Page 102 of Onyx Realm

I brushed it off and hurried after Iris. Why was I so quick to go with her? Hell! Why was I so quick to make sure she cleared it with Markos? I was torn with my feelings toward him. Fresh air and a change of scenery would go to great lengths to clear my head.

Iris was silent as we took the elevator down to the ground floor. Hopping into her sporty little coup, I hoped she would say something, but she merely turned up the radio. I resisted the urge to rub my chest. Things hadn’t started out the greatest with my sister-in-law. Now, Penelope was the part of Chicago I missed the most. It had me starved in a way, being the only girl with two older, protective brothers could be.

But I didn’t know how to start building something with Iris.

We were both stormy, silent individuals by nature. It would take a sunshiny, bubbly personality to make us open up. Evangelia fit the bill. I found myself wishing she lived in the city—or that I could return to the cottage in the village.

Unable to stand the silence any longer, I shouted over the wind as we cruised onto the highway. “Where are we going?”

“You’ll see,” Iris shot back.

I clutched my hair, pulling it over my shoulder and holding it tight. I didn’t have a binder to braid it. There was nothing to do to prevent the snarls from forming except clutch it desperately.

The exit had signs for a shopping mall. Since it was a logical choice for bonding, I was concerned when Iris sped past the monolith. Each street grew lower and lower in paygrade, untilshe finally pulled into a cracked driveway. Weeds grew along the four-foot chain link fence. The metal roof and cinder block walls were far from inviting. The chipped paint, once some shade of yellow, was now too dirty to be cheerful.

“What the hell?” I demanded, pointing at the house. “What’s going on, Iris?”

But the other woman wasn’t looking at me. Her gaze was trained down the road at an approaching pickup.

“Iris!” I leaned over and shoved her with my fingertips.

“Shit,” she cursed.

Launching from the car, she snagged a pistol from under the seat.

But I couldn’t stop staring at the needle and syringe that she dropped.

That little—

Gunfire ripped the air.

I ducked, heart shooting to my throat. Whatever the hell mess this woman got me into unfolded with nightmarish proportions.

A loud thwump-thwump belched through the air. Iris yelped but managed to fire another round. It was only then I realized she was the one shooting. Whoever was in the truck....

I peeped up.

The weapon pointed at me from the window was large, like a cannon. Fear was the only thing I felt as it fired. I ducked, but not before a fist-sized beanbag collided with my shoulder. They weren’t using lethal force.

They were attempting to subdue us, not kill.

Registering that fact, I leaned over to grab the syringe. If Iris managed to shoot them, I wasn’t going to be left at her mercy.

Doors opened. A double whomp-whomp filled the air. Iris screamed in fury as she toppled over.

I slipped the needle into my pocket just as rough hands grabbed me. Pain laced my scalp as they tore me from the convertible, tugging my hair caught in their unforgiving grip.

Strings of an unknown language waved through the air.

As they pulled me inside, I glanced back to see Iris fighting hard. One of the men dodged her punch, then threw one of his own. It knocked the lights out of the poor thing.

Good riddance.

Not that I ever wanted to see a fellow woman hurt—especially by a man—but she broke the code of sisterhood with whatever she planned to do with the needle.

My captor kicked open the door. An overwhelming stench of cleaner made me choke, tears jumping easily to my eyes. They shoved me to the floor and dropped Iris next to me. An argument broke out between two of the three.

I rubbed my scalp, trying to think through the panic.

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