I paid the cab fare and stepped out of the car. Archer's car wasn't in view and that was strange. I tried not to dwell on it much as I needed to warn both my siblings about a killer that seemed to be after me.

Why would anyone want me dead?

Okay, I had close connections with Tyler but I wasn't his girlfriend or his wife so Tyler's explanation that someone was after me didn't seem logical.

The house had all the lights on. I rang the doorbell, and when no one answered, I turned the knob which gave away easily. I stepped into the foyer and couldn't help but notice the dead silence that followed. Silence in the Lane household was usually never heard of. If the two out of three siblings were present we were either constantly bickering or laughing so this struck me as strange.

"Archie?" I called out.

A few minutes later, I tried, "Hazel?"

I decided to pull out my phone and call them until I saw the one bar of battery on it...

No! No! Please!!

The red bar blinked twice and then the phone died.

I stared at the useless device until I realized I could use the home landline to call them. Before I could reach the phone to dial the number, it started ringing.

I picked it up and hoped it was my brother. Hazel had sent me a text asking me to come home, but where was she right now?

"Vicky..." the voice was distant and I could hear static on the other end of the line.

"Hello?" I held the phone close to my ear. "Who is this?"

"Vicky...it's me, Noah."

I nearly cried, "oh my god. Noah, I thought you were dead!"

"They made people think I was. Listen, Vicky. This is a trap. This person who has me wants Tyler! You have to come to the location I ask you but do not tell Tyler about this! Do you hear me?"

"Who are these people?" I asked.

"Some mafia that Tyler's family pissed off." He sounded agitated, "They said if I involve the police I'll die. They want you here, I don't have a choice. I'm sorry."

I shook my head, "don't be! This is not your fault! And, I'm glad you're alive." I took a sticky notes pad and picked a pen from the holder. "Where are you right now?"

I wrote the address down on the pink square paper and hung up the phone.

I needed to call Tyler! I couldn't just be the dumb heroine from movies and follow some unknown location and end up in a bad situation. Someone needed to know about the call and even though I considered Tyler an asshole, I still trusted him with my life.

I picked up the phone from the stand and started scrolling through it for Tyler's number when I heard it.

I heard the sound of a gun cocking, and the cool metal of the gun's barrel licking the side of my face.

I had never driven so fast in my life. The Lambo sped through the streets like a Cheetah running towards its prey. At this point, I'd cut through several stoplights. Throughout the entire drive, I kept thinking of Vicky and what I would do if something happened to her...

FUCK NO!

That was not an option.

I'd spent the last ten years trying to make sense of my life, telling myself that I was just overdriven by lust for her and that any other woman would be able to fix that. I thought if I could pretend that I didn't want her, I would be okay.

I'd been dead wrong.

I had to remain calm. Maybe Hazel had really texted Vicky and called her home, but no matter how many scenarios I tried coming up with, it didn't stop the sick feeling churning in my stomach. The only reason I'd brought her home against her will was because I knew I was protecting her. No one would dare to touch a single hair on her head on my turf.

I had a long list of enemies, and there was no way of knowing who would be more likely to extract a grudge from me by using someone I cared about. I'd let the tabloids spread one picture of Vicky walking out of my hotel room and that was enough to use that against me to hurt her.

I pressed the devices in the car.

'Calling Maya', the automated female's voice boomed from the speakers in the car.

The phone rang a few times before Maya answered it.

"What's going on?!" My sister asked and then further bombarded me with more questions which I turned a deaf ear to. "Why is the house on fire?!"

"Look, I can't explain everything. The fire department must already be there." I told her, "I need you to do something for me. I think Vicky's life is in danger. I want you to call the police. I'm driving to Lane's residence right now."

"Okay, I'm on it."

One good thing about my sister was, she knew when to not push my buttons and do as I say.

A few minutes later, I was maneuvering the car outside Lane's residence. The lights in the house were all switched on. I was hoping I'd walk into the house and Vicky would start calling me names or tell me in detail about how she planned to kill me. I would be happy to hear her say all that.

I stormed into the house and found no one.

I checked all the rooms upstairs, but there was no sign of anyone, so I went back to my car cursing under my breath when my phone buzzed in my jeans pocket.

It was a location.

Lockhart's warehouse. 386 Avery St.

Who would ever dare step a foot in a warehouse owned by my family? This particular warehouse wasn't being used because most of the stuff was transferred into a new warehouse that housed more employees so this one stayed locked; the equipment's there were collecting dust. As far as I knew, no one even cared about that place anymore. My uncle had plans to demolish it and build another hospital.

Whoever this person was, knew that the place was unused and had no camera surveillance, it was easier for the killer to sneak in.

What if this is just a ploy to throw me in the opposite direction?

I didn't have a choice. I might as well be walking into a trap.

I needed to be ready.

The Lockhart's crest on the large gates came into view as I drove close to the property. They were rusted, but that didn't stop the place from looking intimidating.

The warehouse stood between acres of land, barricaded on all sides for no trespassing. There was an old car parked hidden in the shadows. Even though the person had given me the address to come here, there was no sign of anyone else around. The trees surrounding the place cast eerie shadows over the building, making this seem like a scene out of a slasher horror movie.

I reached for the hidden compartment in the car and pulled out a 9mm handgun. I loaded it with bullets enough to kill a bunch of people. If bad turned to worse, I might walk out of here taking lives without any signs of remorse.

I quickly texted Maya and told her where I was and to send help because as much as I trusted myself with a gun. I didn't know if I could stand a chance if there were over a dozen thugs. Heck, I didn't even know who was in there. If this person was some crazy mob-boss with a centuries-old grudge against my father and was taking it out on me, I'd be super damned pissed.

If I walked out of this in one piece, I swore to tell Vicky every day that I loved her, not in a conventional way, but the only way I could. I would spend my days listening to her talk back to me and then turning her frustration over into something else by making her scream. In bed.

I climbed out of the car and slammed the door behind me. I jammed the gun into my waistband because even though I was dying to kill somebody, I expected to resolve this with civility.

I walked towards the warehouse but didn't enter from the main entrance. I went to the back of the building and entered through the window. This way, I had chances to catch the person off-guard.

I walked through the darkened place slowly. The slow breeze from the outside made the exhaust fan work like a pinwheel, the rusted sound of it grated on my ears. Lots of machinery and equipment were lying around, some were covered, and others were making this place resemble a maze.

And suddenly I crashed into something...

Or someone...

"Oh thank god, Vicky!" I heaved a sigh of relief when I saw her. I looked at her face that was covered in soot and stained in tears but she wasn't crying anymore. She looked resigned. I pulled her close. "Who brought you here?"

She shoved me lightly and said, "Leave," before she started taking steps backward.

Blood rushed to my ears, "Let's go home, baby!"

She stepped back, "Don't come near me! You weren't supposed to come here, Tyler." She said in a frustrated voice.

"I'm not going to play more games!" I said in a firm authoritative voice, "We're leaving right fucking NOW!"

"I CAN'T!" She shrieked. "Don't you fucking see? I'm trying to save your life!"

Then I heard it.

The sound of ticking...

I stepped towards her and even though she was trying to push me away, I got hold of her shoulders forcefully and turned her around.

I hadn't noticed it before.

There was a time bomb attached to Vicky's neck.