feet behind, stomping, scratching to break free. I fight hard for at least a couple of minutes, using every sinew in my body to fight the strong hand over my face and the burly arm securing me. Knocking me out takes long enough for a tear to escape. The view of the perfect Echo Valley world around me becomes smaller and smaller. My body refuses to move anymore, there’s a total disconnect between my muscles and my mind, but my soul still reaches out for what’s no longer mine.

In the last moments before all goes to black, I wish I’d told Enzo I love him.

31

Rio triedto make me eat something by getting chips and guacamole which is typically a weakness for all of us. I know he did it to get me to eat. We’ve not been raised to be verbally open all the time, but saying no to food and him coming back with my favorite says he’s worried about me.

My brother is on a conference call with the two employees we trust enough to come in after hours and work on this job. Everyone at GhostEye has signed an NDA, but with all these hacks, no one is in the clear.

We’ve had to give other staff members insight into the previous hacks, too, and that sendsboth me and my brother into a state of emergency even without the sting on the horizon. We haven’t told our employees we knew about them previously, but if we’re to find the source of the stolen cell numbers, it’s important to see if it connects to the previous hacks.

I’ll risk everything to solve this tonight. I can’t choose GhostEye’s future over the one I could have with Ava.

“Run web crawls to look for signs of any trafficking in Oregon,” Rio reminds them through his cell.“At the same time we need to reverse hack the cell phone breach…”

Gary and Chelsea chatter back.

Rio sighs. “I get it. I know it’s a lot for two people, but you’re the ones we trust for now. It could be an inside job. Just… do your best.”

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