I burst out of the pawn shop like I'd been shot out of a cannon, the bell slamming against the door behind me.
People were moving all around me…cars honking, voices shouting, but it all muffled.
I ran down the first alley I could find, wedging myself between a dumpster and a brick wall streaked with old graffiti. The smell of trash and wet concrete hit me, but I didn't care.
I pressed my back to the wall, trying to suck in a breath.
My chest felt like it was caving in.
In… out…
But the air wouldn't come.
Nothing came.
Images flashed in my head…the serpent tattoos. Liam lying in a pool of blood.
The scary looking men.
My throat closed up.
I couldn't breathe.
My fingers scrabbled for my phone in my pocket. It almost slipped out of my hand twice before I finally managed to unlock it.
I found Dominic's name and hit call.
It rang once. Twice.
"Hey, Rivera." He sounded amused. "Aren't you supposed to be…"
"I—I can't—"
