Page 79 of My Everything

He made up his mind too, and there was no changing it. Yet I kept trying, as I had for the last hour, taking us closer to the meetup Dominic instructed.

Blackmoor woods.

Alex mentioned it, and hearing Dominic say it somehow made it real. It was not a scam. The guy was real. The place was real. The question was, what were his intentions?

A wooden bridge appeared in front of us. Narrow. Making me question if a car could really fit without falling off into the dark water creeping by below.

The oncoming car stopped on the other side of the bridge and not long after, my phone rang. I jumped from the sudden sound, fishing it up from the seat between me and Marc.

“Hello?” my voice quivered despite my best effort to keep it steady. Marc gestured for me to put the call on speaker. I did, then waited for the deep raspy voice to fill the car.

“Once you cross this border, you’ll be safe. I need to know my family will, too.”

I gulped. Just hearing him speak made me shiver. The way he could make a simple sentence sound like a threat spoke of no good. There was no doubt. This man was dangerous. And I was about to let Marc go…

I glanced at him, trying to keep the panic from leaking into my voice. “What do you want?”

“Step out of the car,” Dominic instructed in that dead, monotone voice. “Hands in the air. And don’t try anything. My men are armed, and they will shoot.”

“She’s staying right here,” Marc snapped before I could say anything. “You’ll get me. No one else.”

A dark chuckle rolled into the car. “I appreciate your protectiveness,” he said. “Step out.”

Johnny’s eyes darted to the rearview mirror. “Guys,” he hissed. “I think we should get out of here.”

I twisted my neck around, eyes widening at the sight of a car coming towards us from behind.

“Marc!”

He looked too, and a grim look came over his face. I knew what he was thinking because the same thought screamed in my head.It’s a trap.I led us into a trap. I cut the call, crying out to Johnny. “Drive!”

“There’s no fucking space,” he shouted. “We’re trapped.”

My eyes darted to the trees surrounding us outside. A thick wall of trunks towered above the car on both sides, making a run for it impossible. The only way forward was to cross that bridge, and that too was blocked. Johnny was right. We were trapped between nature and two cars with nowhere to go.

My belly squeezed into a tight knot, and my heartbeat skyrocketed. I couldn’t go back there. Marc couldn’t go back. They’d kill him, possibly me, too. And what about Johnny? “It’s my fault,” I cried. “I thought I was doing the right thing.”

He’s Mr. X’s brother.

I wanted to cry. They were the same. They were one big freakingmafiafamily and now we were caught.

Marc looked at me, face unreadable and cold, and something in me died. He blamed me, too. How could he not? I was going to be his destruction, and he knew it. “Marc,” I whispered. “I’m—”

“Shut it,” he hissed. “I need to think.”

A whimper escaped my lips despite me clamping them shut.

He threw the door open, and before I could reach him, he stepped out into the heavy rain. I wanted to scream, to scramble after him, but I was paralyzed. Frozen to the spot. I watched him lift his good arm, holding up his hand in surrender.Marc, no,I cried inside.Don’t do this.

But he did. He stepped forward, allowing a tall man dressed in a dark suit to search him for weapons. He found the gun he had tucked into his belt, pocketed it, then abruptly twisted his arms behind his back to cuff him.

My “No”echoed in the car, almost drowning out the sudden cry from Marc.

“Fuck!” Johnny’s sudden shout tore a scream-mixed sob from my throat.

I regained the ability to move, flinging the door open, tumbled out and started to run. The man dragged Marc with him to a black van, slid a door opened and let go with a shove. “Get in,” he instructed.

“No! Marc!” I launched myself forward, only one thought in my head. I needed to reach him before they took him away. “Marc!”

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