Chapter 8

Hadina

Sitting behind her desk in the Adis the only way for her to escape the demons plaguing her was for her to outrun them.

Temporarily, at least.

She looked around the room, the blank walls reflecting her empty heart. Hadina had always thought that keeping the office looking professional was all that mattered, but now it just made her feel isolated. Had she really been so alone before Peyton that even her everyday life was nothing but blank walls and bloodshed?

Yes, that was exactly how lonely she had been. Maybe it hadn’t been clear to her before, but it certainly was now.

Without Peyton, Hadina was drifting in a sea of darkness and she no longer had the energy to command the shadows to keep her afloat. If she didn’t find her love soon, she would let herself be consumed.

“ Jefa! We have a lead!”

The sound of Harris’ voice breaking through her cloud of dark thoughts was a welcome relief. Hadina shot out of her chair and practically ran down the corridor and into the tech room. It was technically more of an office section, with more than thirty monitors and a couple of data analysts working, furiously typing at their keyboards.

Harris stood behind one of the analysts, Josie, and beckoned Hadina over. Her sisters were already there, peering at the computer.

“What is it?”

“I think we know where that pinche panocha is hiding. There’s an old house that used to belong to Isaac’s family. When he died, they picked up and moved away, abandoning the house,” Zellie explained. “It’s right at the edge of the city, crumbling to pieces in the middle of one of the dying forests there.”

“Pull up the photos,” Hadina commanded. She watched as Josie clicked at her keyboard and pulled up the enlarged images on the screen mounted to the wall above the computer. As soon as she saw the old cottage-style house, Hadina felt a tug in her stomach.

“She’s there.”

Harris coughed. “We don’t know that. We should check it out first.”

Zellie looked at her sister and Hadina could see the understanding in her eyes. She didn’t know if their relationship was reparable, but Zellie had stepped up and done what she had agreed—she’d been by Hadina’s side to aid her in finding Peyton. Her expertise was the missing piece in their search for her girl.

“She’s there,” Zellie confirmed, nodding her head to Hadina. “If Hadina has a feeling, we should trust her gut. She knows what she’s doing.”

It cut Hadina deep to hear those words from her big sister. She had longed for her acceptance and approval for so many years that she’d given up; to hear her give it so freely now was overwhelming.

“It’s time to bring my tentadora home.”

It only took them two hours to come up with their game plan. Hadina went into a fugue state as she ordered her team about, yelling at them to move faster. Both Zellie and Piper were the embodiment of Adis daughters as they stormed through the building, ensuring Hadina’s commands were being followed out to perfection.

Harris, however, stayed by Hadina’s side. She knew he was apprehensive about them going full on SWAT team without more information and reconnaissance, but Hadina didn’t give a flying fuck. She would send her team across the fucking world if it meant she would find Peyton.

She just hoped they reached her in time.

The drive to the outskirts of the city was only ten minutes and yet it felt like hours as Hadina bit at her thumbnail nervously. She needed to focus, but her mind was filled with horrific scenes of what they could be turning up to, what version of Peyton they may find.

“Almost there, jefa . Are you ready?” Harris asked quietly from the driver’s seat beside her.

Hadina remained silent until they pulled up to the edge of the trees, grateful for the silence of the vehicle. She let out a quick breath and squared her shoulders, throwing a glance at Harris. “I’m always ready.”

The teams jumped out of the five parked cars, grabbing their guns and lifting them into position. Hadina nodded at each of them respectively, her eyes lingering on Zellie for just a moment long enough to see the determination in her eyes. If anyone was ready to annihilate whoever stood in their way, it was Zelina.

Hadina led the front of the charge as the teams fanned out around each side, spreading throughout the brush of the trees. She could hear the crunch of twigs beneath their heavy footsteps but she forced herself to concentrate on only her own steady steps as she progressed.

A twinge of unfamiliar panic hit her gut as the decrepit cottage came into view. It looked like something from a horror scene, with its dilapidated roof and busted up windows. Planks of rotting wood covered some, though she could see that time had weakened their hold. Overgrown weeds tangled around their ankles and Hadina cursed at them.

