Page 30 of What Doesn't Kill Us

She’s right. I shouldn’t care. As soon as I verified Carolina had brought me to the right location, I should’ve snapped her neck. I’m not even sure why I didn’t since it’s not like I have any genuine affection for her. Deep down, I don’t really give a fuck about her at all, so my hesitancy to eliminate her is quite out of character.

“Regardless, I’m not leaving her here. So, you can scurry off if you like, and I’ll meet up with you later.”

She screams silently behind her clenched teeth, her hands balling into fists, which she raises in front of her and shakes. She inhales sharply through her nose before expelling the breath loudly out of her mouth. “Fine. I’ll help you. But if this backfires, like I figure it will, I’m going to kill you myself.”

“Deal. Let’s go.”

We head in the direction in which Carolina disappeared, pausing every few feet to listen. It’s eerily quiet so far, and since there aren’t any places to make turns, we continue straight down until we reach the end of the hallway, where it opens into another spacious room.

I hear the faint sound of voices, but then the voices suddenly get louder. Someone is shouting, and then there’s the sound of what can only be a fist hitting flesh.

I tense up, and it’s only Agatha squeezing my arm that stops me from rushing in. I look over at her, and she glares at me. “Don’t be a fucking moron.”

I nod, and she leans closer, whispering, “I know who I’m looking for, so I’ll go first.”

I nod again, stepping back and allowing her to pass.

I watch her take a few steps into the room, and then I follow.

Chapter Twelve

Toni

I’mjustcomingbackout of my room when I hear Tony and Matt cursing a blue streak. They’re racing around the living space, shouting obscenities, shaking their phones, and accusing each other of being the worst dipshits ever born.

Lilith is standing in the kitchen, watching them with disinterest, so I walk over to her, taking a position beside her as they carry on like fools. “What are they going on about?”

She shrugs. “I don’t know. I’m waiting for them to shut the fuck up and explain the issue to the rest of the class.”

I nod, standing back and watching them dart around the room aimlessly. Finally, Matt races over to us, setting a tablet on the counter and tapping away like a madman. “Fuck. Fuck!”

Tony hurries into the room, another tablet in his hands. He sets his tablet beside Matt’s, then peers over at his screen, grimacing at whatever he sees there. “This is fucking bad. How could you let this happen?”

Matt glares at him. “Me? What about you? You got the same fucking message I did!”

Tony glares back. “So, fucking what? You’re the one in charge of coms. You should’ve been all over that shit!”

Lilith and I glance at each other, then Lilith speaks up. “What the fuck is the problem now?”

Tony and Matt look at her with matching guilty expressions, but they don’t say anything.

I wait a moment, then step closer, pushing Matt out of the way and snagging the tablet that’s on the counter. It’s open to text messages, and I slowly read the message stating the mission has been compromised and help is needed.

The message was sent over an hour ago.

From Darius.

Which means he must have sent it from the parking garage while he was waiting for Agatha.

I turn my gaze to Matt, who can barely meet my eyes. “Where is he now?”

Matt swallows, his jaw clenching before he replies. “Both his phones show he’s still in the parking garage.”

I turn to Tony, my heart in my throat as I ask, “And was he there?”

He shakes his head, reaching into his pocket and pulling two phones out, which he sets on the counter next to the tablet. “I found these, but he’s nowhere to be found. He must have ditched them when we didn’t immediately reply.”

A look of shame crosses his features for a moment, but then he takes a deep breath, and it passes. “We’re already tapping into the cameras in the garage. We don’t have GPS on Agatha’s car, but we know the make and model, so we’ll attempt to trace it once we know which direction it was headed when it left here.”

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