Page 103 of Scarred Sins
I take a deep breath, bracing myself for the inevitable.
“How much time before they get here?”
“About thirty minutes. Mom and Dad are in positions, and if you look closely enough, the backup team is near. They’re just very good at hiding.’’
“Has X made any contact yet?”
“No,’’ Arlo sighs. “We didn’t expect him to. This isn’t a simple infiltration. It took a lot of effort to get him in. I’d rather not have him rush into anything. When he has any useful information for us, he’ll contact us first. I’m hopeful it will be soon.’’
“What exactly is his job? If this goes well tonight, wouldn’t his infiltration be pointless?”
“It’s not that simple,’’ Arlo explains. “The best case scenario is to get Simmons and Adams, but we still have Woods and Flint walking around. And evenifwe do get those two as well, this isn’t a four-man business. We need names of their clients and names of the people within the law enforcement they’ve bribed. Only X can get those for us.’’
“So, he’ll be staying undercover for a while?”
Arlo nods. “He’ll stay in until we’ve caught everyone.’’
“What happens if he’s discovered?”
“That’s a highly unlikely scenario. X is a highly trained individual who’s been on undercover missions most of his adulthood. He is an ex-CIA agent, so trust me when I tell you he is good at what he does. Don’t worry, he won’t set us back.’’
With a small nod, I turn my attention back to Aria. She slowly turns off her phone, tucks it in the pocket of her jacket, and puts a mask on. It’s a simple surgical one, just in a black color. I’m not sure exactly why she’s wearing one, but it makes her seem more mature. At times, I wonder if she’s truly happy with the life she’s living. She’s only sixteen, yet she’s killed too many people to count.
“Don’t stress too much, alright?” Arlo speaks, and my attention shifts back on him. I take a small step forward, kissing his chest over the thin shirt he has on. He takes his hands out of his pockets, wrapping both of them around my body, burying his face in the crook of my neck.
“I don’t know how you’ll feel about this,’’ he mumbles, and from what I can see, the tips of his ears are turning slightly red. “I love you, Blair. I’ve loved you for a long time, and I can’t wait for all of this to be over so that I can show you just how much you mean to me. I’ll make it my life mission to show you how good life can be, to give you the best things, the finest things the world can offer.’’
It takes me a while to process his words. And when it sinks in, my heart starts thumping rapidly against my chest. The purity, sincerity, and affection that coat his words are impossible to miss, causing another wreck deep in my soul.
All of me wants to tell him I’m feeling the same, to hug him tightly and never let go. To promise him a wonderful, happily ever after and to run off into the sunset with him. But I can’t. The parts of me that are terrified of the future, insecure about the present, and troubled about the past won’t let me. The things I’m feeling I cannot convey into words.
So, I just hugged him back, kissing the side of his head. His scent calms me down, sending a wave of shivers down my body. It’s truly a miracle I’ve found someone as caring as Arlo, and although I won’t admit it out loud just yet – not until all of this mess has been put behind us.
Arlo freezes, and in the next moment, he pulls back and drags me behind one of the high trees. It’s silent for a few moments before I hear a distant sound of cars approaching. I can’t tell how many there are, but more than four.
“Don’t overthink it,’’ Arlo advises, voice lowering an octave. “I’m right behind you, my butterfly.’’
I crouch down, peeking from behind the tree. The manor is massive, and every light’s been turned off. Noelle’s already on the inside, and I’m assuming Hudson’s with her. But there’s quite a bit of distance between the manor and the spot we’re hiding at. The forest is quite big, too, and easy to get lost in.
The closer the cars seem to be getting, the faster my heart is pounding. My palms are itchy, and my forehead’s getting sweaty. I can’t push down the anxiety that starts bubbling in my chest, but Arlo’s presence behind me does help soothe it a little.
The first four cars park, and men wearing pitch black exit them. From afar, I can’t tell if either of them is Simmons or Adams, but what happens next has my entire body recoiling.
A black van parks behind the cars, and the men open the door. Fifteen women, chained by their wrists and ankles, with blindfolds covering their eyes. The men aren’t gentle with them, either, pushing and shoving them toward the entrance of the manor.
My blood boils, and one glance at Arlo’s face is enough to tell me that he’s feeling the same. His hands are fisted by his sides, expression blank, void of any emotions. However, his jaw clenches, muscles tense up, and I can tell that he’s struggling to hold back.
Another five cars pull up behind the van, and the moment all the women have entered the manor, the rain of bullets starts.
And all hell breaks loose.
THIRTY-TWO
As soon as the bullets leave the barrels within the manor, everyone attacks. The men that belong to Simmons and Adams draw out their weapons, scattering around the premises and hunting us down. Some are good, some are newbies, but regardless, there are more of them, yet it’s not in their favor.
It looks like they didn’t know the terrain, and those that look more comfortable have most likely been working for the motherfuckers for a while. They lead a group inside, and I watch as a couple of them drop dead at the entrance.
There’s no sound, no sight of the bullets, but they pierce through their skulls, and I know that it’s Raven. I don’t know exactly where the bastard’s positioned, but it’s either high up in a tree somewhere or on one of the big balconies that the manor has.
