Page 132 of Unspoken Truths

Cleaning up our campsite, we pack up and begin to walk back to the SUV. We took my vehicle since there was more room in it, and all of our gear easily fits into the trunk. Once everything is packed up, we climb in. I’m not someone who has to drive typically. I know the guys are all good drivers, so if I don’t have to, I won’t.

Getting into the passenger seat, I smirk at Jared as he climbs in beside me.

“Such a damn passenger princess,” he mutters, closing the door.

“Can you access the camera at my house, Theo?” Nacio asks. “Everything is showing up black.”

Hotspotting my laptop, I fire it up to log into the system. Camera after camera says it’s offline, making me scowl.

“Someone found them,” I reply. “None of them are active, Nacio.”

“Dammit, that’s what I figured. Dad must have found them. I fully expect that conversation to be less than stellar,” he grunts. “How do we go about this? Am I taking one for the team and just going home to see if she’s alive?”

“Are you going to get shot if she’s not?” Elijah asks, wincing. “Your dad is too wrapped up in your stepsister for that not to happen. I mean this in the most creepy way possible.”

“I appreciate that,” Nacio mutters, rolling his eyes.

“We do it together,” Jared decides. “Your dad can’t shoot us all.”

“You’d be surprised,” Nacio sighs.

My finger twitches to a song only in my mind, moving through every possible scenario. I honestly think we may all die today if Rachelle drowned in the creek. Frowning, I begin to look up her name in every hospital database in the city, forcing myself to focus.

“Liliana lied,” I announce. “Rachelle wasn’t in any hospital in the area. So, where the fuck is she?”

Nacio told us he caved and called Liliana, which is why he’s been so off. Once I feel like something is wrong, I’m like a dog with a bone until I find out what it is.

“We’re about to find that out,” Jared murmurs, turning toward the Reyes gates outside of the home.

The gates open as if someone has been waiting for us, and I swallow convulsively. Few things scare me, but Emil Reyes definitely does. Putting away my computer, I can feel my fingers threatening to cramp due to the stress. It never fails to happen.

Outwardly, it looks as if I don’t give a shit,but if anyone would think to look at my hands, they’d know immediately that it’s all an act.

“Alright, boys,” Jared murmurs. “Keep a cool head.”

Together, we get out of the vehicle, walking up the driveway toward the front door, only to be startled by Emil Reyes stepping out of it with a fucking shotgun.

“Dad,” Nacio says, eyes narrowing. There’s no apparent fear that I can see, though he does stop in his track, as do we.

When in doubt, follow his lead in all things regarding his father or the mafia.

“I didn’t think you liked the shotgun,” Nacio says idly. There’s a vein in his throat that’s twitching from the stress of this conversation, the only sign that this is as bad as it seems. Fuck me.

“I ironically decided to take it apart and clean it this morning,” Mr. Reyes says. “I just finished putting it back together. What do you want?”

“I live here, remember?” Nacio asks. “Why do you have the shotgun, Dad?”

“Reminding me that my spunk is the reason you’re standing here instead of having your mother swallow you isn’t going to help,” Mr. Reyes says.

This man is fucking savage. Is it too late to run back to the car?

“Maybe so,” Nacio says. “Is Rachelle inside?”

It feels like a more innocent and neutral question than simply asking if she’s alive.

“She’s not,” Mr. Reyes says. “I also don’t think it’s a good idea for you to stay here for a few days. Julia is currently out for blood. I had to lock up all the knives and hidden weapons in the house.”

I know there are weapons Velcroed underneath different pieces of furniture in case it’s ever needed. It’s kind of mind boggling how paranoid Mr. Reyes is, but I suppose he comes by it honestly.

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