Chapter 51
I woke up feeling startled, my breath catching in my throat. The room was dark, the throw still tucked around me, but my heart was pounding with a different rhythm now. It wasn’t panic, it’s the feeling of waking up with a dream that will make your life easy.
I suddenly had the urge to wake up and go look for Dan. I knew where Dan was. I didn’t know how I knew, I don’t remember dreaming about him after the nightmare. Maybe it’s our Phoenix blood bond. I still didn’t understand, but the second I opened my eyes, the image was there.
A place I’d seen once, years ago. An abandoned lodge outside town, a place people whispered about, hidden and abandoned. Apparently, only people who ran from home because of drug addiction camp there. I furrowed my eyebrows, confused. Why would he be there?
I pushed the throw aside and swung my legs off the bed. My body still felt heavy, like I hadn’t slept at all, but the conviction in my chest kept me moving.
By the time I made it downstairs, Luca was sprawled on the couch, half-asleep with the TV still buzzing in the background. His eyes snapped open when he saw me. He has such sharp senses, I wasn’t even making noise, but he knew I was there.
“What happened?” he asked, sitting up fast.
“I know where Dan is.” The words spilled out of me like they’d been waiting. I smiled, unable to hide the excitement of finding him and being able to just hug and ask him what happened. “We have to go. Now.”
Luca frowned, rubbing his face. “You’re sure?”
“I don’t care if I sound insane. I’m sure. He’s at the old lodge outside town. I can feel it.”For a second, he just stared at me, and I thought he was going to argue, call me crazy, tell me to sit back down and rest.
But instead, he let out a slow breath and stood. “Fine. If you’re sure, we’ll go. But we need to be smart about this.”I followed him to the hidden room. The moment he opened the door, the sight of the money stacks and locked cases hit me all over again.
Last night’s blood was still fresh in my mind. The woman. The gun. Her body is burning in the trunk. Luca unlocked one of the cases and pulled out two pistols. He checked the magazines, then handed one to me. But at the last second, he hesitated.
“Emerald…” He looked at the gun in his hand, then at me. “I don’t know if this is a good idea.”
My stomach twisted. “What do you mean?”
“You killed a woman yesterday.” His voice was low, even, but it hit me like a slap. “And don’t tell me it doesn’t matter because she was threatening you. You pulled the trigger. You watched her fall. And then you watched her burn. You think carrying a gun again right now is smart? When your emotions are already—”
“Stop.” My voice cracked like a whip. I snatched the gun from his hand, my fingers closing around the cold metal.
“Don’t you dare treat me like a child. I did what I had to do. And if I have to do it again to get Dan back, I will.”Luca’s jaw clenched, frustration etched into every line of his face.
“This isn’t just about you anymore. You’re carrying a life inside you. You’re spiraling, Emerald, and I’m not sure if giving you a weapon is helping or making everything worse.”I glared at him, my chest heaving. “Dan is out there. He’s in danger. And if you think I’m going to sit here while he rots in some godforsaken place, you don’t know me at all. I’m not asking for your permission. I’m telling you, I’m going.”
Silence stretched between us, sharp and tense. Finally, he looked away, muttering a curse under his breath. “Fine. But you don’t shoot unless you have no choice. Understand?”I didn’t answer.
He grabbed a rifle for himself, slinging it over his shoulder, then packed extra magazines into a duffel bag. My hands were still trembling as I checked the safety on my pistol, the weight both familiar and foreign.
I hated that it felt necessary. I hated that I didn’t trust myself with it. But I hated more the thought of facing whatever waited at that lodge without being armed.
We loaded everything into his car.
The night outside was silent, suffocating. Clouds hung low, swallowing the moon, and the drive felt like cutting through endless black.
Luca kept his eyes on the road, the rifle resting across his lap. “You’re sure about this place?” he asked again, his voice quieter this time, almost reluctant. He probably regrets the day he met me. I just hope he knows I’m grateful for him.
“Yes.” My fingers tightened around the pistol in my lap. “I can feel it. He’s there. I don’t know how to explain it, but I know.”
He sighed, shaking his head. “Sometimes I think you’re not even aware of how much power is running through your veins. This… sense you have? It’s not normal. It’s not human.”His words made me shiver. He wasn’t wrong.
But right now, I didn’t care what it meant. All that mattered was Dan.
The baby shifted inside me, a sharp little kick that made me gasp softly. I placed a hand over my stomach, whispering more to myself than anyone else:
“Hold on. We’ll bring him back.”Luca glanced at me but didn’t say anything. The silence between us stretched, filled with everything we weren’t saying: fear, guilt, anger, and determination.
By the time the lodge came into view, my heart was hammering so loud it drowned out everything else. The abandoned building loomed against the dark trees, broken windows like gaping mouths, the roof sagging in places. It looked like a place nightmares belonged, but I wasn't scared by the building; my insides churned at the thought of what we might find inside.
Luca parked a distance away, killing the headlights. We sat in the silence, staring at the shadowed outline of the lodge. My palms were slick against the grip of my gun.
“This is it,” I whispered.
“Yeah,” Luca said grimly, his rifle already in his hands. “This is it.” I rolled my eyes, stifling a laugh at his drama, "I promise I won't kill anyone this time." And as we sat there waiting for the right moment to make a move, I prayed my instincts hadn’t led us straight into another trap.