Chapter Twelve
We pulled up to the address listed on the note, a city of abandoned warehouses that sent a chill through my body.
"I have a bad feeling," I murmured to Caleb beside me, my gut twisting uncomfortably.
A frown flashed across his features but was gone as Nash turned the car off.
Genevieve had offered to stay behind at my apartment in case someone showed up there, and Jack, of course not wanting to leave her alone, had insisted on also staying behind.
So either side of me was Alyssa and Caleb, with Nash up the front. My mind strayed to Cameron, and the uneasy feeling in my chest worsened.
"We're just gonna give them the money, and get out, yeah?" The hair on my arms pricked up, a weird, terrible excitement coursing through me. We weren't giving them what they wanted.
We only had the five grand Nash got, that was all we could afford. None of the rest of us had any money.
Nash shoved the envelope of cash in his jumper pocket, his face grim.
What will you do if Cam gets hurt? My heart rate spiked, the thought of Cameron lying broken and bloody somewhere haunting my mind. I pushed the image away and forced myself back to the conversation.
"What if they don't give them back?" Alyssa asked, biting her nails. She was maybe even more nervous than me.
Nash's face was stony and hard, his blue eyes cold. "Then we'll get the police." I shivered at the emptiness in his voice. This was a strange Nash.
You're so stupid. Why didn't you just listen to Cam in the first place? A panic began to seep into mind, my body starting to break into a sweat.
Alyssa took my hand gently, squeezing slightly. I took a deep, shuddering breath and followed Caleb out of the car, and into the dark streets.
Nash was up ahead, scouring the dark buildings. "I think it's this one," he called, turning back and pointing to a warehouse to the right, that was identical to all the others.
Silently we followed him through the partially open gates, a large, empty carpark leading a path to the mass of brick and stone.
There were no streetlights on, the only illumination coming from the moon, which was mostly covered with cloud.
The feeling in my chest got worse, and I reached for Alyssa. "I'm scared," I whispered to her, and it was even clear to me the hoarseness in my voice.
She gave me a tight smile that didn't reach her eyes and tugged me forward. "I am too." She squeezed my hand once me before letting go, leaving me feeling emtpy.
Suddenly lights were beaming in our eyes, leaving us blinded for a few moments. I heard the car pull up before I saw it, the tires creating a scratching, popping noise on the gravel.
It was a long, stretch limo, almost completely blending in with the darkness behind it.
My heart nearly completely stopped in my chest as two very large men got out of the car, coming to stand either side of the backseat door.
Muscles roped their arms and legs, their torso's huge barrels of steel.
Nash moved quickly and silently to stand beside me, the warmth of his body radiating toward me. Caleb moved to Alyssa, and any other time I would have smiled smugly toward them. But I couldn't muster up enough happiness to achieve that.
Out stepped a shorter, even scarier looking man. His dark hair was cropped short, and I noticed a diamond glinting from his right ear. The man, obviously, was R.
Oddly, he was dressed in a tux, almost looking like he had another place to be. The entire situation had a ridiculousness to it that made me want to scream.
"Where are they?" I demanded, causing me to get alarmed looks from Caleb and Alyssa.
"Willow." The man smiled at me, an unpleasant, cold thing. "Lani said you were quite the feisty thing."
"We don't want to talk, we just want our friends back." Nash's hand barely brushed mine, but it was enough to calm some of my nerves.
Nash reached into his jumper pocket and through the envelope of money at R, who gestured for one of his goons to retrieve it.
R's eyes grew malicious, but his smile still held. "Is this all of it then?"
I shook my head. "We could only get five thoussnd but-"
"Only half the money, only one of your friends. Open the trunk." My stomach dropped.
"Why? Why are you doing this?" I could even hear the desperation in my voice. "What have I done? What has Lani done?"
R chuckled, a blood chilling thing. "It's nothing either of you have done."
I barely had time to process his words. My heart sunk as Lani's frail, broken body came into view. Only one of the bodyguards needed to carry her she was so small.
She was dumped on the concrete a few meters in front of us. I wanted to go to her, but I couldn't make my legs work.
His smile turned into a grin and they moved toward the car. R stopped and turned slightly. "Tell your father Rex said hello." With that, he got in the limousine.
Everything slowed. Rex wound down the window. His arm appeared. I didn't realize he was holding a gun.
A shot rang out.
***
"Lani."
We were back a the warehouse car park. Lani was there, facing away from me.
Lights were on this time, so bright, all angled toward her. She couldn't seem to hear me.
"Lani." I moved toward her, the only sound my feet on the concrete.
She turned as I reached for her. My mouth fell open and a scream stuck in my throat. Her eyes were empty pits, her mouth bloody and freshly beaten. She was covered in bruises.
"Lani, oh my God, Lani how can I help you?" I reached for her, but suddenly it wasn't her anymore. "Cameron?"
He was bruised, but his eyes were his eyes, and his lips were his lips. But there was a sadness about him that frightened me.
"Why didn't you save me Willow?" His voice echoed in the wide, empty space. "It's all your fault. Why didn't you save me? Why...?"
I reached for him, but where I touched him his skin chipped away. A gust of wind blew through the car park, and he was gone.
I screamed, sitting bolt upright and into someone's arms. "Shh, it was only a dream, it was only a dream." Nash pulled me onto his lap, rocking me back and forth. "You're okay. You're okay."
I couldn't hold in the sobs that wracked my body, hysterical cries that ripped and tore my throat to shreds.
"Willow," Nash whispered in my ear, before placing a small kiss on my bare shoulder. "Breathe. Please. Breathe, Willow."
I took a shuddering, painful gasp of air, tears continuing to stream down my face.
Nash pulled away, only slightly, to gently wipe my face dry. "Calm down. You're okay."
It wasn't me I was crying for, it was Lani. Cameron.
My room was dark, the only light coming from the moon streaming in through the cracks in my curtain. It was bright enough though, that I could quite easily make out Nash's features.
I hiccupped. A hint of a smile played at the edge of Nash's mouth, even his deep blue eyes warming. "You're beautiful, even when you're a mess."
I couldn't help but roll my eyes. As I blinked, a stray tear slid down my face.
My bottom lip slipped between my teeth as I struggled to hold myself together. Almost imperceptibly, Nash's eyes became a shade darker, but I noticed the strange and sudden change.
He reach up and gently tugged my lip free. "Don't." I shakily released the breath I had been holding, and I realized how close Nash and I were.
"I'm sorry," I muttered, beginning to shuffle off him.
He grabbed my waist, stopping me, shaking his head. "No. Don't leave."
I paused for a moment, staring at him through the darkness of my bedroom. I knew Jack and Genevieve were somewhere in the apartment, most likely in Lani's room. Or, what was Lani's room.
I nodded slightly, but still slid off him and onto the mattress beside him. He laid down next to me, on his side, his hand coming to rest on my waist where my tank top had risen up.
He placed a gentle kiss on my shoulder again, his lips warm and smooth on my skin.
I felt myself drifting off in his warmth, barely registering the words he whispered to me.
"You're going to make me love you." I felt him sigh beside me, and snuggle in closer. "Goodnight, you crazy, beautiful girl."
A/N
Hey everyone! New chapter (: had to rewrite this because Wattpad was being a bitch.
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Thanks for reading ^.^
-M.G