Page 54 of Matteo

“Matty…I gotta warn him,” Mason said.

“Exactly, this is gonna be a shit storm…”

“Hey, Darlin…”

“Yes?”

“I love you, get your ass to my condo as soon as they finish taking your statement.”

Rolling my eyes. “Whatever.”

“Nora,wemean it.”

The second a uniformed cop reached the door, I hung up with Mason. Things were about to get weird as hell. This had been too deliberate.

Too calculated.

As the police entered the building and swarmed over the crime scene, I let out a breath I didn’t know I’d been holding.

The only thing that made me feel secure was the fact that while Imposter Boy had the codex, I had a backup. While he’d been robbing me, I had a backup digitized copy sitting in a cloud.

All wasn’t lost.

Chapter 17

Rain

My heart was beating in my ears like a drum as I navigated the rugged terrain. The white dress I was wearing clung to my body from sweat and the dew that was coating the blades of grass. The air smelled sweet, and a hint of strawberries lingered in the air.

There was a tree line up ahead and all I needed to do was make it there.

I could hide there…

“Just a little further,” I whispered to myself.

My legs were tired, and I wanted to give up. He would catch me if I did.

“Rainnnnnn!” Matteo’s voice called out to me from every single direction.

Shaking my head, I forced my legs to keep going. The exhaustion was threatening to overtake me but finally I made it to the tree line and darted inside.

It was dark amid the trees and the moon didn’t even want to shine here. Small slivers seemed to make their way through as if fighting with the very night itself.

“I have to hide,” I whispered as a twig snapped somewhere behind me.

“Give up, Stizzy. Let me give us both what we want….” His voice seemed to send vibrations out into the darkness.

I was so tired, the desire to lay down and fall asleep was overwhelming. Slowly, I looked around and it seemed that through the dimness of the moonlight, behind me was a path. The trees seemed to move and sway. Slowly pushing away from the tree I was hiding behind, I went to step away.

Snap!

Instantly freezing I covered my mouth, hiding a gasp because it seemed so very close. Matteo was hot on my ass, and he was going to find me.

Finally, I sobered and pushed away from the tree, careful not to make too much noise. I tiptoed towards the trees and found a rickety bridge where a river seemed to be raging beneath it. Water rushing over stones below filled my ears and it seemed as if the water was mirroring my emotions.

Fear coursed through me, and I knew I needed to go over the bridge, that safety might lay on the other side. He was getting closer, and I could feel it.

Once more I gulped down a breath of fresh air, my hands reaching out and clutching at the rotting wood. The bridge started to creak and groan under my weight. One foot at a time…

---