Page 20 of Beautiful Scars: Unshakeable

The clatter of my hairbrush falling off the sink makes me jump. I almost drop the phone.

4—3—2—9

The last four digits feel like they take an eternity to input. My heart pounds so hard I'm sure he must be able to hear it over the water. The phone feels like it weighs a thousand pounds in my hand as I hit send, praying it will connect.

One ring.

Two.

Please, please answer.

"Who the fuck is this?"

Zane's voice, sharp with suspicion, hits me all at once in the heart. Tears spring to my eyes.

The water stops.

I only have time for one whispered syllable. "Zane."

With trembling hands, I lay the phone down in the exact spot Garrett tossed it. Upside down, hoping it's enough to hide the fact that the line is still open.

Chapter Ten

Zane

Ileanoverthedesk, staring at the maps until the lines blur together, my fingers drumming against the worn wood. Empty coffee cups litter the surface like a carefully constructed monument to our month long failure. The air in the office is thick with cigarette smoke and stagnant air.

The harsh ring of my phone cuts through the silence. Unknown number. No one has this number besides the people in this room with me.

"Who the fuck is this?" My voice comes out rough, scratchy from disuse and exhaustion.

A tiny, scared whisper so faint I almost miss it, "Zane..."

The world stops.

Everything—my heartbeat, my breathing, time itself freezes. That voice. Her voice. The one I've been praying to hear. The one I thought I might never hear again.

The phone nearly slips from my fingers as I collapse into the chair behind me.

Colt's head snaps up from his paperwork, concern etching deep lines around his eyes. Across the room, Levi looks up from the makeshift table stacked with papers he's sitting at.

I can't breathe. Can't move. Can't do anything but listen to the soft sounds filtering through the connection. Rustling fabric. Heavy footsteps.

"Princess." Garrett's voice slithers through the phone. "I’ve been looking forward to this all day. Did you miss me?"

There's a soft, creaking sound. Bed springs. My fingers shake as I hit the speaker button, setting the phone in the center of the desk. I press my finger to my lips as Colt and Levi move closer.

"Answer me." The command carries a warning.

A sharp crack splits the air. The sound of flesh meeting flesh. My teeth grind together so hard my jaw aches.

"Y—yes Sir."

Christ, her voice is so small. So quiet.

More rustling, shifting. The bed creaks again. My hands curl into fists, the nails biting into my palms.

"Please..." Her pleading whisper cuts straight through me. "I—I'll be good. I promise."