Page 78 of Making the King

“W-what?”

Without missing a beat, the guy on the other end carries on. “In two minutes, a white van is going to park outside Dirty Diamonds. If you don’t get inside without warning any of your friends, Grayson Black is going to pay the price.”

Before I can ask any questions, the stranger ends the call.

Shit, what the fuck do I do?

After we left the boat yesterday, Gray and Gunner burned it the fuck down. Cain told them both to stay low, and not return to Dirty Diamonds until tonight. So how the hell do I know if he’s really missing, or if the caller is bluffing?

My phone pings with an incoming text, and as though the stranger has a direct line to my thoughts, there’s a picture of Gray bound and gagged. His left eye is swollen, and there’s blood at the corner of his mouth.

Fuck. Okay, so the threat isn’t empty.

My phone beeps again, but this time it isn’t a picture of Gray, it’s of… “Mateo,” I gasp as I look at the picture of my twin, who looks just as bad as Gray.

Scratch that, there’s a cut on his forehead and another on his cheek, so he looks worse. A lot worse.

I shake so hard I drop my phone, but before I can pick it up, the van arrives. I can barely believe it’s only been two minutes, because to me, it feels like a lifetime.

I look between the two doors I have to choose between. One will take me to safety, to backup—to Rocco. The other to uncertainty, but probably pain, and possibly even my death.

A guy with a black mask opens the van door and points at me, making it clear they’re here for me. I swallow, and before I’m aware I’ve decided, my feet carry me to the vehicle.

“Blindfold the cunt,” I guy spits as soon as I reach them.

“And don’t fucking forget to tie her up. I can still feel her fucking kick.”

Someone laughs at that, and scathingly teases him about being soft if he thinks I can hurt them. Though it’s hard, I bite down on my bottom lip to stop myself from retorting.

Another guy, also wearing a mask, hauls me into the back of the van and slams the door closed. The tires screech as we speed away. The guy back here with me, fastens my hands behind my back before he ties my legs together. I sit still through it all. Then he forces a blindfold over my eyes. I don’t know why he bothers when I can’t see their faces, and there aren’t any windows in the back.

I don’t put up a fight, I just sit there as we drive. With each swing or turn in the road, I’m thrown against the van, much to the amusement of the guy watching me. I bare my teeth and hiss at him, not that it does me any good. If anything, it makes him laugh harder.

“Think Tina is going to let me fuck this one once she’s done with her?” one of the guys asks.

My blood runs cold as I realize they’re taking me to my mom.

The words from the call reverberate in my brain. “You took someone that belongs to us.”

Rose… we took Rose and killed the men.

Even though I know it’s horror-movie stupid that I gave myself over to the men, I don’t regret my decision. Gray’s started to turn his life around, and he’s less angry. He deserves another chance at life. And Mateo… fuck. My tortured twin, I can’t turn my back on him either.

The van comes to a crashing halt, which makes one guy grumble about the driver’s abilities. As they get out, I listen intently, trying to pick up on any clues as to where we are. But all I can hear are their muttered voices, and the gravel they walk on.

“Get her inside. Tina said she wants her in the basement.”

I hate the way my heart sinks and my hands tremble at my back at the mention of coming face-to-face with my mom. Fuck, since she showed up on Rocco’s doorstep, I’ve regretted that I didn’t kill her all those years ago.

Back then, I mistakenly thought her to be pathetic, weak even. Now, I’m pretty fucking sure I had everything backwards. I’m not saying my dad was innocent, and I never will. But I am questioning who really pulled the strings behind the scenes.

I startle, letting out a yelp as someone picks me up and throws me over their shoulder.

“Did you hear that?” he chuckles. “The cunt is finally making some noise.” He slaps my ass, hard.

As the sounds of gravel stop, I’m hit in the head with a wall of cold air. I realize we must be inside, a place where the AC is working overtime.

The room, or whatever we’re in, smells dank. And the smells don’t get better as we get further into the building. The air is heavy with the stench of piss, vomit, and… blood.

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