The hair on her arms stood tall as a bloodcurdling scream broke through the air. She felt goosebumps cover her entire body and before she could even think, she had taken off in a sprint towards the building. She didn’t care that her thumping steps would alert anyone inside, or that Harris and Zellie were both calling to her to wait.

She burst through the front door, following the sound of Peyton’s screams. She had her gun poised and the safety off, ready to shoot everyone who tried to stop her from saving her girl. Turning the corner, she stopped dead in her tracks, her eyes widening at the scene before her.

Hadina heard Harris and Zellie coming through the door to stand behind her but she couldn’t bring herself to look at them. She couldn’t take her eyes off Peyton before her.

Alive.

Broken.

Her beautiful, gentle love was broken.

Screaming, Peyton brought the blade down on the man in front of her, a dead body already on her other side. It was obvious to Hadina that both males were already dead, but still Peyton thrust her knife into him, again and again. Blood covered every inch of her, coating her blonde hair in sticky red clumps.

Hadina’s body wouldn’t allow her to move. She knew Zellie and Harris were standing by, waiting on her orders, but she didn’t have any orders to make. They had found Peyton and yet…

This was her fault. Hadina had given into temptation and allowed herself to wish for Peyton to be part of her life. But this was her life. Bloodshed, a trail of dead bodies, and fucking misery .

Peyton finally slumped, dropping the blade to her side. Her screams died into sobs as she collapsed to her knees, burying her face in her hands. Hearing the sound of her crying broke whatever trance Hadina was in and she rushed forward, ready to take whatever pain she could from Peyton.

“ Tentadora… It’s me, mi amor .”

Peyton turned to look at her and Hadina could see her heart physically break in those big blue eyes. “Hadi?”

Without waiting another second, Hadina bundled Peyton in her arms and held the love of her life as she fell to pieces in her embrace. At some point, Hadina’s own tears had begun to fall too, but she didn’t much care what anyone thought about seeing her weakness. If showing tender parts of herself allowed Peyton to feel stronger and comforted, Hadina would let the vultures eat her.

She didn’t know how long passed before Peyton pulled away, looking into her eyes. “You came for me,” she whispered tearfully.

Hadina felt an ache in her heart. “Of course I did. Te seguiría al inframundo, mi amor. I will always come for you.”

“Hadina, we need to go.”

Hearing another voice had Peyton flinching into herself. Hadina watched as her eyes turned from scared to something else entirely the moment she saw Zellie standing in the doorway. Hadina had never seen a look of genuine hatred cross Peyton’s face, but she was almost sure that’s what it was.

“What the fuck are you doing here?!” Peyton yelled, glaring at Zellie.

“ Tentadora , it’s okay. She–Zelina helped me find you.”

Peyton turned to Hadina, her face scrunched in horror. “How could you? She helped Demi!”

Hadina shook her head. “No, love. It’s more complicated than you think. I can explain…”

“NO! I don’t want to fucking hear any excuses.”

Before Hadina had even registered what was happening, Peyton lurched forward, sprinting directly at Zellie. A moment too late, she saw the blade in her hand as she lunged, swiping it in an arc. The knife cut a sharp line through Zelina’s cheek, causing her to cry out and jump out of Peyton’s reach.

“This is because of you! If you hadn’t let that psycho go, this wouldn’t have happened!” Peyton screeched, launching herself in Zellie’s direction again.

“ Tentadora, stop!”

Hadina jumped to her feet and grabbed Peyton by the waist, holding the woman tight against her as she thrashed. “Fucking let me go, Hadina!”

Harris stepped in front of them, a syringe in his hand. Hadina shook her head and batted his hand away but he gripped Peyton by the shoulder, smiling apologetically. “Sorry, P. I gotta do this.”

“Don’t touch her, Adrian!”

Harris sighed, sticking the plunger into the side of Peyton’s neck. “It needs to be done, boss. She has to calm down in order to heal. And we need to get the fuck out of here before Demi comes back.”

Hadina looked down at Peyton as her body slumped, her eyes drifting closed. She couldn’t help but feel the sting of her own betrayal as Peyton slipped into unconsciousness, knowing that she was the cause of all this pain.

She’d promised to protect Peyton and she had let her down.

Hadina Adis wasn’t a queen; she was a monster and she had broken the only person she had ever truly loved.