Denouement (The Darkness Series Book 3) by Cassia Brightmore Page B

back. Grabbing his toy from the front seat, she handed it to him and re-locked the car doors. The last thing she needed was a temper tantrum while she reviewed the operations.
    She stepped up to the steel door and punched in the access code, turning the handle when the light flashed green. Cool air and the faint smell of smoke met her as she looked around the large open space. It’d been completely gutted, as per her instructions, looking like nothing more than an abandoned building. Old man Becker should be happily vacationing on a beach somewhere with all of his money so he wouldn’t be around to question the ‘Foreclosure’ sign she’d ordered hung on the front of the building. To the casual passerby, this place would look like it’d just been left to sit empty, which was exactly the way Mila wanted it to appear.
    Dane squirmed in her arms, eager to get down and explore. Mila complied, setting him on his feet. “Behave,” she warned him, her tone brisk. He took off in a little run, anxious to see everything at once. Watching him for a few seconds to be sure he didn’t get into any mischief, she let her own gaze dance around the warehouse, taking things in.
    Noting the chains hanging from the ceiling, the fireplace in the far corner and sparse furniture, she nodded to herself, pleased to see her instructions had been carried out. A noise to her right alerted her to someone’s presence and she glanced over her shoulder, taking in the figure clad all in black standing there watching her.
    “You’re late.” She told him, turning her attention back to her son. Dane came running towards her at full speed, his little legs pumping fast.
    “Dane, slow down. You’re going to—” she broke off as he tripped over his feet and face planted hard on the concrete floor. “Fall.” With an exaggerated sigh, she closed the gap between them and bent down, watching his bottom lip quiver as he lifted his head from the floor. A tiny trickle of blood dripped from his mouth and tears filled his eyes.
    “Dane. You are not a baby, you will not cry over this. Mommy told you to behave, this is what happens when you don’t follow the instructions,” she lectured. Removing a tissue from her purse, she wiped the blood away.
    “Pick yourself up and I don’t want to see one of those tears escape, you understand? You may go over there with your toy and play quietly.” She pointed to a chair a few feet away. Dane took the toy and with his lips still trembling as he fought to hold in his tears, he obeyed his mother. Once he was seated and playing, Mila turned back to the newcomer.
    “Well? Did you pick up what I asked for?” She raised her brows as she waited for him to reply. She already knew the answer would be yes, he knew better than to not follow through on a direct order, but she wanted to hear the words.
    “I did. It’s through there,” he said, pointing towards a door a few yards away. Mila nodded, pleased.
    “Stay here with my son. I need to inspect the merchandise.” Without a backward glance, she headed for the door to what she assumed used to be old man Becker’s office. Half of the door was a glass window, covered with thin blinds that were drawn closed. She opened the door and stepped inside, closing it firmly behind her.
    In the corner, tied to a chair was a young girl, probably no more than twenty. Her black curly hair was in disarray around her face, likely from thrashing back and forth on the chair, her eyes blindfolded and her mouth taped shut with thick duct tape. She quivered in the chair, she’d obviously heard the door open and close and had no idea who was in the room with her. Mila could imagine such a thing would be petrifying and the thought made her pulse jump and her blood run thick with excitement.
    Approaching slowly, she noticed the blood on the girl’s face and the multiple burn holes spread all over her body. Her clothes were in tatters where the flame had touched her and those parts of her