Chapter Eleven
HUNTER
The first thing I notice waking up is it doesn’t sound like it should. My brain’s a bit foggy with confusion, and I’m disoriented. Rather than peel my lids back, I take a few brief moments to breathe deeply and work to get my thoughts in order. I remember being at the welcome party with Aura, and then afterward, my mind trails off as bits and pieces begin clicking into place.
Fuck. This isn’t good at all.
With a deep exhale, I open my eyes. I’m already aware I won’t like what I find waiting for me, and I’m right. My hands, along with the rest of my body, are tied securely. Apparently, a satanist bound my ass up as they wrapped my entire frame in the offending rope. I wiggle, testing the strength and am pinched in random spots. This is bullshit, and everything inside me wants to pop a fuse and lose my shit. The urge to roar and bellow profanities rides my shoulders heavily, but I refrain. Throwing a tantrum will get me nowhere, no matter how much satisfaction it may momentarily bring. I also need to reserve my energy. I don’t know what I’m in for with what went down.
Think. I need to be smart about this.
The psycho bitch plans to kill Aura, and I have no idea what sort of timeframe she’s working with. Whatever I do, I need a plan and one that’ll get me out of here quickly. I have to get to Aura. I’ll never forgive myself if something happens to her. After all this time, the least she deserves are new hurdles to leap over in life. I can’t believe I promised to protect her, and I’ve already failed in the first step.
I take in my surroundings, searching for anything I may be able to use. I’m lying on an inky, thick exercise type of mat that fills up a generous portion in the corner of the main room. There are a few hallways veering off from this room—I’m assuming that’s what they are anyway. There’s no telling what all is down here with me or where I’m at in general. The endless possibilities have me grinding my molars as I continue to catalog everything with dread.
Someone must’ve seen something at the party—they had to. I know for certain that Steven and Lucia have cameras all over their massive mansion. Surely, they’re looking for me by now. The possibility of this psychotic bitch having further reach comes slithering into the back of my mind like a suffocating fog.
The reality of my situation is I’m at her mercy and have no clue just how far her deception carries. For all I know, she could have several on staff working for her—the man I saw earlier with her was one I’ve deduced. This is even worse than I imagined. I thought she was merely a pest with good connections in the past, but clearly, I’ve underestimated her. It doesn’t help she’s Steven’s sister, and he most likely trusts her blindly. It’ll end up getting him and Lucia killed as well, I don’t doubt as much for even a second.
Diana obviously wants whatever she can get her hands on, and she isn’t afraid to take what she wants by force if necessary. I’d believed she was only after Aura’s spot as heir to the botanical throne, but now I have a feeling it’s much more. I’m watching her across the room on a computer when she spins and finally notices I’ve come to. I’m grouchy and groggy, but I won’t let her know as much. As far as she’s concerned, I’m a fucking spring chicken, waiting to pounce.
“Ah, the nosey nuisance has finally awoken. You’ve been a thorn in my side for far too long. You’re here until I decide what’s to become of you. Anger me, and I’ll have you drowned,” she promises, coming close enough I could spit on her. I’ve never wanted to kill a woman before, but she’s quickly becoming the first. I’d even settle for torture and jail time so long as she’s adequately punished for her crimes.
“Drown me, and my club comes for your head. They’ll dice you and your accomplices up while you each watch, screaming in pain.”
Her throaty tone fills the room with her evil cackle. The sound creeps me out, but I manage to suppress the shudder wanting to surface. “No one would ever expect me of hurting someone, let alone you. There’s no personal link between us, so you can disappear without a blink in my direction.”
“You’re wrong. I’ve had my brothers quietly up your ass so far they know what time you take a shit. Come at me or Aura, and you’re as good as tortured, then rotting in prison. Hurt us and you’ll meet certain death, I’ll make sure of it.”
Wearing a malicious grin, she strides toward me with purpose. The room echoes with the crack of her palm meeting my flesh. I put her in for a dainty bitch, but she knows how to slap. She holds her hands up and spins, mocking me. “Oh, whatever will happen to me now?” Her mouth drops into a scowl as she nastily snarls, “Nothing. And it never will.”
With a chuckle, I shake my head. “Not only are you a dumbass, but you hit like one too.” My spit lands on her face, which isn’t the easiest feat, I’ll have you know, laying on the ground tied up as I am. I’m met with a swift kick in retaliation. Her small foot slams into my stomach with enough force, I gasp for breath.
“You fool. Aura’s right upstairs, and I’ll have her down here next to you faster than you can count to twenty. I already have everything planned, so you better not push me.”
Ah, but it worked. I’ve pissed her off enough, she coughed up information she wouldn’t have otherwise been so forthcoming with. It may not be the smartest move, getting myself injured in the process, but I had to do something I knew would work. Now, I know I’m still in the mansion, and Aura’s safe for the moment. In the meantime, I need to figure a way out of this place.
I’m not lying about my brothers looking into possible leads as to who took Aura, but they aren’t involved as deeply as I stated. I’m an idiot for not including them more, or there’d be a decent chance they would be on their way here by now. I wiggle around, watching as Aura’s sadistic aunt leaves the room without me knowing where she’s going. I don’t feel anything in my pockets, can’t say I’m surprised, though. There’s not much room for hiding anything in a pair of damn dress slacks. My phone’s missing as well, so there’s no way I can attempt to alert my brothers. Not like I could anyhow since I’m fucking tied up. I’m basically screwed unless I can manage to get these ropes loose somehow.
I lay waiting, impatient and attempting to keep track of time, as well as any noises I might pick up. There are not many, and it’s not a good sign. I’m expecting a security guard or other staff to show up at some point, but it never happens. Essentially, I gain nothing I can use and only manage to get more confused about how long I’ve been down here. It would have been easier if I wasn’t knocked unconscious because I have no idea how long it took me to come to. I’m assuming I slept through the night because of Diana’s recent wardrobe change. Being a bounty hunter, I’ve always tried to take in the smaller details people overlook, as you never know when something may come in handy later.
Eventually, I doze off again. I try to fight it, but it’s no use. I’ve most likely gotten a mild concussion from the crack to my head. It’s not the first time, but it won’t make my escape any easier on me either.