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I was so stupid to think my life would get better if I left Tyson. I’d known he was cheating on me for years, so I shouldn’t have been surprised when he came home on our anniversary wearing another woman’s scent and lipstick on his shirt. That night wasn’t even the first time he’d hit me, so I didn’t know why it was the final straw.

I should have let him kill me. At least then I would have died at the hands of a man I knew, one who at least cared about me at one point in his life. Maybe he would have made it quick and easy. Now, I was at the mercy of a stranger. I’d heard all about how Solomon Godfrey made people and things disappear, and just like the DA said, I was his next victim.

My whole life had been a waste, and now it was going to end. I had a degree that I’d never used because my husband wanted me to stay home. How pathetic was that? I’d always thought my mother was pathetic for staying with my father way too long, but I followed in her footsteps. I guess that was my way of keeping her legacy alive since I was the reason she died.

If I would have never told my mother about my father cheating, she would have never asked for a divorce, and he would have never killed her. The murder-suicide carried out by an army veteran who was loved by so many was all my fault, and my oldest brother Navi knew it. That was why he left the first chance he got.

I had run one brother off and got the other one killed just like I did my mother. I wish Rebel had washed his hands with me and left with Navi, but he was always my shadow. If no one else wanted me around, I knew Rebel did. Now, he was gone, and that was my fault too.

I wondered what happened to my older brother once he left us behind. While Rebel did his best to keep up with Navi, I never cared. Now that he was possibly the only family I had left, knowing wouldn’t be so bad.

I could make peace with my own death, but I could never let Solo get away with killing my little brother. Rebel was the only person I had in this world, and I would never let him get away with taking that from me. If Solo was going to kill me, I wouldn’t make it easy for him. He would work to take my life and pay for taking my brothers’.

I needed to come up with a plan to get out of here. I didn’t know exactly where I was, but I knew we’d drove over an hour to get here. My phone had been confiscated the moment Brian stuffed me in the back of that SUV, so I had no way of calling for help. The only people I’d seen since I’d been here were Brian and Solo. I had to find a way to convince one of them to let me go.

I got up from the bed in the room I’d been told was mine and picked up the shopping bag Solo had set by the door this morning. Just as I assumed, it had personal hygiene items, clothes, and a pair of shoes. That was the least he could do since he kidnapped me with nothing more than the clothes I had on my back.

It didn’t take me long to shower and throw on the clothes I found in the bag. Once I was dressed, I crept down the stairs to see who else was in the house. Solo’s house was massive. I counted at least five bedrooms upstairs, and once I made it to the bottom of the staircase, I took in the huge foyer that separated the living room and kitchen. I hadn’t paid much attention to any of this the night before.

Curiosity made me want to see the rest of the house, but I didn’t have time for that. I needed to get out of here and back to the city. I was starting to feel like I was in more danger here than I ever was with Tyson, and I needed to know if Rebel was alive. Someone had to know what happened to my brother.

I heard noises coming from the TV and someone laughing as I moved from the foyer to the living room. It was Brian watching something that had him laughing a little too hard. I would have been annoyed at his happiness while I was in distress, but maybe I could use it to my advantage. Maybe whatever he was watching had lightened his mood enough to let me go.

“What you watching?” I asked walking over to the couch he occupied. He was sitting so he could see anything that moved, including me.

“ Martin .” He stopped laughing but his smile never disappeared. I could tell this was one of his favorite shows.

“I don’t know what kind of magic Martin put in that show, but I could watch it over and over.”

“Me too. Don’t matter how many times I’ve heard them; the jokes never get old.” He pointed to the sofa on the other side of the room. “Sit down, and watch it with me. Ain’t no sense in you staying cooped up in that room all day.”

“How does Solo feel about me being out here?”

“Oh, the boss man doesn’t mind as long as you don’t try to escape.”

“Do you know what he plans to do with me?”

“I know better than to ask those kinds of questions. I can tell you this, though. He doesn’t usually keep hostages this long, and he never brings anyone to this house. Maybe if he was going to kill you, you would already be dead.”

“Then what the hell does he want with me?”

I threw my hands in the air, and Brian shrugged his shoulders. It was obvious that he didn’t know any more than I did. Still, I asked another question.

“Do you know what happened to my brother? Have you seen him?”

“No one has. Not since the night I brought you here.”

“Do you think Solo killed Rebel?”

“Rebel is a prospect of Gods’ House. Solo wouldn’t kill one of his own without just cause.”

“And if he has just cause? He believes me and my brother are responsible for starting some kind of biker gang war.”

“I don’t know. The only advice I can give you is do exactly what he says. Solo believes in complete obedience. Anything outside of that will get you killed.”

“You have to let me out of here. I can’t stay here. It’s only a matter of time before he decides to kill me.”

I was starting to panic. The more I heard about Solo, the more I knew I was not safe. It didn’t matter how much I tried to obey or appease him. Eventually, he would decide to rid himself of my presence. I needed to be gone before that happened.

“Ms. Reigns, I would be a dead man the moment I let you walk out that door. I like you, but I also like breathing.”

Brian was right. Trying to help me would be his own death sentence. Enough people had lost their lives because of me. I couldn’t stand to have one more person’s blood on my hands. It was my responsibility to save myself this time. No one else could do it for me.

“I understand.”

I dropped my head in defeat and grabbed the pillow that sat on the couch next to me. At least I could enjoy a few hours of freedom from my room until Solo returned.

“You hungry? I can order some takeout.”

“Starving.”

I offered a half smile. I wanted to be mad at him for even bringing me here, but I needed an ally. He was the closest I was going to get to one.

“Can you order Chinese food?”

Chinese food was both me and Rebel’s favorite. I remembered the Chinese spot on the corner from me and Tyson’s first apartment being the only thing we could afford to eat sometimes. While Tyson hated it, me and my brother never complained. Losing your parents at a young age makes you adaptable, and that was exactly what we did.

As much as I wanted to adapt to my new situation, I wouldn’t. The time when Solo decided he no longer wanted me around could come at any moment. I didn’t have the luxury of waiting around to see how the situation turned out. I knew how this ended. My only option was to find a way out, and I knew just how.

I knew trying to seduce Brian would be pointless. Just hearing him talk about Solo told me how afraid he was. It had to be him. I would seduce Solo, and as soon as he let his guard down, it would be the perfect time to get out of here. All I had to do was play my cards right, and the time would present itself. I was done waiting around until the moment came when he decided to shoot me between the eyes like he promised. I needed to get out while I still could.