The Rising (final book of The Call series) ~ TMNT Fanfiction

Chapter 31: Rescue

Lexi's POV:

I don't delete things, and I don't throw things out. It's one of the biggest problems I have, because my life is one cluttered mess of memories. I have phone numbers from people I haven't talked to since the seventh grade. My room is a canyon of cards and notes. I've got a rock that a boy who had a crush on me in the second grade gave me, and doodles from the 6th grade, when we were learning about Mesopotamia. I don't delete things, and I don't throw things out.

So when a text message appears on my phone with a name I recognize attached to it, I don't have to wonder who it is and feel threatened by the message which reads, "We have the information. Come by before we change our minds." I'm surprised that after all these years Tristan has kept my phone number, but nonetheless grateful. I mean, I kept his.

We enter the hideout of the Purple Dragons the same way we did last time, only more confident and with fewer people with the overt desire to bash our brains out. Rose has the large sum of money hidden under her coat. She and I lead the way through the hideout, and we both scan the crowd, looking for a different person than we had the first time.

Tristan's eyes meet mine in the crowd, and he gives a single nod and steps forward. I nod back to him, and glance at Rosalie, who is already removing the bag of money from her hidden place.

"Karai and her clan have been spending a great deal of time with the Dark Angels." His eyebrows draw together. "I'm assuming you knew that much." When I nod, he continues. "The Dark Angels don't let many people find their hideout. Karai and her clan have been spending a lot of time with the Angels, but not in their Headquarters. They have a torture chamber on the rural part of Buffalo County."

"They have their own torture chamber? Don't they have one in their own hideout?" Casey asks.

"I'm sure they do," Tristan says evenly. "But they can't risk anyone finding it. So they have one far away, where no one would find it, because it's—"

"In the middle of nowhere," I finish.

"Exactly," he says, crossing his arms. "I don't exactly know who they're holding in their torture chambers, but that's definitely where they are. And they've been there for over a month."

"How do you know this?" Rose asks. She narrows her eyes. "How did you find out?"

"How we found out doesn't matter," Tristan says, without missing a beat. "We got your information, and that's what you asked for. I know you can't trust me, but...trust me."

Rose hesitates to hand over the money. Naturally, too. We're doing business with the Purple Dragons. And they won't tell us how they got the information they got. There's something weird about that.

But I look at Tristan. His face remains patient, and his head is held high. For some reason, I know he's telling the truth. Even though he was a part of the Purple Dragons while he and I were together and he never bothered warning me, I know that right now, he speaks nothing but truth.

"He's telling the truth," I mumble to Rose. She looks at me when I say this, and then slowly turns back to Tristan.

She holds out the money, and nods at him. "Thank you for your assistance."

I can't sleep that night, no matter how hard I try. Every time I close my eyes, images flash through my mind of the turtles. The torture that the Dark Angels are bestowing upon them breaks my heart. I begin to miss Leo's arms around me and start to wish I could put my own around him to offer what comfort I can.

My legs swing over the side of my bed, and I slowly creep out of my bedroom. I shiver a little bit and turn on the heater. Even with the heater on, I'm still cold. I take all the blankets I can and snuggle up into them, sitting myself onto the couch. I turn the volume of the television on low and turn on Nickelodeon. The show iCarly is on, and I watch it, immersing myself in my childhood. It helps me escape for a little bit, at least.