“We’ll get her back, Zander,” he tells me as he places a hand on my shoulder.
I don’t answer him. The door closes behind us as I stalk to the elevator with purposeful strides. I’m not letting him take her. I’ll kill him first.
Chapter 28
Arianna
Whoosh!
The sound of the whip sings through the air before lashing against my bare back. Crack!
A strangled scream rips from my throat, echoing in the hollow basement as blazing pain shoots up and down my flesh. I weakly struggle against my binds, sweat beading my brow. I’m suspended, naked, held up by chains hanging from the ceiling.
It’s useless to fight. My head lolls to the side as my aching body screams at me to do something, yet I’m too weak. I never had a chance. I woke up in this position, and every ounce of my body is sore from fighting.
Despair consumes me.
The only thing I feel is pain.
I scream and scream again until my voice is raw and cracking, shaking against my binds, my back on fire. After several agonizing moments, my head drops forward and I hang limp against my bindings, my limbs trembling as a cold sweat breaks out all over my body. I don’t know if he’s going to hit me again, but I don’t even know if I’ll even feel it, my vision blackening around the edges.
“I gave you everything,” Danny says behind me, his boots thudding against the cement floor as he paces behind me, his voice filled with utter contempt.
My eyelids open at the sound of his voice. He hasn’t spoken since I woke up. My voice is sore from screaming, from begging and pleading. I can feel the cool air blowing over the open lashes and it stings with a pain that’s indescribable, but even that isn’t enough to scream over. The only movements, the only sounds I have the energy for are those that are instinctual. And even then, it’s dulled by exhaustion.
I lick my dry, cracked lips. “Danny... please,” my voice croaks as I cry weakly, tears streaming down my hot face. “You don’t have to do this.” I think I say the words, but my eyes are so heavy, my body so weak and the pain so unbearable, I’m not certain of anything.
“He wants to keep you?” Danny asks angrily.
I swallow back the lump of fear in my throat as I try to think of a response. I clench my sweaty hands, my fingers brushing against the rough metal and the raw cuts at the sharp cuffs shoot a pain down my arms that makes me wince.
“And you want him too, don’t you?” Danny’s words are just a whisper. His voice is eerily calm. I try to pick my head up, my throat too dry to answer.
I hear him drop the whip. My heart slams in my chest, and my body stiffens. I think that’s what I heard. Please God, please. I can’t take any more.
“Well he can have you back,” Danny whispers next to my ear. His breath feels so cold. Everything feels so cold. “As soon as I’m done with you,” Danny says as he wraps my hair around his wrist and pulls my head back too sharply, a scream tears through me as my neck is ripped to the side.
The moment he lets go, I hear him pick the whip back up and somehow, I’m able to cry again. Not that it will do me any good. I can’t save myself. I’m powerless and pathetic.
Dread presses down on my chest as his whip sings through the air and I cringe. Whoosh! Crack!
Whoosh!
Crack!
Whoosh!
Crack!
My mouth opens wide in agony, saliva dripping from my lips, but I have no voice left to scream with. I buck, shudder, and strain against my bindings, my back feeling like it’s being flayed to the bone.
With each painful lash, the room spins around me, my breathing becoming shallow, ragged.
My heart is becoming sluggishly slow.
When the darkness finally claims me, I’m incredibly grateful. I only pray it will swallow me whole.
Chapter 29
Zander
If the cops had seen-” He won’t fucking let it go. I spend the whole way here. He’s had her for nearly four hours. Four fucking hours.
“Enough,” I snap at Charles. He won’t shut the fuck up. I get out of my car which I've parked a block down from Brooks’ house and slam the door.
“You need to be quiet,” Charles says and grabs me, gripping my shoulder and slamming me against the car.
All I can see is red.
I push against him, but he pushes me back.
“He has her!” I scream at him, but he doesn’t relent, slamming my head into the car and pushing his face against mine.
“Calm the fuck down,” he says through clenched teeth. I wish he hadn’t come with me.
I use all of my weight and push him off of me. He stumbles backward and nearly falls on his ass.
“He’s going to see you coming.”
“Let him!” I scream, my voice hoarse and my skin so fucking hot I can barely stand it. I just need her back. I turn from him and take quick strides, my eyes focused on the house at the end of the barren street.
“He could kill her,” Charles calls out to me, and it’s only then that I pause. My heart freezes in my chest. No. I clench my teeth and move my hand to the gun at my waistband. I hear Charles’ footsteps walk up behind me slowly, with determined steps. “If you barge in, he could kill her.”
I’m silent as I stand there, feeling a wave of nausea threatening to come up.
“We both know he didn’t take her for a chat.”
“Stop it,” I tell him with my eyes closed. All I can see is her face, her smile. I can practically hear her laugh.
“You need to listen to me. You need to restrain yourself.”
My hands ball into fists and my blunt nails dig into the fleshy part of my palm. “Just go then. Lead the way, but no more waiting. I need her.”
Charles slaps a hand on my back, and it’s hard and firm. He moves ahead of me and I lift my eyes to watch his back as he moves off the sidewalk and hides in the shadows of the trees along the large estates.
He looks over his shoulder and I’m quick to move, my heart pounding so hard it’s the only thing I can hear.
Thud. Thud. Thud. Each beat is another second she’s in there with him.
I can’t hear a damn thing, a loud ringing in my ears is the only thing I can focus on as Charles leads me through the scattered trees to the side of Brooks’ house.
I don’t even realize he’s picking the lock until I try to shove him away. I just need to get to her.
I can feel it in the pit of my stomach. He’s hurting her. He has for years, but now it’s personal. I stand there watching Charles shoving the pick into the lock and twist it slightly before I hear a muffled scream.
The blood drains from my face, and ice replaces my blood as Charles’ eyes meet mine.
“Open it,” I mouth the words to him. My hand slowly travels to the cold steel of my gun. My reddened vision becomes focused. Adrenaline is bringing life to the hatred burning inside of me.
The door clicks and slowly opens, and I move in front of Charles. He doesn’t stop me as I move through the house. The floorboards are creaking loudly under my weight. I don’t stop, all I can hear is that scream, her pain. It compels me to go to her, a pull so strong, so violent that nothing can stop me. Nothing will keep me from her or save him from death.