Page 2 of Their Stolen Obsession (Phantoms and Obsession Duet #2)

Their Universe

Liv

D arkness engulfed me. Eyes wide, I tried to adjust to the blackness, but I couldn’t see anything.

Blood rushed to my head, a newfound discomfort I wasn’t fond of.

The sensation rained down my entire body as my arms dangled over my head.

I was disoriented, and a memory struck me when pain burst through my temple.

That asshole had hit me in the head. Madmen who held me somewhere and wouldn’t let me go. My escape was an awful choice, but I had to try. The attempt ended as quickly as it had begun, and I was in worse shape than before.

I could hear snarling and rumbling, echoing viciously. A wet, sloppy, nasty harmony that wasn’t at all pleasant. Uneasy goosebumps came to life on my skin when I heard growls from below, and my heart skipped.

What the fuck?

Suddenly, light blinded me, and I pulled my hands up, shielding my eyes with a groan.

My deprived vision made my head throb even more as I tried to take in my surroundings from an upside-down position in a devil’s playground.

I was still in hell. I had to be because I wasn’t some magical fucking fairy able to transport away from danger, and I was right in the thick of a horror show.

All thanks to Sebastian fucking Chamberlain.

Goddamn asshole deserved all the bad in the world and not me. He should be in my place while I watched him burn, but I was only a pawn for his greed. An unsuspecting piece played in a game I was afraid I might not escape. At least, not today.

Fearfully, I peeked through the slit of my fingers and saw a ferocious dog jump up at me with bared teeth. The untamed animal snapped its enormous jaws, ready to feast.

“Fuck!” I cried out.

My scream echoed with the sound of the dogs hungry for my meaty flesh. Pit bulls. I was in big trouble. As good as dead.

Preston stepped out of the darkness. “Finally. Sleeping Beauty awakes.” The dogs calmed for him .

“Are you insane? Get me down from here!” I shouted.

“I changed my mind on teaching you a lesson, and I can see I made the right choice,” Preston said as he ignored my protest and pet a dog at his side while peering up at me.

Preston Pitrone was crazy. His power had gone straight to his head, and he was a savage individual with no remorse.

I strongly suspected the mob was influencing Sebastian, and he mixed himself in with the wrong crowd.

This was retaliation, spoken loudly, with me being held captive for ransom by psychotic brothers who needed me alive, but barely.

My state of mind and physical wellbeing didn’t matter to them.

Fear gripped me, but I had to fight to stay sane.

I did a half pull up, grabbed at my bare legs, and missed.

Not once, but twice, and I tried again. The third time’s the charm, and my nails dug into my skin as I clawed to hold up my weight and not fall back down.

The farther away I was from that hellish dog, the better, but gravity fought me every second as my hands slipped.

Desperately, I squeezed my ankles. I no longer wore that dreadful wedding dress, but I was nearly nude.

Stripped down to my bra and panties with no recollection of the date or time.

Humiliation seared through me as the smell of sweat, dogs, and blood coated my nostrils.

Preston laughed at me. The pure evil sound ate at me and pounded at my soul.

I wouldn’t let his sinfulness through. My essence held strong against his madness as I shut my eyes tight and clung to myself for dear life.

Vital fluid mixed with sweat and stung like a son of a bitch. The sensation caught me off guard, and I fell back toward the untamed animals with a helpless cry echoing in the air. My blood tempted them as they leaped for me and Preston’s smug-ass smirk swayed back and forth.

“Trying to escape your destined fate?” He chuckled and crossed his arms in his expensive suit. “Sebastian owes the Pitrones money, and we are going to collect.”

Black ink littered his huge hands and crawled up to his neck.

He probably had hundreds of tattoos, and the gold cross around his neck made him appear murderous as fuck.

I could imagine he had killed people with the chain without a second thought.

Wrapped the necklace around their dainty necks, cutting off their air supply as he added another strike to his murderous rampage.

I could be next.

I shouted back, “But I don’t have your goddamn money!”

“Oh, but you do. ”

I reached up to grab my leg but failed.

