Novel Palace
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?”Text property © Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org.
“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.
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.