Total pages in book: 83
Estimated words: 75783 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 379(@200wpm)___ 303(@250wpm)___ 253(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 75783 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 379(@200wpm)___ 303(@250wpm)___ 253(@300wpm)
“You just killed us all,” Dad says before the line cuts off, and I’m left standing in my room with the weight of knowing how serious the situation is.
The ambulance arrives and triages Maggie in the living room. I don’t have a lot of time to spare, but I give them all the details I can. While they’re preparing her, I call her children to let them know what happened so they can meet her at the hospital.
When everyone is gone, I close the door and try to think. I’m going to kill Malik for this. I’m not going to sit back and let him hurt the woman I love. He should have known better than to take matters into his own hands like this.
I know where he lives, and the odds are he took her there. His mansion is big and isolated enough that he can do whatever the hell he wants beyond his gates without consequence. I just need to figure out a way to infiltrate them.
When the realization hits me of what I should do, I pull out my phone and dial Xander’s number. He answers after only a few rings. I explain the entire situation, which he was already privy to in some regard.
“Xander, I need your help,” I say, feeling the desperation in my voice and doing nothing to hide it. “Whatever it takes. We have to stop him.”
“We’ll be on our way shortly,” Xander says without any hesitation.
We hang up the phone, and all I can do is wait. Xander’s words echo in my mind once again. If somebody is going to have to die because of this, I’m going to make sure it won’t be me. I’ll do anything to protect Harper. If I have to paint the streets with Malik’s blood, so be it.
Chapter 24
Harper
I haven’t left this room since being brought to the mansion God only knows how long ago. I haven’t been able to pee; I haven’t had any water, and nobody’s offered to bring me any food. The only time I’ve seen anybody since the exam was when the guards came in and dragged me to a chair at the end of the room to tie me to it with rope.
Without anybody watching me, I try to wiggle my way free. Maybe there’s a chance I can loosen the rope enough to slide out of it. But then what would I do? I have no idea where I am. I’m on Malik’s property, and I’m sure he has eyes everywhere. I might be able to break out a window and start running, but I would bet the little money I have they’re all faster than me. They’re sure as hell stronger.
It’s hard not to feel like I’ve lost all hope. There’s a part of me waiting for Dawson to break the door down and save me, and I feel pathetic for that. How the hell is he going to know where I am? I had a conversation with Malik, and I didn’t tell him all the details. I only told him that Malik asked me on a date.
Looking back, the end of that conversation was very cryptic, and I see now what Malik meant. But I didn’t know that at the time to tell Dawson. I just wish things could have been different.
The door to the room bursts open, and for the first time since the exam, I see Malik. He’s accompanied by two guards, all with deep frowns on their faces as they approach me.
“What’s going on? Where am I?” I ask again now that the duct tape has been ripped off my face. I can’t help the quivering in my voice, even though I wish I could. The corner of Malik’s mouth upturns when he hears how afraid I am. It makes my skin crawl.
“You’re where I thought you belonged,” Malik says as he approaches. He pulls up a stool and squats down to take a seat in front of me. He forces me to look him in the eye, even though I want to look away. I don’t know what I did to get myself here.
“Why am I here? Is it just because I rejected you?” I ask, hot tears streaming down my face as I think about it. Dawson’s words replay in my mind. Malik isn’t the kind of guy you say no to.
Maybe this is exactly what he meant.
“You are not the one who asks questions. I am,” Malik says as he stands up and walks around the chair I’m tied to. I feel his eyes on me the entire time as he takes in the scene and thinks about what he wants to do. He eventually stops in front of me again and puts an arm on the back of the chair to tilt it up and force me to look at him. I shake as the balance on the chair is messed with, and I worry about falling. “Tell me who took what belonged to me.”