I hold out my hand, and Maxwell eventually tosses his phone to me before I stomp to the back door, open it, and climb in.
I watch from the window as Max curses and then eventually returns to the driver’s seat and starts to drive.
I call Enzo.
No answer.
I leave a message saying Langston is in trouble.
I call Kai.
No answer.
I leave a message saying Langston is in trouble.
I call Zeke.
No answer.
I leave a message saying Langston is in trouble.
I call Beckett.
No answer.
I leave a message saying Langston is in trouble.
That leaves…Siren.
I hate her. She betrayed me. But right now, I need her to be there for Langston above everything else.
I call Siren.
No answer.
I leave a message saying Langston is in trouble.
“Shit,” I curse as we drive toward the airport.
I don’t know who else to call for help.
A second later, Maxwell’s phone starts ringing in my hand.
“Hello?” I say.
“Liesel, what’s going on?” Siren’s voice replies.
“Langston is in trouble. I fucked up. He won the game, but it was a trap.” I don’t include the fact that I set the trap in the first place.
“Fuck,” Siren says.
There’s a pause. “I’ll make sure Kai and Enzo know. They’ll put together an extraction team to get Langston out of there.”
I sigh, relaxing. “Thank you.”
“Where are you now?”
“I was headed to the airport to come persuade you guys to get your asses here to save Langston.”
I can feel her smile through the phone. “Head to your apartment. Zeke and I will head to you. You need to be protected.”
“I have…” I’m about to say Maxwell, but he’s not really protection. Not like Zeke and Siren would be. “Thank you,” is all I end up saying.
I find the button that connects me to the front of the limo. “Maxwell, take me to my apartment.”
He sighs. “Will do.”
And then I’m alone in uncomfortable silence. The ride to my apartment takes over an hour. I assume Zeke and Siren are back in Miami, and will take a while to get to me, but I’m not sure.
Maxwell goes up in the elevator with me, and when I get to my apartment door, he asks if I want him to come in with me.
“No, I’m exhausted. I just need to get some rest.”
“Of course.”
“Goodnight.”
“Goodnight.”
And then I open the door and walk inside. I flip the lights on. Nothing seems out of place.
My feet wobble as I walk. I need rest. This weekend was too much.
I head toward my bedroom, planning on just collapsing into bed with Max’s phone, hoping that Siren calls soon to let me know they got Langston.
I flip on the lights.
And scream.
Waylon is lifeless on my bed, covered in blood.
26
Langston
I yank on the chains that have held me for the past twenty-four hours. The yacht has long ago stopped moving; I don’t know where though.
I allowed myself to be tied up. I took that as the only option when I was bleeding out and too weak to fight.
But the bandages have stopped the blood from flowing, and my body has regenerated plenty of new red blood cells. These chains won’t hold me much longer.
I test their strength once more. The chains are solid—only a person of abnormal strength might be able to break them. Unfortunately, I don’t have that strength.
I stare at the locks around my wrists. I smile. I do, however, have the ability to pick any lock.
I glance around for something I can use to pick the lock. I don’t have much to work with—the clothes on my back, a fork, a plate, and a coke can on the floor that they left me to eat.
I pick up the can and fork. This will work.
Five minutes later, I’ve carved the aluminum of the can into a lockpick.
A moment later, the locks release on my wrists, then my ankles. I’m free.
I’m being kept in a small dark room at the base of the ship. The door looks bulletproof, but when I try the handle, it’s already unlocked.
Strange.
I look for something I can use as a weapon as I move up the floors of the yacht. When I make it to the kitchen, I find a drawer of knives. I put several into my pockets and then grip the largest and hold it out in front of me as I continue to creep around the ship.
After making it to the top deck, I haven’t run into a single person. Why are there no people? What the hell happened?
“Looking for a ride?” Enzo says suddenly from above me.
I smile brightly as I shield my eyes from the sun and look up at him. A helicopter has landed on the upper deck—my escape.
“I assume you are the reason no one is on board?”
He shrugs. “We might have had something to do with it.”
“But you couldn’t free me?”
He sighs. “We were working on it, but we thought your prideful ass would want to save yourself.”
I chuckle as I climb up the stairs to where he stands. “That’s code for you couldn’t get through the door.”
He growls. “We were working on it.”
I pat him on the shoulder. “It’s good to see you. Let’s get the hell out of here.”
Once in the air, Enzo tends to my wounds.
“There are no bullet fragments inside. It looks like they were shooting you with rubber bullets. They left some serious marks, but nothing as bad as it could have been.”
I put on the clean black shirt Enzo hands me. “Rubber bullets? Why would they do that?”
He shrugs.
“Where is everyone?” I ask.
“Phoenix and the kids are in a safe house. Kai is giving orders back home. And Zeke and Siren are protecting Liesel.”
Liesel.
“Where do you want to go?”
I should say to Phoenix, to check that she and the kids are alright.
“Liesel.”
He nods.
I stare out the window of the helicopter. I have so many fucking questions for Liesel, but all I want to know is the
