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We pull into a parking lot at the end of a road lined by resort homes I’ve been here before, once with my best friend when her older sister picked us up frootten lost and she used this place to turn around It eeks before my mom forced me to Mexico with her and Javier This familiar place reminds me that I’m very close to home I’m so close that I could walk there It would take several hours, but I could do it
But where would I go?
Victor shuts the truck’s engine off I look out through the windshield to see a section of trees and brush separating the parking lot from the interstate A car flies by every few seconds But the parking lot is empty save one lone car in the distance parked by a duh, over a low concrete wall there arecenter
I wonder why he chose a public place, although currently quiet and abandoned, to do whatever it is that we came here to do Because Javier doesn’t care about the public or risking an innocent bystander getting caught in his crossfire
"Stay in the truck," Victor says just before shutting the heavy metal door
He walks around to the back as a sleek black SUV enters the parking lot fro I slink down in the seat, but limpse out the ant to see but I don’t want to be seen
Victor meets the SUV halfway, about fifty feet from where I am and it stops in the center of the road I see a man A white man it looks like and I’ I reach over and roll the n by the old-fashioned crank It sticks at first, but then thebreaks apart and I e to open it several inches But they’re too far away forback toward the truck and the SUV follows I s hard and find myself practically all the way in the floorboard now, the top ofwheel The driver’s side door opens, exposingnext to Victor, both of thee man, who I notice looks somewhat like Victor with his tall stature, brown hair, blue eyes and sculpted cheekbones, nods athello Needless to say, I’ive hi at h I’m a peculiar speci to Victor in another language It’s not Spanish Victor replies to hi to think is likely German The man finally looks at Victor
"This is Niklas," Victor says toto ride with him and follow me to another location close by"
Instantly, I feelback and forth in refusal
Victor reaches out his hand to me, but I reject it Instead, I start to clio toward the other side of the truck I feel Victor’s hand wrap around part of h
"He will not harm you," Victor says "This truck is not safe for you if Javier or his h the backat the SUV, assu it has some kind of bulletproof s, maybe I don’t care to ask; I simply don’t want to be left alone with this man, safer vehicle or not
"This one is not very cooperative," the lish He definitely has an accent, unlike Victor who seee he knows
"Sarai," Victor says my name and it stuns me i you to cooperate"
I look up into Victor’s harsh eyes and holdmy name has put there My body relaxes and then soon after Victor’s fingers slide away froh I look back and forth between the two of the
"Will you tellat both of them, but Victor knows the question was meant for him
Niklas keeps his cold blue eyes fixed on me, but it seems more from an observant nature than a possessive one
"We will meet Javier not far from here in a more secluded area There, your friend will be handed over to us"
A dark feeling of uncertainty suddenly groithin the pit of aze on Victor
"Just like that?" I ask skeptically "No, Javier won’t just give her over He’ll…" I back away again against the passenger’s side door, my hand already on the handle in case I need to make a run for it "…there’s no way he’d do that You’re trading her for me, aren’t you?" My voice rises "Aren’t you!"
"Yes," Victor says
Niklas re to unnerve me
But then I come to my senses and look away from both of them I stare out the windshield at the landscape and the cars on the other side of the concrete wall, but I really don’t see any of it All I see is Lydia’s face in my mind, the way I saw it last on that video: bruised and bloodied and tear-streaked and frightened I know this is what needs to be done A trade: ree to, now more than ever
But he wants me dead…