Silent Sins ✓ ( book 1) Editing in Progress

Chapter 22

Hello lovely readers,
I've created a teaser above for this chapter, hope you like it x
- love you all, Nila
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There's a moment of excruciating silence where Camila and I watch each other. From bush to bush. A moment where the building itself and all the people inside are ghostly quiet. It's like the world has stopped spinning on its axis, and the people on it remain frozen with time.

Through our eyes, panic prances around on a carousel that blinks wildly with neon lights as we face the prospect of our fate. All of which exclude running.

With our dainty legs, being caught is too high on the scale. At least she will have a better chance of making it out because she is the farthest away. But there's always the possibility that they will forget the scream, condone it to be a figure of their imagination.

Ignoring Camila's signs to stop, I rise on shaky limbs and squint through the now vacant building. Well, that can't be good.

Just as I turn, I'm yanked from the bushes. A mass of bodies topple over me and I let out a violent scream. It dies just as quick as it's awakened.

They pin my limbs down, and I cry out breathlessly, suffocating under the weight of my attackers.

"I surrender." I shriek with every breath. The weight lifts an inch to allow another gasp of air. Disorientated and dazed, I yelp, "I was just shitting in the bush."

The attacker rises.

"I'm innocent," I wail.

"Amara?"

I squint against the bright sky, huffing, and puffing like I've run a marathon. "Jackson?"

Unruly brown hair falls over his emerald eyes, and I can just make out his frown against my dotted vision. He wears a dark short-sleeved shirt and jeans, with a silver chain dangling from his neck. I'm blinded every time the light bounces off, dazzling my eyes.

I gape mindlessly, unable to speak as I take in every shadow looming before me. A blush tints my cheeks when I painfully recognise every single man standing above. Trey, Cody, and Omar, all geared up and armed with weapons at their hips. Bullet-proof vests slink over their bare ripped chests and a few scars mare their tattooed bodies here and there.

It feels wrong to be so utterly turned on by the sight of them.

Jackson extends a hand to help me up and I take it, dusting myself off. When I'm done, I turn to the group of armed men and smile sheepishly, "Hey."

"Amara, what the hell are you doing here?" Jackson exclaims. "I could have seriously hurt you."

I wring my wrists and shake them. "You kind of did."

Trey hooks his fingers under his thick protective vest and fights back a smile. A disorderly smile curls my own lips. I did not expect to run into them today.

From the corner of my eye, I catch a disorientated Camila rising from the bushes.

"Stay down, stay down." I yell without looking in her direction.

Cody's mouth drops to say something and the rest peer around for another intruder.

Crap.

"Sorry, it's just my- dog. Down, boy." I call out. Okay, it's official. I look insane.

"What's going on here?"

The sea of men turn curiously, allowing the descendant of Hades to step through the commotion. Eyes cold and distant, they rake over my grubby clothes, narrowing with a look that barely borders control.