Page 62 of The Merciless

“You shouldn’t have come.” Ciera finally rasped, her voice breaking and barely audible. Probably because she couldn’t breathe quite well, “They know you’rehere. Heknows you’re here, so he’ll strike at the other places first.”

Ray’s brows furrowed, “Who’s he?”

“He will kill me. He’s out for your blood but he isn’t alone. He’s going to go after all of you.” Ciera continued babbling, irritating her further. Ray let loose a guttural sound and reared her head back again, and a sob ripped past Ciera’s lips,

“No! Please!”she cried, and Ray gripped her hair harder,

“Who ishe?”she sneered, and Ciera sobbed again,

“He doesn’t work alone.” She said and Ray rolled her eyes,

“I’m getting tired of this,” she replied and was about to bring her head back to the ground when Ciera shook in her hands, trying and failing to scramble away,

“Martin!”she finally screamed, and Ray stilled, “It’s Martin De Santos who hired me!”

“What have you told him?” Ray asked past her wildly beating heart.

Cold shivers climbed up her spine as Ciera spat through the blood gushing from her face,

“Everything. He knows your allies. He knows who you are and has been hunting you and the others ever since.” She rasped, pausing for breath, “He’s the one who had Alessandro killed.”

Red flooded her vision, making it all the more difficult for her to keep this fucking womanalive,“Please,” Ciera pleaded, shaking terribly, “He’s going after every one of your friends. He’s going to have them killed at each of the facilities.”

For a second, blind fear clouded her judgment. But the hiss of the glass against her neck was like a reality check.They wouldn’t die,Ray told herself and gripped Ciera’s hands tighter,they won’t die.

“You said he’s not working alone.” Ray snarled, “Who is he working with?”

Ciera cried, “I don’t know.”

Ray growled and slammed her head on the ground again, another desperate wail leaving her lips as her face collided with the ground. When Ray pulled her head back up, Ciera was barely conscious,

“I don’t know.”she still managed to rasp, “I swear,”a crazy sob, “I swear I don’t know!”

“Quit. Screaming.” Ray snapped through gritted teeth, shaking her head wildly with her hair. Ciera sobbed, but quieted, nonetheless. Without letting go of her, she looked over her shoulder, somewhat surprised to find both Ira and Micah with their backs turned to her.

“Can one of you get me a rope?” Ray called out in the gentlest voice she could muster. Ira turned, her expression blank, but it was Micah who moved. He grabbed the rope she’d shot through and handed it to her witha

brisk nod. Ray turned down to Ciera, and without wasting another second, she tied the rope around the woman’s hands and legs altogether.

When Ray was done with her, Ciera had her hands and legs tied together, was lying on her stomach, and was probably unconscious with the amount of blood she’d lost.

“What now?” Ira whispered and Ray turned to look at her, her expression souring at the sight of slash down her eye. Ira caught her glance and shook her head, her cheek stained with dried tears as she balled her hands into fists, “It’ll leave a battle scar.” She said softly.

Ray wanted to go ahead and hug her. Hide her far away from this mess of the world.

But that would have to wait.

She looked at Zahir, surprised to find his hands unbound and his unconscious figure lying on the ground. Ray bit her lip in contemplation, she couldn’t leave him alone here. But she also should get to Angel and the others as soon as possible. And with no way to get into contact with them, she had no choice but to wait for them at their rendezvous.

But it wasn’t the thought of all of them walking into traps that scared her.

It was the promise Angel had made to her.

And how, after all this, hehadn’t come to get her yet.

* *

Fear was insane.

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