“I don’t owe you anything,” Trace said, chuckling without humor as he sat there, feeling like the fool that his father once called him.
If he’d changed her and shoved her in that wall…
He would have gotten his revenge, would have relished in the knowledge that she was suffering the way that he had, but then he would have also worried that she would get out one day and…
He didn’t even want to think about what she could have done. It had been a child’s revenge, something that he should have realized a long time ago and let go. It was time to let go, Trace realized as he watched her, noting the hard set of her jaw, the pained expression around her eyes, and listened to the sound of her blood slowly making its way through her body and realized that she was getting exactly what she deserved.
She didn’t matter.
Not anymore, Trace realized as he focused on the only thing that should have mattered to him. He never should have stayed here. He should have taken his wife and got as far away from here as-
“Trace?” Samantha whispered as she closed her eyes and released a shaky breath before she opened her beautiful brown eyes and…
“I love you.”
“Samantha, I-”
“I love you, Trace, and I want you to go. Get everyone out of here and go somewhere safe. I don’t want this for you, Trace. I don’t…I don’t
want this for you,” Samantha said as the first tear rolled down her face.
“Please don’t do this, Samantha. Please don’t leave me. Please don’t go,” he said, straining against the chains that wouldn’t fucking give! “Goddamnit, Samantha, I love you!”
“I love you, too.”
“Samantha, I’m not leaving without you!” he bit out because she was going to be fine. He was going to take care of her and make sure that she knew how much he loved her. He was going to live the rest of his life with her, raising little girls who cheated at board games and little boys who adored their mother.
They were going to live.
They were going to fucking live!
No one was going to take that away from them.
“Trace, I-”
“Don’t,” he bit out as everything went red.
A broken sob tore at his heart as she mumbled, “Please, Trace. Please just leave. Just…leave…”
“Don’t you fucking die on me, Sammie!” Nathan yelled from his cell where he was struggling against his chains.
“P-please…” Samantha said as her eyes slowly slid shut and-
“Samantha?” Trace said, licking his lips nervously as he watched her, unable to breathe as he waited for to take her next breath and-
“Samantha!”
Chapter 44
“Samantha!” came the heartbroken plea that had Indie laying there, feeling like her own heart was breaking.
“Samantha!” Trace roared, his eyes bright red as he struggled against his chains to get to the woman that had stopped breathing.
Indie heard the other man screaming for Samantha, begging her to open her eyes, but she didn’t move. She didn’t open her eyes or take another breath. Not when Trace screamed her name and not when the woman that she’d been raised to fear opened their cell door and walked inside.
“It’s not too late,” Mary said with a smug smile as she held up a small key as the two men that had been digging the wall joined her, waiting to do what they were told, which was probably to get her out of there as soon as she got what she wanted.
“Don’t do it, Trace,” Ethan said, “Don’t fucking do it!”