Page 170 of Straight to Me

His sinister laugh ruffles the hairs on the back of my neck. “Let her go!? Do you know what they’re going to do to your boyfriend? You wouldn’t be asking to let her go if you knew.”

Fire catches my throat. I can’t let myself think about that, otherwise I’ll fall apart, and I can’t afford for that to happen. “I said let her go.”

His eyes widen, a little impressed.

I look at Lauren. “Whatever you’ve done, I don’t blame you for any of this. Whatever they’ve made you do, you arenotto blame, do you hear me?”

She nods her head as fresh tears spill over her cheeks. Alex’s grip on her visibly tightens. “Why do you care so much about her? She’s been giving the Sodom Saviours information on you and the biker for weeks now.”

My mind scrambles to make sense of conversations we’ve had. Nothing stands out as something that could have compromised either me or VP. Realising that doesn’t matter right now I stand firm.

“I don’t care.”

“You don’t care? You really should.”

“What about you? Were you really my friend, or have you been watching me too?” I say to distract him.

“Oh, I’ve been watching you. But you wouldn’t let me close enough. That’s where Lauren came in. Except, you made things much harder when you came back from your trip and broke up.” His dry smile sends chills up my spine.

Now I know how the Sodom Saviours knew we were flying to Australia and when to hit us. “It was you,” I say, and his smug face confirms it. “Why? I didn’t even know you then?”

“Try not to blame yourself, Mads,” he says sarcastically. “When you said you were going, it was easy to put two and two together. I put the call in to the Sodom Saviours the moment you gave Vivian your holiday dates. And when I saw you with…him… well that just about confirmed it.”

“Why?”

My phone vibrates in my hand again. I try my hardest to answer it without making it obvious, but I can’t tell if I have or not.

“Like most people, I’m in their debt,” Alex says.

“A debt, that’s it? Wouldn’t it be easier to just pay it back rather than endanger a child?” My voice rises. “How could you involve her in any of this?”

“You thinkIinvolved her?”

Under his hold, Lauren tries to move free. “She was transferred to us to make sure I kept up my end of the bargain.”

“Bargain?”

He sighs, annoyed I’m not putting the pieces together quicker. “They move her, and her brother, whenever they need something. They don’t give a shit about her, you or me, they only want what they want. She’s a means to an end, same as us.”

“And if they don’t get what they want?”

His narrow eyes darken. “Then they take it.”

The finality of it becomes too much. I can’t let him take Lauren back to those monsters. I make a grab for her arm, but he swipes me away. A menacing look takes over his dark features. “They have Dean, because of what he’s done. I have to deliver you to them as well in answer to that.”

My heart violently beats under my ribs. “What about Lauren?”

“I won’t hurt her. I just need to make sure she keeps quiet about the part I’ve played before I send her back to them.” My stomach twists and burns at his vicious threat.

“No. I won’t let you give her to them.”

Reaching for her again, Alex pulls her back. Only this time, she shakes herself loose and kicks him before running behind me. Alex curses and I realise his piercing eyes actually look scared. He needs to do his part otherwise he’s in danger too.

Lauren and I take short, quick steps away from him. Behind me, I hold my phone for Lauren to take, waving it frantically for her to understand. She takes it from my grasp.

Alex starts towards me, trying to get to her again, but I’m still in his way. “Wait! You don’t have to do this,” I plead. “You don’t need to take her. Not if you have me. I’ll go with you willingly.”

He looks from Lauren to me. “I can’t do that.”

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