The warehouse was deathly still when they pulled up. It was like a scene from one of those bad horror movies—walls covered in graffiti, smashed windows, and the stench of something rotten. It was the sort of place that would yell stay away, but it was where Valerie was supposed to be.
Raven moved carefully, her footsteps silent as she scanned the area. She had one job in mind: find Valerie. But the anger and betrayal from Javi's actions burned in the back of her mind. The idea that someone they trusted could sell them out, sell Valerie out, made her blood run cold. She clenched her fists.
"Be alert," Dante whispered, drawing her attention. "I'll take the back. You do the front."
Raven nodded, her senses sharp as a knife. "Right."
But just as they were about to reach the door, her phone rang. She glanced at it quickly—it was a text message from Javi. Valerie's here. Don't keep me waiting.
"Yeah, right," Raven muttered, feeling the familiar knot of distrust settle in her gut. "Of course, he's already setting the stage for whatever game he's playing."
Dante raised an eyebrow. "You're really not buying this, huh?"
"No," Raven replied, her tone flat. "Not for a second."
Dante shrugged. "Well, we're in it now. Let's go. We're going to rescue Valerie, and when we do? Javi's not going to like what comes next."
Dante walked back into the rear of the building, his senses on high alert. His task was to ensure that Javi didn't escape, while Raven infiltrated to rescue Valerie.
As he moved through the shadows, he saw Javi. The betrayal was there, written on his face.
"You're a hard man to find, Dante," Javi said, trying to hide the nervousness in his voice.
"You're a harder man to trust," Dante responded, his voice low, cold. He reached the other man in a matter of seconds, and before Javi could react, Dante had him tied to a chair, his arms bound tightly with thick ropes.
"You've got a lot to answer for," Dante muttered, stepping back as he stared at the man who had once been a trusted ally.
"I—I didn't mean to make it this far, Dante," Javi stuttered. "I thought—"
"You thought wrong," Dante cut in, his eyes narrowing. "Now you're going to tell me all you know about Valerie and the Calloways. Or this gets nasty."