An Ace Of Hearts (Book #1) (Completed)

Chapter 58: One Last Heist

JACE HYDE

The gang leader had made his bargain. He would release Ahvi and Hailey if the Sheriff gave him his freedom, if he let him be. Fucking bastard. It was clear he knew how to play this game quite well.

I watched the Sheriff talking to the other officers, his eyebrows furrowed. The gangster hadn't stepped out of the house. He was still inside, communicating with us through the phone calls. I tried and failed to look through the windows once again.

I wondered how Ahvi was doing. I didn't know much about gangsters but I did know that they didn't exactly treat the people they kidnapped well. I couldn't think what my girl was going through inside that house. I hated myself for not being able to do anything.

I had tried to slip away from the group but a police officer had caught me and instructed me to stay put. I was now surrounded with three officers who were keeping an eye on me. I felt frustrated with them but knew they were doing it for my own safety. Most of them knew me from when I used to live here and had asked me to trust them as a part of the same community.

The sun was at its peak now. The fire seemed to have happened ages ago. It felt like I had gone through a lifetime in the past few hours. I closed my eyes momentarily, praying once more. I had prayed more in the past hour than I had in my entire life.

"What are we going to do?" I asked one of the officers when I opened my eyes. I would have talked to the Sheriff but he seemed troubled enough.

"No one knows. We can't just let the gangster be." One of them, called Peter, said, his gaze snagging on the house over my shoulder.

"But we can't risk their life." I pointed out. It was ridiculous how much time they were taking to make the right call. Their priority should have been the girls' lives.

"We can't. And therefore, this is a decision to be made carefully." Peter answered with a look in my direction that told me to shut the fuck up. I did.

>.<

AHVI TAKEDA

I felt a sob bubbling in my chest as I sagged against the floor, my arms finally freed from the rope. My wrists were still tied but it was easy to undo the knot with my teeth. I felt tears flowing down my cheeks as I bit into it and pulled it undone. The rope fell off my hands and I sighed in relief.

But I wasn't done yet. I was racing against time. I couldn't let one small victory distract me. I swallowed as I put my elbows on the floor and pulled myself forward. My heart was in my throat now, the adrenaline keeping me going, making me forget the pain momentarily.

I needed to get to the loose floorboard. And then I needed to wake Hailey.

With my goals set for me, I dragged myself across the floor. It was hard because my right leg was useless and I had to go to my right, to the corner of the room where I remembered the floorboard to be. I hoped my memory wasn't playing tricks on me and I was right about the position of the floorboard.

The bullet wound had become a part of me now, the way my blade had become one. I didn't know what it said about me, this tolerance to excruciating pain. Honestly, it scared me.

But I pushed the fear aside for now, put it inside a box and locked it in the corner-most part of my brain. Inch by inch, I crawled to the corner of the room. I found it a moment later, the floorboard I was looking for. It had a hollow sound that had haunted my dreams these past five years.

I could never forget anything about my past. It would all come back for me in my dreams and perhaps, it was all for this moment. Full-circle. I started here and I would put an end to this journey right here. After five years, I was back in New Mulliton paying for my sins but I would redeem myself.