Page 83 of Deserving Cora
“Knew you’d find me. But…you should’ve stayed away.”
Cora leaned down so she was almost nose to nose with her friend. “No way in hell. You saved me when we were fifteen. I would’ve moved heaven and earth to save you back. I love you, Lara.”
In response, Lara closed her eyes and turned her head away.
Cora wasn’t upset. She had to be confused right now. And traumatized. Nothing she said or did would surprise Cora, under the circumstances.
“You guys okay?” Pipe asked.
“Head hurts, and I feel a little off, but okay,” Owl said, not getting up from the bed because doing so would mean Lara would have to let go of him.
Cora fell a little in love with him then. Not a love like she had for Pipe, but a huge, grateful love that he understood Lara needed an anchor right now. And because he was perfectly willing to be that anchor.
“Cora?” Pipe asked.
“Same,” she told him. “What’s the plan?” she asked before she could think twice about it. It wasn’t fair to put that kind of pressure on Pipe, but she honestly had no idea what to do now. They were in a basement, with windows too small to climb out of, and with a half-dressed woman who was mostly out of it. She had a feeling their options were limited.
Pipe opened his mouth to say something, but was interrupted by the sound of his phone vibrating.
“Wait—they didn’t take our phones?” Cora asked as she reached for her own in her back pocket. Sure enough, it was still there. “Do you have your gun?” she asked Pipe urgently.
He’d pulled out his phone and was scrolling down the screen, but he shook his head and said, “Nope. Gun’s gone.”
“Of course it is,” Cora said with a sigh.
Then a voice Cora recognized came from the speaker of Pipe’s phone.
Stone.
“Talk to me,” Pipe ordered.
“Fuckin’ shit! Thank God you finally answered. What’s going on in there?”
“We were locked in a room, gassed, and now we’re in the basement with a drugged Lara,” Pipe summed up quickly.
“Fuck. Right, look, they jammed the cell signals, which is why I couldn’t get in touch with you earlier,” Stone said.
“I know. We realized that when we were locked in that first room. Did they fuck up and unjam it for some reason?”
“No. You know that unknown person who helped us find Jasna and Reese?”
“Yeah?” Pipe asked suspiciously.
“He messaged me after you three had gone to the house and told me some shit. Warned me that you were all in danger and to tell you to get out.”
“Yeah, got the forty-seven messages with you saying that. And we would’ve if we could’ve. So what’s up with the jammer?” Pipe asked.
“Unknown unjammed it. Which is how we’re talking now.”
“Holy shit,” Cora whispered. She moved from around the bed toward Pipe. She put an arm around his waist as he held his phone in front of them, and they listened to Stone.
“Anyway, listen, that Grant guy? He’s wanted by the FBI. For multiple murders, among other things. He’s got aliases a mile long. He’s dangerous, Pipe,” Stone said unnecessarily. “He hurts women. Gets off on it. Then eventually kills them. You guys have to get out of there right now.”
Cora blinked in surprise. Creepy Guy reallywascreepy. She was kind of glad her internal radar hadn’t failed her, but the knowledge was a little too late.
“Gonna need your help, Stone,” Pipe said. “Need you to do some reconnaissance. We’re in a basement of some sort. There are windows, but they’re small. Too small for us to get out of. There’s a door to the room we’re in, but I’m guessing it’s locked and reinforced like the one upstairs. We can’t get out without some help.”
“Right. Okay, I’m gonna go over the wall and check out the property and see what I can find. Oh, shit!” There was rustling, then silence.
