I should have killed him when I had the chance. The moment I learned he was back, I should have shot him where he lay. And now, I must pay the consequences for my weakness. I told my Bella that I would protect her. I have failed her all over again.
"We should move now," River says. "There will be plenty of time to toy with him later."
Ray swivels his head around and scowls in his direction.
"It's time when I say it's time."
River is a traitor, of this I am certain. But it seems that we have a common enemy. I don't know how I could have missed it. I don't know how I didn't see it before. All those times he encouraged me. How he helped me plan out the systematic destruction of Ray through Isabella. The way he whispered in my ear and never let me forget my revenge. The way he told me over and over that Isabella could never care for me. That I must remember the plan.
It was in his mind all along.
And instead of Isabella, it was I who was the pawn in this game.
A knock sounds at the door and River looks to Ray for approval. Ray nods, and River opens it.
The heat is stifling. Sand blows in from above, indicating that we are in the desert somewhere.
"We have to move now, sir," the voice on the other side says.
Ray nods again and gestures the men inside. They surround me, and Ray makes a point to show me that they are all well-armed.
"Make one move, and die now," he tells me.
They haul me up from the floor and unchain me. Six of them drag me out into the blistering sun and shove me into the back of a suburban.
"Ten minutes," someone says.
And then, we leave.
Chapter Forty-Three
They takeme into the middle of the desert. If it weren't for the compound in the distance, I would assume this to be my final resting place.
Instead, they free my hands and shove me out of the truck. I don't need to ask where we are. I know this area well. This is the same compound where I lived for the remainder of my childhood. The one where Ray took me when I left the asylum.
Here, I was trained in computers. Math. Killing.
Ray searches my face for any sign of emotion. But there is none. I can only think of my Bella now. Of the child that she carries inside of her. I will do anything to protect them.I will do anything to get them back. And for now, that means playing by Ray's rules.
He recites a thirteen-digit number and tells me to repeat it back to him.
River’s eyes shift around anxiously, and I know this is for him. This is what he gets for betraying me and fulfilling his end of the bargain.
"Delete everything on file," Ray tells me. "Bring the girl to me when you are finished. And perhaps I can find it in my heart to be merciful. Perhaps the child my daughter births will be adopted into a nice family rather than a dumpster."
My fists curl at my sides, and the guards raise their weapons.
"I am giving you one last opportunity here, Javi," Ray says. "Do not underestimate my reach. There are many others who would gladly take this task and complete it much faster than you. And they have much less to lose."
I remain silent. Steadfast in my resolve. I am doing this for Bella. Even knowing that when I come back, there will likely be a bullet in my skull.
I can't trust Ray. But I know Ray. I don't doubt his words. He will destroy the child that he knows is mine. He will do it while he tells himself it is what is best for Isabella. I must find another way to end this.
I turn to head for the compound, but Ray's voice stops me.
“Enjoy your trip down memory lane.”
I curb the urge to kill him all over again by thinking of my Bella. I think of what I need to do, and I focus on that alone.