Page 25

25

ELLIE

Sean nearly gags on the stained fabric stuffed in his mouth, his body jerking as the van we’re in comes skidding to a stop.

I brace myself, trying not to go flying as drool escapes the corner of my mouth, dripping down my chin.

My hands jerk, held in place by the rough rope biting into them as I try to wipe the drool without thinking about the fact that I’m bound to a bench seat in the back of the van.

Though Sean tries to sit upright, he’s tied too tight to do much. He rolls onto his side and looks up at me, blinking rapidly as he looks around, glancing at the rusted red toolbox secured to the far corner of our temporary prison.

I shake my head, jerking my chin in the direction of the sliding door as the driver’s door opens and slams shut.

There’s a piece of graffiti-covered plywood blocking my view to the front of the van, but the footsteps as whoever is driving circles the vehicle are audible.

The door slides open, bright light flooding in.

A man with a shining gold tooth stares at us, his smirk growing. “Good. The boss was worried that the two of you weren’t going to be awake when his fun begins.”

Sean shouts something against his gag, but it comes out as nothing more than a strangled noise that is a less-than-convincing threat.

The man laughs and nods to the side, four more men appearing to flank him.

They haul Sean out of the van first, his arms tied tight behind him, his legs bound together. He tries to use the leverage to kick at them, but he only falls on his face.

The man smirks and shakes his head, glancing back at me. “Come on, or I’ll tie you up fully too.”

I slide out of the van and stand.

Though I don’t know why my legs aren’t bound too, I’m not going to argue with them. Noah might be underestimating me, and I can use that to my advantage.

All I’ll need is a moment when they’re a little too relaxed with me, thinking that I’m just going to sit back and wait for death.

One of the men clamps his hand around my bicep, dragging me into what looks like an abandoned warehouse well out of the city.

Everything around us is made of cement, broken windows, and cigarette butts. There are a couple different doors on the exterior of the building we’re led into, but most of them are chained shut or have wooden crates piled in front of them.

Getting out of here might not be so simple.

Sean says something again before throwing his head back and slamming it into the nose of one of the men holding him.

There’s a sickening crunch and blood dripping down the man’s face before he turns to door to the right, yanking it open and shoving Sean in.

Heavy thuds follow the shove and I scream, lunging forward and trying to get to him.

The men hold me back, dragging me against their bodies as the man with the gold tooth leads the way into the darkness, the two who had been holding Sean following behind.

The man’s grip on my right bicep tightens. “You’re not going to try anything funny, or I’ll throw you down the damn stairs too.”

We descend into the darkness, and when we get to the bottom, there’s a brightly lit hallway.

Sean is being held between two men, his nostrils flaring and his eyes wide. He jerks his chin and I know it’s an order to run, but I can’t do that right now.

Not without knowing where they’re going to keep him so I can come back for him.

I glance at the doors made of closely placed bars on the cells right before Sean is shoved into one, his head bouncing off the metal. He groans and shakes his head as he’s pulled back, swaying slightly on his feet.

One of the men opens the door and Sean’s gag is removed before he’s shoved inside. There’s another thud before the door slams shut and the man with the gold tooth keys in something on the keypad beside him. It lights up a bright green around the edges.

He snickers at Sean. “You better get used to being in here. These are the only four walls you’re going to see until Noah decides he’s good and ready to deal with you.”

I surge against the hold on me the second it loosens even the slightest amount.

“Jace, take care of her.” The man in charge nods to the goon on my right arm and he hauls me into the cell beside Sean’s, ripping the gag from my mouth.

Sean slams his shoulder against the bars. “If any of you touch her, I’ll kill you myself. You’re a dead man walking.”

Jace snorts and shoves me against the wall. “Sounds like your husband thinks he’s in a position to talk right now. You’re not going to start running your mouth like he is, are you?”

I press my lips together, looking down at the ground and shaking my head.

The weaker and more timid these men think I am, the better my chances of trying to escape.

Though, as Jace unties the ropes around my wrists before walking out of the cell, that chance of escape isn’t looking good. He slams the door shut, the metal clanging.

Footsteps echo on the polished concrete floor before stairs creak and a door slams shut.

The bright lights stay on overhead as I make my way to the bars, sitting against the solid stone wall that separates me and Sean.

He clears his throat. “Everything is going to be okay.”

“You don’t really sound like you believe that, you know that?” I force a light laugh, though my stomach is rocking like a boat in the middle of a hurricane.

My heart races as I press against the bars, looking up and down the long hallway. There’s a door on either side, and though I know what waits behind one door, I don’t know what’s behind the other.

And if I have things my way, we’re never going to have to find out.

I just need them to leave the cell door unlocked.

The men I’ve seen so far are shaped more like brick houses than people. They’re not going to be able to move quickly if I start running.

All I have to do is outrun them once I get out of here.

It’s the mantra that plays through my head as I reach through the bars and around the wall between us. “Turn around and give me your wrists. I’ll get the rope off.”

