Page 62 of Unmask
She wore a skintight, glittery minidress that barely covered her thighs, an outfit she’d never wear by choice. Silver heels. Lips painted a harsh red though they trembled. Her hair, once so meticulously curled, now hung limp and stringy down her shoulders.
She looked like a doll someone had dressed up for a twisted game.
My stomach flipped.
My lungs forgot how to work.
A sob climbed up my throat, but I swallowed it, blinking hard as my vision blurred. I clutched the phone, wanting to reach through the screen, grab her hand, and pull her back.
Kreed, sensing the change in my form, immediately snatched the phone from my hand. A message had accompanied the photo.
She should be you. Will you give up your freedom for hers? If you don’t, you’ll never see her again.
Kreed swore violently under his breath, a pulse ticking at his temple as his grip on the phone tightened. “Who the fuck sent this?”
“What the fuck is it?” Carson barked. “What’s wrong?”
Kreed didn’t answer. He was staring at me instead. His jaw was locked, his whole body buzzing with violence he barely contained.
I turned away, pressing the heels of my hands into my eyes, trying to breathe, trying to think, but all I could see was Kenny dressed like…like she was for sale. Suddenly, I couldn’t breathe. My chest hurt, each breath shallower than the last. The edges of my vision blurred, and my fingers went numb as panic climbedup my throat. I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t think. The rush of blood buzzed in my ears.
Then Kreed was there, his hands gentle but firm on either side of my face. “Hey, hey—look at me, little raven,” he said steadily. “You’re safe. I’ve got you.” I tried to shake my head, but he didn’t let me pull away. “Breathe with me, okay? In…and out.” His forehead rested lightly against mine as he mirrored slow breaths, over and over, until I started to match him, until the world stopped spinning, and my lungs worked again. “That’s it,” he whispered. “You’re not alone. I’m right here.”
It took a minute or two, but the edges of the panic attack slowly receded, and my breathing evened out.
Carson was watching us, his brows bunched together. He had my phone in his hand. “We need to show this to the police. They need to see this.”
He was right. I had to march back inside and show this message to the cops. They would know what to do.
Kreed leaned in, grabbing my chin gently but firmly, forcing me to look at him. “Do you trust me, little raven?”
“What does that have to do with anything?” I retorted, my brain unable to predict where this was going.
“If you go in there and show the cops this text”—he held up my phone—“they’ll kill her, and you’ll still be in danger.”
I couldn’t let my mind entertain the idea of losing my best friend. “What do you want me to do then? I can’t sit and do nothing.”
“And we won’t.” Kreed snatched my phone from Carson to keep him from running off with it.
“This is bullshit,” Carson hissed. “You’re putting Kenny’s life inhishands. The Kay I know would never be so reckless as to listen to this bullshit, not with her best friend.”
I dragged my gaze from Carson to Kreed. “Are you suggesting I comply and give them what they want?” Which was me.
“No.” His voice was lethal, a vow. “They’re not getting you. Don’t even think about it. I don’t care who they are or how many of them there are. You are not going to them.”
“But Kenny—” I started to argue.
“We’ll get her back,” he growled. “But we do it smart. We don’t play by their rules. They want you scared, desperate. It makes you easier to control.”
I didn’t know what to do. I was so confused. How did I know which choice was better? Which road led to Kenny alive and home? “Do you know what you’re asking of me?”
“I do.”
Tears burned my throat, but I swallowed them down. There wasn’t time for weakness. Not anymore.
Kreed’s forehead rested against mine for half a second, grounding me. “Trust me,” he whispered. “I’d burn them to the fucking ground before I let them hurt you.”
I nodded shakily.
