Page 85 of The Stolen Dagger

With his attention effectively off me, I looked to Pearl, now in Hunter’s clutches a few feet away. Her hands were bound, and tape covered her mouth, but the exhausted look in her eyes concerned me the most.

She was an old woman and shouldn’t have been subjected to this kind of danger.

With Adrian distracted, I looked down at the phone in my hand.

7:05PM.Almost there.

Drew and my father were already on their way. I had to get Pearl and get the hell out of here before they arrived and everything went to shit.

With one part of the plan completed, I stepped toward Pearl. I was so focused on her that I didn’t see the danger in front of me until it was too late.

“Not so fast,mi princesa.” Adrian stepped between us with the end of the dagger pointed only inches from my face, effectively halting me mid-step.

“What are you doing?” I shifted where I stood and felt the metal of my father’s gun dig at my back. “You got what you wanted. Now let Pearl and me go. That was the deal.”

Hunter laughed, and the unease in my gut intensified.

“Yes, that was the plan,” Adrian nodded, “but I’m still very upset with you. I think you need to be punished.” He looked over at Hunter and dipped his head in some kind of signal.

Frantic, my gaze shifted. “No, don’t?—”

Hunter swung the back of his hand across Pearl’s temple. Her head twisted upon impact, and her frail body slumped to the dirt as he let go of her.

“No!” I dove and crouched beside her. No one stopped me. “Pearl! Pearl, are you okay?”

I shook her, but she didn’t wake. She was still breathing but unresponsive. My anger flared inside me in an all-consuming blaze. Still crouched beside Pearl, I glared at Adrian over my shoulder.

“Why did you do that?” I yelled. “I gave you what you wanted! I did what you asked. Now let us go.”

“I lied.” Adrian shrugged, not one bit affected by my tone. “You need to be taught a lesson after everything you’ve done.” He stepped closer. The crazed look in his eyes returned as his temper rose with each word he spat at me. “You disobeyed me. You ran from me. You hid from me for a year. All of that can’t go unpunished.”

I stared into the eyes of my abuser and tried to think of what to do next. I tried to think of a way out of this.

But I was stuck.

Trapped.

The sun had finally descended over the horizon. Dusk turned to night and swathed the area in darkness, save for the lone streetlight illuminating the backside of the warehouses and the full moon overhead.

My time was up.

My father would be coming down the dirt road any minute now, and I hadn’t done what I should have. My plan had failed. Adrian had the dagger. There was nothing else I could leverage to get Pearl and me out of here safely.

Twisting back to Pearl, the gun in the waistband of my jeans shifted.

There was still one last card I could play.

In a single, swift motion, I stood and enclosed my fist around the cold metal of the gun. I raised and aimed it at Adrian but a harsh grip encircled my wrist out of nowhere.

Hunter.

He was closer than I thought he was.

Hunter bent and twisted my wrist at an unnatural angle. I cried out at the sharp pain as he forced me to drop my only weapon against them.

“Nice try, bitch,” Hunter grumbled. He twisted my right hand behind my back.

“Were you going to use this on me?” Adrian asked, amused, as he picked the gun up from the ground and waved it at me, the dagger still firmly clutched at his side. “After everything we’ve been through? I have to say I’m hurt.”