Page 42 of Ends of Being

Tony shakes his head, “Not at all. It looks to me like she just gave him a bit of sass but then went along with whatever they were saying to her. She balks at one point, and I can’t even imagine what that was all about.”

Now, Matt laughs. “That sounds like Toni. She’s just as crazy as the rest of us.”

“I just hope she keeps her crazy in check long enough to not get herself killed. Have you been able to pinpoint her location?”

Tony winces then replies, “Sort of. I’m not sure where she is, but I know who took her.”

I frown, huffing in annoyance, “Tell me.”

He winces again as he mutters, “Lilith.”

My eyes widen, my fists clenching at my sides as red-hot fury envelops me, and I grit out, “Are you sure?”

“Of course, I’m sure,” he says, giving me an insulted glare. He pauses and looks away for a moment before continuing, “But that’s where the trail ends.”

I wave my hands at him impatiently. “For fuck’s sake, Tony. Just fucking tell me.”

He glances at Matt, then turns back to me. “I managed to contact Lilith, who confirmed she did take her, but also that she was returned to the apartment not long after.”

I move to grab the tablet nearest to me to check the recent video feed, but Tony stops me. “She never made it back to the apartment, Dare. Someone else got to her along the way.”

My blood runs cold. “What are you saying, Tony?” The look on his face tells me everything I need to know, and the rage and fear explode inside me. I bellow in fury, grabbing the closest object and throwing it across the room. “Fuck!”

Tony and Matt sit back silently and allow me my moment of destruction, then stand there while I attempt to catch my breath. Finally, Tony speaks, “You good?”

I nod. “Do you think Lilith is playing us?”

Tony shakes his head. “No way. The tantrum she had when she realized what happened was way worse than yours. She went ballistic—like, I had to hold on the line for ten minutes while she lit up the place. It was pretty epic.”

I frown. “And then what did she say?”

“She said to give her an hour.” He glances at his watch. “That was fifty-four minutes ago.”

“Give her an hour to do what?” I practically shout.

Tony shrugs. “She did not elaborate, but from the way I heard her bellowing orders as she went to end our call, I have a feeling it is somewhere along the lines scorched earth.”

My eyes widen. “Really?”

He nods, and I relax a bit at the idea that Lilith may also have the capacity to become completely unhinged when pushed into a corner. Given her connections to the deep underworld, it’s likely she’ll be able to locate Toni relatively quickly, or at least quicker than we can.

Tony’s personal phone vibrates, and I give him a questioning look. “You gave her your number?”

He shakes his head. “No, I did not.”

I grab the phone, accepting the unknown incoming call, and Lilith’s voice barks out, “Come to the location I sent you.” Then she hangs up without further explanation.

I check the messages and locations on Tony’s phone but come up empty. “What the fuck is she talking about?”

Matt speaks up, “Check your phone, Dare.”

I do as he says, then glare at my phone, as a message from an unknown number appears on my screen.Now, she’s just fucking showing off.

I look between Matt and Tony, the unasked question floating in the air until Matt speaks up. “Well, let’s go fuck around and find out.”

When we arrive at the warehouse, the two men outside immediately lead us through a maze.

I’m on edge as I walk into the unknown. I still have no fucking clue who this woman is, but I’m starting to think that she’s more important than I originally thought. Worst-case scenario, this is all a set-up, they have Antoinette, and I’m walking into my own death trap. I don’t fucking care, but Matt and Tony are antsy, practically gnashing to get to the bottom of it all. I’m glad to have them with me, but at the same time, I wish we had a bit more to fall back on than our typical fuck-around-and-find-out mantra.

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