Total pages in book: 106
Estimated words: 99917 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 500(@200wpm)___ 400(@250wpm)___ 333(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 99917 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 500(@200wpm)___ 400(@250wpm)___ 333(@300wpm)
The younger man moves behind me, his gun still drawn. I can feel the weight of his presence, the threat of the weapon.
“You’re using me as bait,” I growl, anger replacing fear. “A way to get both of them here.”
“Both?” The older man raises an eyebrow. “I thought I noted something taking place when I peeked in last. They did still seem somewhat at odds. I’m curious about this...relationship that seems to be developing between you.”
I clamp my mouth shut, cursing myself for the slip. He doesn’t need any more information than he already has.
“Well”—he grins, settling back in his chair like he’s preparing for a show—“this should be even more interesting than I anticipated.”
More sounds from the other side of the door fill the room. Footsteps. The sound of a body crashing to the floor and then another gunshot. I strain against the zip ties, but the movements only cause them to dig deeper into my wrists.
The unyielding plastic is designed to tighten with struggle.
“Don’t worry, Miss Hayes,” the older man says, noting my efforts. “We have no intention of harming you. You’re far too valuable.”
“Valuable? Could’ve fooled me. Most people don’t use zip ties on things that they find valuable.”
“You have yet to understand your full value, and the zip ties are more for our protection than anything.” His gaze softens again, almost regretful. “Unfortunately, our conversation must come to an end now. Soon, all the secrets will be revealed, and you’ll discover we’re more allies than enemies.”
The door handle turns, and everything moves in slow motion. The younger man shifts behind me, and I catch the silver barrel of his gun out of the corner of my eye. It’s no longer trained on the entrance but instead the side of my head. My heart hammers in my chest, a familiar ache spreading through my left arm.
Not now. Please, not now.
The door creaks as it slowly opens, and the air in my lungs wheezes out like a deflating balloon. Am I being rescued or sent to an early grave?
Either way, I know with bone-deep certainty that nothing will be the same after this.
Whatever game these men are playing, we’ve just reached the next level. I’m still not sure what the rules are, or what happens when you lose.
FOUR
ARIES
The corporate apartment’s main room reeks of expensive neutrality—beige walls and generic furniture. The kind of soulless space designed to be forgotten. Two guards lie unconscious on the hardwood floor. Blood pools beneath the head of the one Drew pistol-whipped when he reached for his radio.
It felt fucking good to watch that bastard drop.
My knuckles throb from connecting with the other guard’s jaw, the pain a welcome reminder that I’m free, that I can fight back. Months of captivity have left me weaker than I’ve ever been, but rage makes up for a lot of lost muscle mass.
“That was unnecessary,” Drew mutters, checking the pulse of the guard I dropped.
Still breathing, unfortunately, despite the two shots I fired at them. Okay, to be fair, I was only trying to scare them. I don’t really want to deal with any dead bodies today.
“Was it?” I flex my fingers, working out the stiffness. “They’re keeping Lilian prisoner. Fuck ‘em. Plus, you just pistol-whipped that dude, man. A couple of warning shots and a punch to the throat isn’t going to matter much as long as they are alive.”
“I suppose, as long as no one dies.”
My gaze swings to my identical twin. Arson stands over the unconscious bodies with cold satisfaction, like he’s cataloging their injuries for future reference. A similar satisfaction fills my chest, and all I can think is that sometimes you need to hurt someone just to remember that you still can. One single door leads off the main room, and I know somewhere on the other side is where they’re keeping her.
The door is reinforced steel with an electronic lock pad that’s been flashing red since we arrived. Nothing says I’m hiding something like extra security. I can hear voices, though they’re muffled, on the other side. Adrenaline zips through my veins. We’re so close to having her back, to having her safe. That’s when Arson’s phone rings.
Not the burner he’s been using to coordinate with his backers, but my phone—the sleek device that has been part of my daily life for years, carrying my contacts, my history, and my digital identity. Arson pulls it out, his face filling with dread. I peek at the screen and see Richard’s contact information. Fuck, this isn’t going to be good.
“Shit,” Arson hisses, staring at the device like it might explode. “What the fuck could he want?”
Drew glances between us, confusion evident. “Who?”
“Richard.”
The phone continues ringing, each tone another second of Lilian being locked away and out of sight.
“Answer it,” I finally say. “You’ve been playing me for months. Why stop now?”