58. RAVEN

58

RAVEN

I get out of the shower when my phone beeps with a notification.

The first text is from the unknown number.

Unknown: I have something you want.

I am so sick of these games. It's Butcher, I know it. And the next thing I want to discuss with Tsariuk is his connection with Butcher and his crew.

I don't answer the text.

But I see the unread messages from earlier this morning, when Maddy was still here.

Nick Marlow: Kat went through all the guards' shifts time stamps. There is one person whose time stamp for the day Cunningham escaped is suspicious. Call me.

The next message is again from Marlow.

Nick Marlow: Raven, we need to talk. The guy is Skiba. I know he is on your team. But this might be something we want to look at.

Suddenly, I feel sick.

My phone lights up with a text from an unknown number again.

Unknown: Your precious girl can't wait for too long. We might have to entertain ourselves with her while we wait for you.

My pulse suddenly roars between my ears.

I call Maddy. She doesn't pick up.

I call again—silence.

I open the tracking for her bracelet in my phone. And there she is… In the jungle…

My hands grip the phone tighter as I watch the GPS tracker dot. It's moving fast, moving toward the Divide in the middle of the island. But there's something odd about the trajectory. It's straight, not following any paths. Her heart monitor is blinking red, and when I press on it, it shows me a heartbeat of 500 beats per minute.

What the fuck? This is not human.

And the words hit me. It's not human. The bracelet is not on Maddy.

I text back.

Me: Where?

Right away, I dial Nilanski. "Where are you?"

"At the hospital."

"Where's Maddy? She's not there." I'm already pulling on my clothes and shoes.

"What do you mean?"

"Did you see her leave?"

"I just went for a piss?—"

"Check the hospital, get the other guys, go to the Center, put out an emergency alert. Now!"

"She left…" he mumbles.

"When?"

"The front desk says five minutes ago. With one of your guys."

Skiba. Fuuuuck!

I grab my bike keys and rush out of the house.

Ali is on his day off. I am about to call him when another text comes in from the unknown number—it's the coordinates.

I forward the message to Archer then call him. "They got Maddy."

"Who?"

"I think Skiba picked her up from work. I can't get ahold of Maddy. Nilanski missed her. I'm going right now. I sent you the coordinates. It's somewhere between us and Butcher's territories. But get every camera, every tracker, every guard. Track my bracelet. Get Bishop on the Divide to track his cameras. Now, Archer! And remember one fucking thing—Maddy's safety is the priority. No one else's, got it? No matter what."

"Wait for others?—"

I cut the call, unlock the storage on my bike, pull out a gun, tuck it under my belt, and rev up the engine.

They won't do anything to Maddy. They are not stupid. They want me . But I can't let anything happen to her. Me going there alone is walking into a slaughter. But it can't be any different.

So, I hold my phone with the GPS coordinates in front of me and speed toward the Ayana entrance.