Page 137 of You Had Me At Thirteen

With the gun wrapped again in the dark fabric, I place it on the driver’s side seat of my car.

My phone vibrates with a text message. Number unknown.

Corner of Jackson and Margate. Don’t be late.

Seconds later, another message comes through, but this time it’s a picture of Matilda tied up to a chair. She’s bleeding from her forehead and nose, her mouth taped up.

My phone cracks under the pressure of my hand before Jordan snatches it off me and glances at the photo.

‘Motherfucker,’ he says, running his hand down his face. He shoves the phone at me, proceeding to pace in front of me as he pulls at his hair. ‘Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.’ His voice rings out through the emptiness.

He loves Matilda, too. And she does that to people, makes them love her without even trying. Fuck, she didn’t even have to be nice to me for me to fall at her feet.

Matilda is my family now, and I’ll do anything for my family.

Kill for them if I have to.

I glance at the gun in my seat as I nod to myself.

Kill for her.

Jordan gives me one last hug before I peel out of the carpark at 11:30 pm and head out of town towards the address Eli sent me.

The spot he selected is about twenty minutes out of town, but secluded enough that we shouldn’t be disturbed. I doubt Eli is stupid enough to choose a place where we’d get caught. Although, he is stupid enough to take what’s mine.

I pull up Will’s number again and press the call button. It rings twice before he answers.

‘What’s going on?’

‘Eli has Matilda. I’m on my way to meet him now.’

‘Fuck,’ Will says, his voice low. ‘Let me guess, he wants money?’

‘Yep. A hundred grand. My dad fucked up big time.’

Will blows out a breath, quiet for a moment. ‘You need me to do anything?’

‘Keep that tracking app going on your phone. You’ll know where I am once I stop. If anything happens to me, find Matilda. And kill that sonofabitch.’

I can’t risk telling him exactly where I’m going because as much as I know he wants to help, Matilda’s life will be at risk if unexpected guests show up. By the time I reach the meeting spot, I plan to get it over and done with before anyone even has time to work out exactly where I am.

‘No worries. Anything else?’ He says it like I’ve just asked him to pick up a six-pack from the pub. Nothing phases this guy anymore.

‘Nah, I’m good… and Will?’

‘Yeah?’

‘Thanks. For everything.’

He clears his throat. ‘You got it. I’ll see you soon, brother.’ The phone goes dead.

Will’s a man of few words, but he’s loyal as fuck. There’s no way Koby or Emerson could handle this situation, so Will’s my main man right now.

The drive is quiet as I keep the radio turned off, the only sound coming from the tyres against the bitumen. As the streetlights get fewer and further between, I know I’m getting close. I’ve driven this road so many times, I know it like the back of my hand.

Matilda loves the drive to our lookout. I sayourbecause it’s where I realised she’s it for me. It was the day she found me after the fight with my mum, where she promised to always be there for me.

Now I’m keeping my promise to her. The one where I burn the fucking world down if anything happens to her. I don’t give a fuck what happens to me. I’ll lay my life down for her because she’s more important than breathing. Anything she wants, I’ll give it to her. She just needs to come back to me and I’ll drop to my knees for her for the rest of my life.

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