Page 14 of Until Retribution Burns (Beauty in Lies 3)

I flinched back, startled by the frantic energy in the motion. She stared at my face as her breath wheezed out of her lungs. "My God," she whispered suddenly. She pushed to her feet, racing for the bedroom door and into the hallway. It took me a moment to react, standing and following after her as she set a brisk pace through the halls. She went further into the maze, turning at the end of the house to the last room at the end.

Something ominous slithered up my spine as she paused at the door to draw in a deep breath. Her brown eyes met mine, shadows moving behind them as she turned the knob and pushed the door in. The hinges creaked as if it hadn't been opened for years, then Regina stepped into the darkness and disappeared from view.

A moment passed as I stood there, rooted to the spot and unable to shake the feeling that, once I went into that room, nothing would ever be the same. My life as I'd known it would be forever changed, and I would realize just how deeply entrenched my soul had been in Rafael's world before I’d ever even laid eyes on him.

A light clicked on inside, and it was enough to draw my feet slowly toward the door. I pushed my way more fully into the dusty space that felt as if it had served as a tomb. Regina tore a sheet off the top of the desk, dust scattering in the air as she coughed and ran a trembling hand over the chestnut surface.

She moved away from it, tearing sheets off the boxes and filing cabinets that filled the room. "What is this place?" I asked, stepping inside and swatting the dusty air away from my face. She settled when all the files were revealed, turning a stunned stare my way briefly before she set to tearing the lid off the first box. Sorting through the files, she shoved it to the side and moved onto the next, her anxious face making my own panic rise higher with every moment that passed.

"Miguel had many friends who were fond of young girls," she said. "That's why I said it would make more sense that he would sell you rather than kill you. I can't imagine you weren't a beautiful child. He would have benefited from selling you."

"I don't understand what that has to do with anything. No matter the reasoning, hedidn'tsell me, Regina," I said, moving toward her as another box was shoved out of her way. She stilled as she opened another, her hands hovering over the contents of the box as she stared down and all the air left her lungs. "Regina?" I asked, stepping closer.

When I stood directly in front of her, she finally turned her wide eyes up to look at me. The horror I saw in them was what finally forced my gaze down to the contents of the box.

And found my own face staring back at me.

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