Chapter 117 Chapter One hundred and sixteen
ARA
I slammed the door shut.
Back in the bedroom, I grabbed the pistol from the nightstand. The weight felt different now, angrier, more real.
I checked the magazine, chambered a round, flicked the safety off and on to make sure I understood it this time. I couldn't afford to make a mistake that would cost me so much.
Then I dressed up as quickly as I could. Jeans, boots, and one of Thayne’s dark hoodies that still smelled like him. It looked more like a gown on me, but I wasn't trying to slay today.
Thayne thought he could babysit me as usual, but I wasn't the Ara from before. I wasn’t staying here. Not while Thayne, as stubborn as he was, was walking into a trap without me.
I slipped the gun into the back of my jeans and headed for the private elevator. There was no need checking if the gun was safely hidden because Thayne's hoodie looked like a bathrobe on me.
The doorman jumped when the doors opened, his eyes widening to the size of doughnuts.
“Ma’am—”
“Tell no one,” I said in a hard voice. “If Thayne calls, you haven’t seen me.”
He opened his mouth, then closed it, looking like he would hesitate.
“You must do as I say.” I added firmly, giving him my best glare. That did the trick.
I stepped inside and hit the garage button, and I tried to think my plan through for the second time as the doors slid shut.
As the elevator descended, I pressed my hand to my belly. I was taking the twins with me to the battle ground. Was it a crazy thing to do? Yes.
Would I back out? No.
The elevator dinged, and I stepped out into the garage.
One of the black SUVs was still there, with the keys in the ignition, probably left for quick exit.
It seemed off that there were no escorts in sight to stop me. Did Thayne really believe I couldn't leave?
I climbed in, started the engine, and pulled out. My driving skills weren't great, but at least I wouldn't cause an accident on the highway.
The city lights blurred past the windows as I drove out onto the main way. Thayne thought he was protecting me.
He was wrong. I wasn’t the one who needed protecting anymore. I was the one who was done waiting.
And I was coming for them all.
“Good evening, Ara. I’m your onboard driving assistant, synced to the city’s intelligent traffic grid. Where would you like to go today?”
The voice came out of nowhere, and I nearly lost control of the wheel. My first instinct was pure, unfiltered panic.
It knew my name. It fucking knew my name.
Had Thayne anticipated this? Known I’d eventually take the SUV out alone and wired the car to recognize me in advance? Was that why no one had tried to stop me?
I blinked hard, forcing my grip to steady on the steering wheel. My eyes flicked to the side mirror, half-expecting to see Thayne’s convoy glued to the rear bumper, but the road behind me was empty.
Swallowing, I rattled off the address Thayne’s men had double-checked earlier.
“I’m heading to a warehouse at the west docks. Pier Forty-Two,” I said, then added under my breath, “I don’t actually know where that is.”
“Ha—ha,” the assistant responded, its laugh landing a beat too late to sound natural. “No problem. Please check the dashboard for visual guidance. Would you like me to recite the directions as well?”
“Yes, please,” I said immediately.
The assistant took over the flow of the drive, threading me through city traffic with unnerving ease.
It rerouted twice, shaving minutes off the trip, then funneled me through a narrow shortcut that spat the warehouse into view far sooner than expected.
“You will need to exit the vehicle to proceed on foot,” it said as the SUV rolled to a smooth stop. “Pier Forty-Two is located at the rear, specifically within the most congested section of the warehouse layout.”
There was a brief pause.
“I strongly advise against proceeding,” the assistant added. “I am currently detecting active movement near the pier.”
I didn’t wait to hear the rest. I tore free of the seatbelt and climbed out of the SUV. The warehouse loomed only a few yards ahead, its bulk half-hidden by old, abandoned containers stacked like forgotten bones around it.
I hadn’t taken more than ten steps when a body came hurtling out of nowhere and slammed into the ground beside me.
The gunshot cracked through the air a split second later.
My heart lurched.
I tightened my grip on the gun, forcing my breathing to slow. Voices carried through the maze of containers, shouts, curses, but it was the sound of Thayne's voice that rooted me to the spot.
“She’s not at the penthouse, Jimmy. You’re wasting your time.”
Thayne sounded confident. Too confident. Confusion twisted in my chest. So he knew I’d left, despite his warning?
My husband had a way of shocking me like that, anticipating my moves before I even made them.
I didn’t know whether to be furious with him or fall in love all over again.
Cruel laughter sliced through the air..I paused at the mouth of an open container, its rusted walls framing the voices inside.
“You can’t deceive me, boy,” my father sneered. “You expect me to believe your wife slipped out of the penthouse because she knew I’d come for her—before your father did?”
“Ara is smarter than you think, Jimmy,” Thayne shot back. “She’s your daughter. I’m surprised you don’t know that.”
The cockiness was deliberate. A performance. He was stalling,buying time.
Did he know I was here? My pulse thudded hard in my ears. I trusted my instincts more than my doubts. Thayne would never leave me guessing forever.
I just needed to trust my guts. What would Thayne do to give me a signal as time to storm in and pull the trigger? Would I even be strong enough to pull the trigger once I showed myself?