I know I should be pissed with Xavier. After all, I saw him take Rain with my own eyes. But my anger is aimed at Liberato, because he refuses to help me go after my uncle.
An evil little voice in the back of my mind insistently tells me Liberato has betrayed me for the last time. The same nasty voice tells me I should go rogue, attack Xavier on my own. Pool every resource I have to get Rain back.
Fuck Liberato.
If he were an actual friend to me, he’d support me going after Xavier. He’d want to do everything in his power to help me get Rain back. But he’s being a selfish piece of shit and only thinking about the cartel we’re running together. I’m not letting him get away with it, though.
I don’t give a damn if I lose it all.
The only person that matters now is Rain.
Perhaps it’s been that way all along, but the life I’ve been forced to live has erased her from my mind for long enough to make me doubt myself. Except now it feels like I’ve got all my senses back. And I finally know it’s my job to get her back where she belongs.
“What the hell are you doing, Heath?”
My head snaps in the voice's direction. With how much my mind is spinning and the trip from the powder and injection, I’m so far gone I don’t even notice Liberato walking into the study.
“The usual,” I hiss, deciding not to spill my plans just yet, lest Liberato would try to stop me. “Doing what you hate so much.”
“Those drugs are going to kill you.”
“Wouldn’t you fucking like that.”
“What the fuck, hermano? I don’t want you dead. I want you better.”
“The only thing that can make shit better is Rain,” I hiss. “And yet you refuse to let me go after her.”
Liberato remains quiet as I approach him, stumbling against him as I shove him against the wall.
“You told me we shouldn’t go after Xavier. I saw him with my own eyes. Saw him take her. And you won’t let me get her back.”
“We don’t know it was him for sure.”
“Stop fucking invalidating me, L,” I hiss. “I know what I saw.”
“I know you think you do-”
“Shut up,” I snarl. “Just shut up with your bullshit. Why won’t you believe me? Because of the goddamn drugs?”
L’s face softens, but only for a split second. The next moment, it hardens even more.
“It’s hard to trust you when you’re fucked up out of your damn mind, yes,” he gets out through gritted teeth. “You think it’s easy for me to watch you destroy yourself? Stand idly by as you waste more and more of your life on the shit we swore we wouldn’t let destroy us?”
I don’t answer, groaning and running my fingers through my hair. But Liberato grips me by the shoulders, forcing me to look at him.
“I know you’re still in there, Heath,” he mutters. “And I know you can get out of this hole you’re in. We’ll get Rain back in due time too.”
I shove him away from me, shaking my head. “You don’t get it. She could be dead already. You don’t know my fucking uncle. If he knows I had her, he’ll do every-fucking-thing in his power to hurt her.”
“We won’t let him.”
“Then let’s hit tonight,” I mutter. “Let’s gather our men and attack.”
“We can’t.” Liberato shakes his head. “It’s too fucking risky. It could be a trap. We need to think about it more.”
“She could die. You want that on your fucking conscience, L?” I fist my hands in his shirt, but he pushes me back with a stony expression.
“You’re my priority, not that girl,” he mutters. “I don’t give a shit if she’s the love of your life. And how are you going to save her like this, anyway?”
“What the fuck do you mean?”
“You’re an addict, Heath.”
The sentence rings out in the air between us, echoing in my mind. It’s an ugly little word for a nasty little problem. And as much as I know it’s true, I will never admit it, least of all to Liberato.
“Get out of my sight,” I mutter, stumbling past him into the hallway and gripping the walls for support to get me back to my bedroom. “You always saw me as a threat, L. You just want to get rid of me.”
He doesn’t say a word, which only further convinces me I’m right.
Chapter 3
RAIN
The pink revolver Heath gave me is my only hope now.
So far I’ve kept it hidden, but there’s no doubt in my mind that once Xander finds out I have it, he’ll take it away from me. Until now, I’ve kept it in the cameras’ blind spot in the bathroom, hidden behind the toilet tank. And so far, so good—no one has noticed it yet, even though I’m under surveillance by guards and maids.