Page 134 of Magic or Madness

Soon enough, we’re in place, and I click on my earpiece, eager to hear what the guys see, but more importantly, I need Fallon’s voice to keep me going.

I adjust the gun in my waistband and drop the bag of cash on the ground at my feet. We’re about twenty minutes away from the meet, and I’m confident in the plans we came up with.

“How are we looking?” I ask, but it’s silent, nothing coming through.

We triple-checked the connection, so there shouldn’t be any technical difficulties.

“Street cams are clear and we have eyes on you both,” Lex finally says, a slight hesitation in his voice that I can hear crystal clear.

“Bambi? You copy?” I muse, waiting for a smart-mouth comment that never comes.

Everyone is silent as we wait for Fallon to answer, but that moment passes, as well as a few more, and I feel the panic rising in my throat.

“Lex, Journey, have you guys heard from her?”

Whatever is going on, they’re not sharing, and anxiety is coursing through my veins. Something isn’t right, she was more ready for this than all of us, and she’d never justnot answer.

“No, Ozzy. We haven’t heard from Fallon yet, we’ve been on comms for about twenty minutes, attempting to make contact,” Lex answers slowly, and I feel the rage burning from my toes, making its way up into my chest.

“Okay, maybe she forgot how to use it. Double-check the cams at the dealership, please. Just check that she didn’t leave or anything.” My breaths feel like sharp stabs to the chest, no one answers me, and Oliver and I exchange a look of panic, knowing that this is completely unlike Fallon.

Before I can say anything more, two black cars pull down the road, and the client is early.

I can’t tell if that’s a good or bad sign, but everything else has to wait as I need to put on my best poker face. I stand tall, onehand in front of me, the other gripping my waistband in case things take a turn.

Oliver assumes the same position, and we offer a united front as two men exit the vehicle, covered head to toe in black clothing.

They’re wearing the same face masks that we are, and there goes any hope of identifying them. I glance at the cars, noticing the license plates, and I hope Lex is paying attention, getting all the information he can while we’re vulnerable out here.

One of the men steps forward, so I do the same, nodding at Oliver to stay behind me.

“We have the cash,” I say, but he doesn’t respond, almost as if he’s waiting for something.

I notice that he has a Bluetooth device in his ear, just as we do, and when he nods, I realize he’s gotten his orders. Most likely from the man we’ve been in contact with.

“This is for you. Next time, you’ll understand the terms set out beforehand,” he says, almost like he’s reciting lines that have been fed to him.

The second man isn’t as big, but he steps up, handing me a small box, and Oliver immediately flanks to my left, his weapon drawn.

“What is this?” I yell, but neither man responds, turning away and walking back to the cars.

They don’t even bother with the money, and I have a twisted sense that we’ve been played.

None of this went as planned, and the box I’m holding feels like it weighs a million pounds.

“What is it?” Oliver asks, but I can’t move, I’m frozen, staring into the abyss in complete disbelief.

What did I miss?

“Hey, Oz. Open it.” Oliver shakes me slightly, tearing me out of my dead stare while I look down at the cardboard in my hands, slowly pulling the tape and opening the flaps.

My jaw drops, and I feel full panic cascade over me, stealing my ability to breathe. It hits me all at once, like a fucking semi-truck, and I can barely say the words out loud.

None of this would be concerning, but altogether, it’s fucking alarming. The bells are sounding, the troops should be deployed, and we’re caught in a full-scale war, walking in completely blind.

I’m staring down at one of our Bluetooth earpieces, the Athena necklace I bought for Fallon’s birthday, and a small lock of purple hair.

Finally, it clicks into place, and the panic has disappeared, being replaced by something much more dangerous: unfiltered rage.

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