Chapter 749
From the look on her face, it was clear—Lena hadn’t ordered anything. I got up to help her with the package, figuring she was wiped out from her day in surgery. I double-checked the label. Yep, it was addressed to her.
“Maybe one of your admirers sent you a gift?” I teased, setting the box on the table.
Lena gave me a “seriously?” look but grabbed a box cutter and started slicing it open. I leaned in to watch because, honestly, I was just as curious.
Big mistake.
The second she pulled back the flaps and opened the inner box, we both screamed like we were extras in a horror movie. And kept screaming.
Because slithering out of the box was a snake.
Our panic didn’t stop until someone outside, probably alarmed by the banshee-level noise, burst in and grabbed the snake. Lena and I were ghost-white. The thing had launched out of the box like it had a vendetta, brushing past our faces as it slithered away.
Here’s the thing—we weren’t just scared of snakes. Anything remotely squirmy, even a caterpillar, could send us both into a full-blown meltdown. This wasn’t just a scare—it was a calculated move meant to rattle Lena.
The package had a return address. When I checked, my stomach dropped. It was from the apartment complex I used to live in. Problem? That place was demolished ages ago. Whoever sent this wasn’t just being random—they knew me.
This wasn’t about Lena. It was a message for me, loud and clear. Lena’s investigation into the victims had been noticed, and this was their way of saying: back off.
“Lena, I’m so sorry,” I said, guilt heavy in my voice as I looked at her pale face. “You’re only involved because of me.”
This was exactly what I’d been dreading—dragging people I cared about into danger. And now it was happening.
“Lena, let’s stop here. Don’t dig any deeper,” I urged. “They sent a snake this time, which means it’s just a warning. If you back off now, they’ll leave you alone.”
But Lena, being Lena, wasn’t having it. She shook her head, her expression hardening. “I won’t be scared off that easily.”
Classic Lena. Convincing her to back down was like trying to make the sun rise in the west. But this wasn’t some petty beef. This was the Drago family—a dangerous game where they made the rules. If they wanted to hurt Lena, they wouldn’t hesitate.
I tightened my grip on her hands. “Lena, listen to me. If anything happens to you because of this, I’ll never forgive myself.”
She gave me a small laugh, though her eyes softened when she saw how shaken I was. “You’re more scared than I am.”
She wasn’t wrong. If the threat had been aimed at me, I wouldn’t care. But Lena? That was a different story.
“Then promise me you’ll stop looking for the other girls,” I pressed, refusing to let go.
After a moment of hesitation, she finally nodded. Reluctantly. But even with her agreement, unease twisted in my gut. I didn’t trust her to actually stop—and I definitely didn’t trust the Dragos to leave her alone.
If I wanted her safe, I had to take this into my own hands. Armed with the evidence Lena had given me, I went to find Cole.
He greeted me with his signature smirk. “You’re out already? I figured you’d be stuck there a few more days. I was just about to visit.”
I slammed the box—the one that had held the snake—onto the table in front of him. “Was this your doing?”
Cole glanced at it, all faux confusion. “What’s this?”
I wasn’t in the mood for Cole’s games. “Cut it out. Leave her alone. I’m the one who asked her to investigate. If you’ve got a problem, take it up with me.”
He didn’t respond, but his silence said enough. I slid the evidence Lena had found across the table toward him. “Will this be enough?”
Cole picked up the documents, flipping through them with that faint, irritating smile. “If you want to make sure your friend stays safe, there’s something you need to do for me.”