Page 193 of Keeping Kasey
The worst, most vicious of the five.
The only family that the Consolis and Morenos refuse to work with for any reason.
“Great,” Emilio says with a beaming grin. “We can skip the introductions and get to the fun stuff. Put the gun down before I giveLover Boyhis second bullet for your sake.”
His use of Logan’s nickname for Mark isn’t just a dig—it’s a warning. He knows more than he should. He’s been watching me very closely.
Somehow, I know he’s the one who told Logan where I was.
But how didhefind me?
Slowly, I set the gun down.
“What do you want?” I ask, the words strangled from my crying and screaming.
I must look pathetic with bloodshot eyes and puffy cheeks as I scramble for any semblance of protection. Nothing like the formidable adversary I built myself up to be.
“Do you have my list?”
I don’t answer, and he clucks his tongue in disappointment.
“Hmm, pity. Well then, onto Plan B. Get out of the carwithoutthe gun. Leave the phone, too. You won’t be needing either.”
I study Emilio’s expression, but there’s no doubt that his threats are real.
With no other option, I give a slight nod.
I unbuckle the seatbelt and slowly climb out of the car, looking up and down the road as if Logan might pull up and save me.
He won’t.
I still have another half hour until Damon tells Logan I left, but even if he knows right now, he shouldn’t come for me. Itdoesn’t take a genius to know that Emilio plans to use me to get the list from Logan.
But it won’t work. Whatever Logan feels for me, it’s nothing compared to the loyalty he holds for his family.
One of the soldiers shoves me against the car, binding my wrists. Emilio releases Mark, whose expression is regret and understanding in their purest form.
“I tried to tell you,” I whisper.
“I—I thought—” he chokes on a helpless exhale. “They said they’d help, Kasey. They said—”
Mark collapses when a bullet lodges itself between his eyes.
My knees give out with my scream, and Emilio—gun still pointed at Mark—covers my mouth to muffle the sound. His soldier jerks me up by my tied wrists, and my shoulders burn from the motion.
“Well, I’ll give him one thing: that boy was crazy about you,” Emilio says with a light chuckle. “I saved him a lot of heartbreak.”
I have no words. Shudders rack my body as I am dragged toward the white truck.
My instincts scream at me to do something,anything,but go willingly with these men.
But there is simply no point.
As we drive, I focus on memorizing every scenic detail, like maybe it can help me figure out where we’re going, but I’m not particularly optimistic. As glad as I am to be able to see my surroundings, it’s not lost on me that the lack of a blindfold likely means they don’t anticipate I will be leaving wherever it is we’re going.
Every few minutes, I can feel Emilio’s eyes through the rearview mirror, but I refuse to give him the satisfaction of meeting his gaze.
I should’ve taken his threats more seriously, but the fact that he only knows half the story gave me a false sense of confidence. If he thought he had me, he wouldn’t assume I’d run off and ignore him completely. Even now, he believes he has an advantage, but he has absolutely nothing of importance.