Sean sighs and turns. “I don’t know how the hell we got into this mess, but I’m going to get us out of it.”

“No, you’re not.” I lean as close to him as I can, working through the knots until the rope falls away from his wrists. “They’re going to be watching you. They’re already underestimating me. If anyone is going to be able to get out of here and get help, it’s going to be me.”

“No.” His tone is sharp and firm as he reaches for my hand, taking it in his and holding it tight. “You’re not going to risk getting yourself killed.”

“You just want me to sit back and do nothing? That’s not going to happen.” I scramble back from the bars as the door at the top of the stairs squeaks open again.

The footsteps that come down this time sound the same as before, and sure enough, Jace stands in the hallway, grinning as he punches in the code to my cell, the box lighting up white before a loud click echoes.

He cracks his knuckles as he hauls open the door and walks into my cell. “Looks like you’re going to receive the first punishment of the day.”

I scramble back, forcing tears to fall as I shake my head. “Please. I don’t know why I’m here. Please don’t hurt me.”

Jace chuckles, his foot slamming into my thigh. “You’ve been marked. There’s a reason for you being here.”

Sean roars from the other cell. “You get your fucking hands off her. When I get out of here, you’re the first one I’m going to kill!”

“Promises, promises,” Jace says as he takes me by the hair, dragging me to my feet.

The scream I let out is real, though a little exaggerated. “Please let me go. You don’t have to do this. Please.”

His fist collides with the side of my face, a metallic taste filling my mouth as he drops me to the ground.

I curl in on myself, protecting my head with my hands, tight into the fetal position as he slams another kick into my ribs.

When I yelp, Sean slams into the bars in the other cell.

Jace chuckles, crouching down beside me. “It looks like your husband cares about you more than anyone thought he did. This is an interesting development. Noah is going to be so happy to know.”

I sob, trying to shift away from him as he lines up another kick to the other side of my ribs, a crunch filling the small space.

Pain radiates through my body, and I gasp, trying to draw in a deep breath. I don’t think my lung is punctured, though I’m sure my rib is cracked.

Jace smirks and strides for the door. “It’s only going to get more fun from here, Lynde bitch. You better get your rest.”

He slams the door shut, but there is no flash of green. No little beep that comes from the pad being locked.

Sean slams against the bars again. “Ellie, come here. Please. I need to know you’re alright.”

“I’m fine.” I move to the bars and reach for him again, holding so tight to his fingers that I’m sure they’re going to break if I hold him any longer. “My ribs hurt, and I’m sure I bit my cheek, but things are going to be fine.”

“They’re not fine. He just beat you.”

“He barely touched me.” I drift my thumb over his knuckles. “And it doesn’t matter, because he forgot to lock the door.”

Sean stiffens. “He did?”

“Yeah. I’m going to make a run for it. We might be in the middle of nowhere, but there are other warehouses around here. Noah might be staffing all of them and I only need one with a phone.”

“I don’t like it, Ellie. You’re going to go out there and you’ll get yourself hurt. I don’t want anything to happen to you.”

“Right now is the best chance that we’re going to get. It might be the only chance we get and I need to go before someone realizes that the door isn’t locked.” I hold his hand tight before letting it go. “You need to be okay with this because it’s happening.”

He groans. “Fine. Start running, Ellie, and do what you can to get help.”

“I’m going to get us out of this.”

I hope.

I get up and move to the door, looking up and down the hallway to make sure there isn’t a soul out there.

The coast is clear, and my heart is racing in my chest like a runaway train.

I don’t know how the hell I’m going to pull this off, but I have to try.

Easing the door open, I step out into the hallway. The hinges creak, but other than that, there isn’t a sound as I creep to the stairs. I move slow, looking for cameras, but there aren’t any I can see.

Even if there are, I doubt they’re watching them right now. They think we’re locked up.

Noah is too cocky to waste his time watching us when he could be working on his plans to take Aiden down.

I take the stairs two at a time, stopping every few steps to listen for someone approaching the door at the top.

When no sound comes, I grab the handle, twisting it slowly and holding my breath.

All I can do is hope that this door doesn’t squeak like the others.

And that there aren’t men waiting on the other side.

I let out the breath before pushing the door open inch by inch, peeking around it to check for any guards.

My heart leaps into my throat when I don’t find any.

This is it. I’m going to get out of here and I’m going to get help.

When I get outside, I’m going to try to steal a car.

It’s only a short run from the stairwell doors to the door they brought us in through. I take a deep breath, forcing one foot in front of the other.

I can’t do anything for Sean unless I can get someone else here to help.

My hands shake as I run, legs feeling numb, and mind focused only on the end goal. I’m going to get out of here. I’m going to get help. There’s no other choice.

I have to do this for Sean.

Just as I’m about to reach the door, an arm shoots out across my chest, knocking the air from my lungs and sending me sprawling onto the ground.

“And where the fuck do you think you’re going?”