Curse Of The Aswangs (The Vasquez Brothers #1)[COMPLETED]

37: ZADE

I was pacing near the front door when Jasper walked in, his face pale, eyes wide with shock. I knew that look—he'd seen something big, something that rocked him to his core. He hadn't even taken off his jacket before blurting it out.

"It's the scroll," he said, his voice tight. "I know where it is."

My heart skipped a beat. We'd been chasing rumors, dead ends, and lies for what felt like forever, and now Jasper had found it through scrying. Dwight, who'd been leaning against the wall, straightened up, his brow furrowed.

"Where?" I asked, stepping forward, my pulse quickening.

Jasper swallowed hard, still trying to make sense of it. "The magic shop. Frankie's place."

I blinked. Frankie? It didn't make any sense. I glanced at Dwight, who looked equally confused, but we didn't waste time. If that scroll was anywhere near Frankie, we had to get it before it was too late.

"We're going," I said, my voice firm.

We grabbed our weapons and headed out, moving through the dark streets like shadows. The air was thick with tension, and none of us said much during the ride. It was only when we reached the magic shop that the weight of what was happening hit me. Frankie's family had always been a part of our world, but we'd trusted them. And now, it felt like we were walking straight into a trap.

The shop was dimly lit when we entered, the familiar smell of herbs and old books filling the air. But something was off. The place was too quiet. Frankie wasn't behind the counter, and the usual warmth of the shop felt cold, distant.

Jasper pushed the door open further, and we stepped inside. My heart pounded in my chest as we moved deeper into the shop, every instinct telling me something was wrong.

Suddenly, Frankie appeared from the back room, her eyes wide in surprise. "Jasper? Zade? What are you—?"

Before she could finish, Dwight stepped forward, his voice sharp. "Where's the scroll?"

Frankie froze, his expression shifting from confusion to fear. "What? I don't—"

"Don't play dumb," I snapped, anger rising in my chest. "Jasper saw it. We know it's here."

his mouth opened and closed like she was struggling to find the right words, but nothing she said would've convinced me. Frankie might've been our friend, but that didn't matter now. If she had the scroll, it meant she'd been lying to us this whole time.

Jasper stepped forward, his voice softer but no less urgent. "Frankie, please. We need to stop whatever's happening. If you know anything—"

"I don't!" he insisted, his voice trembling. "I swear, I don't know what you're talking about!"

The tension in the room was thick, ready to snap at any moment. I could feel my hands clenching into fists, my mind racing with all the ways this could go wrong. But just as I was about to push further, a noise from the back room made us all turn.

There, in the doorway, stood Jose—Frankie's uncle. And in his hand, he clutched the scroll.

For a second, none of us moved. The room felt frozen in time, all our suspicions finally confirmed. My blood boiled as I looked at him, the man we'd trusted with everything. He had the scroll—he was the one behind all of this.

"Jose," Jasper said, his voice low and full of betrayal. "You've been hiding it this whole time."

Jose didn't say a word. His eyes flickered with something unreadable, but there was no denying the guilt in his expression. He had the scroll, and he'd been holding it back from us, manipulating everything from the shadows.