Page 114 of Cruel Devotion

Chen gave me a weak smile. “Perhaps, we should let Duck get a few minutes of sleep, before arriving at Utopia.”

I didn't argue with him.

Ever the strategist, yesterday, Duck had spent countless hours pouring over maps and information. His mind was always working, always planning. Unfortunately, that meant that he had not gotten much sleep and had been cranky with exhaustion the whole time.

I looked out the window next to me, checking to see where we were.

The helicopter hummed steadily through the skies.

We haven't hit the mountain range yet. But at least we're out of Paradise City.

I glanced over my shoulder.

In the two rows behind me, my main men mirrored the same fatigue that Duck and Hu did. They had also combed through the city and beyond with me yesterday, their resolve unbroken even in the face of these mounting odds.

Damn it, Yan. We didn’t need this fucking detour that you put us on.

We had all devoted the past day to an exhaustive, aggressive search that had taken its toll on us.

And nothing came from it all. Yan had vanished like a fucking dark shadow on a bright, sunny day.

Why did you have to take Chanel? I was going to say goodbye and return her body to the Killer Crows.

My heart ached as my thoughts drifted back to the yesterday.

I hadn't even planned on going.

But since I was already searching all over Paradise City for my sister, Chen thought it would be a good idea show my face.

It was the most painful moment of the week.

The somber faces and hushed whispers.

The tears and rage on the Killer Crows' faces.

The weight of loss hanging in the air.

Standing at the graveside, I experienced an overwhelming sense of emptiness.

Chanel's grave—devoid of her body—felt like an open wound.

Then, there were the actual crows soaring above, with their incessant cawing. They swopped and circled, angrily flapping their wings. Their dark feathers damn near blacked out the graying sky.

Had their presence at the funeral been an odd occurrence?

Or was it Chanel's spiritual disapproval of my losing her body?

Regardless, all the crows’ harsh cries echoed my inner turmoil.

Even more, Dima and even that idiot Marcelo attempted to talk to me, but their words evaporated into the cold air. There was nothing they could say.

Too much grief enveloped me.

So, I had done the only thing that felt right at the moment. . .I left. I jumped on my bike. There was this need for speed, for the rush of air and the blur of my surroundings.

Chen and Duck followed.

The rest of the night my men and I scoured every inch of Paradise City and surrounding cities, stumbling upon dead ends and unyielding paths that only fueled my desperation.

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