Novel Square
Chapter 84
I lay in the trunk of the car as it rattled down the road. I was cold, covered in mud, and my wrists and ankles were still zip-tied. It was pitch black all around me.
But I didn’t give a shit about any of that.
I wanted to die.
All I could think of was Massimo jumping into the raging river and not coming up again.
I kept switching back and forth between that last memory of him…
And the image of my parents, their bodies slumped forward in the car.
My heart hurt so much that I just wanted it to be over.
I wanted to leave and go join them.
I touched my ring in the darkness and smiled despite my grief.
After I took my last breath, Massimo would be there waiting for me…
And then he could take me to my parents.
That’s all I wanted.
The car slowed down and parked on the side of the road. The engine kept running, but I heard a car door open.
I wondered if Zollner had changed his mind and was planning to kill me.
If so, I wouldn’t mind. I wouldn’t even put up a fight.
He popped the trunk and grinned down at me in the dim glow of the trunk’s tiny light bulb. He wasn’t wearing his stupid hat anymore, and I could see his close-cropped hair.
“Good news, Fräulein!” he said, holding up his cell phone and tapping the screen.
Two voices began talking on a recording…
And my heart leaped into my throat as I recognized one of them.
“What’s wrong?”
“Aurelio sent a professional. He got Lucia.”
“Shit. Are you alright?”
“I’m alive.”
“Are you injured?”
“Banged up a bit, but I’ll be fine.”
I tried to sit up – and immediately bumped my head against the inside of the trunk.
It hurt, but I didn’t care.
“HE’S ALIVE?!”
“It would seem so,” Zollner said giddily as he tapped the screen to make the recording stop.Text property © Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org.
His delight at the situation made me wary. “Why are you so happy?”
“Because we are back on track. Massimo’s apparent death was, how do you say it – a bit of an inconvenience, ja? But now everything is good.”
“He’s going to come find you – and he’s going to kill you.”
Zollner just grinned. “He’s more than welcome to try.”
He slammed the trunk, plunging me back into darkness – but I couldn’t have cared less.
For the first time in hours, I had two things back:
My will to live…
And hope.
I touched my ring and cried with happiness.
He’s coming for me.