Out of pure desperation, I attempted to reason with him. “My fiancé has your money, and you can take it up with him.”

A pit bull snapped at me, causing me to go back into fight mode, and I lifted half of my body upward with a yelp and grabbed my leg. Holy shit! I almost had my arm bit off trying to be rational with this motherfucker. Screw him! There was no reasoning with the insane.

Preston shrugged as he unfolded his arms and walked away from his savage animals. Their big beady eyes turned red from hunger, obscuring the whites. Jaws salivating, licking, and lapping up the wetness. One hundred fucking percent petrifying for me.

“We are. We’re holding his bride-to-be as ransom, but after the little stunt you pulled back there…” Preston tsked as he wagged a finger at me and grabbed a yellow control panel with buttons on it. “That was a dangerous move on your part, and we need to get the bullshit out of the way.”

The controller led to a black wire and connected to the hoist that held me up with a thick metal chain. A single button press controlled my fate. My life hung in his vile hands .

“No! Wait! Please! I get it! No more escape plans. Please—” But my pleas went unnoticed as he pressed a red button and tears bit at my eyes.

The chain jerked harshly then stopped. My heart hammered in my throat. Skipped two beats and I could throw up, but I had to beg. I had to fight for my life while he watched me and got off on it. The thought sickened me, but I had no choice unless I had a death wish.

“Please!”

Finally, Preston spoke. “Rule one. Never try to run. You won’t get far.”

Preston pressed the button again as the mechanism jerked. Frantically, I reached up to my ankle and then my foot. I almost touched the chain. My joints hurt, but I ignored the pain. I jolted to another stop.

“Rule two. You are in Pitrone territory, and we call the shots.”

The dogs were rabid now, barking at me while attacking each other.

Some ripped another apart and ate them, thankfully turning some of the attention away from me.

Sick as fuck, I know, but I was in a grave state of danger at the mouths of these gruesome monsters.

All by the hands of their maker as he pressed the button again, and I lowered further until he stopped the machine right where he wanted me.

At the belly of Preston Pitrone’s beasts.

“And rule number three. Don’t fuck with me because you’ll pay for it,” Preston added matter-of-factly.

With wide eyes, I watched Preston press that button one more time while my grip slipped and I hyperventilated.

I yelped as tears dropped toward my doom, and I arched my back away from the madness.

Preston Pit Bull Pitrone’s wicked laughter engulfed me completely, despite my attempts to distance myself.

A dog’s teeth locked on my forearm, and I was terrified I was a goner.

The beast growled in delight as I moved upward and away from the rest of the starved creatures waiting to bite.

The pit bull released me before its body swayed viciously, trying to tear me apart limb by limb.

Searing pain radiated from the open wound as I ignored the agony and fought to hold on.

I regathered my strength and pulled back into a safer position to keep me out of harm’s way.

My ankles ached as I clung to them while the hoist stopped, and I strained to make eye contact with the man who’d tried to kill me.

Preston made his way back to his animals and pet the mutt that bit me.

My blood was all over its fur, some of my flesh stuck in its teeth.

I could’ve sworn the evil animal smiled at me.

“Good doggy,” Preston praised, and he peered up at me. “Have I proved my point?”

I shook with adrenaline and pain. Fearful as I was, I fixed a cold, hard stare on the devil and his ruthless dogs. I’d never back down from this fucker. Preston Pitrone was remorseless, extremely dangerous, and had made his point, but he was a walking dead man. He had only secured his death wish.

I glared back. “Yes.”

He simply said, “Good.” And turned his back to me as he walked away.

I couldn’t help my panic. “No! Wait! Please don’t leave me here! I’ll be good!”

Only the savage animals answered me as they gathered at my feet after their master gave a whistled command, and their growling resumed.

The beasts lay in wait for any mishap as the lights went out and blackness consumed me once again.

Sinful laughter left scars on my soul, and I worried I wouldn’t make it out of here in one piece.

This mind fuck would be hard to escape. I was stubborn, a force to be reckoned with, but the brave could only bear so much.