There must be a way out. I might lose a part of myself in the process, but I will get away.
Or I will die trying.
“Here,” the bastard says as he throws me a bottle of water. I don’t want to drink it. Fuck, I don’t want anything from this monster, but my mouth is parched, and I have to keep my strength up if I have any shot of ever getting out . . .
Grabbing the bottle, I drink it way too fast, choking on the water and coughing it back up.
It settles in my stomach, making it turn.
Once I swallow, I look back up at him.
He steps closer, and I can see the look in his eyes as he looks me up and down.
His gaze makes me feel ill as it settles on my breasts.
“Too bad,” he says as he steps closer. “I would have liked to fuck you, but he wants you for himself. He wants to see what’s so special about the girl who brought Cyrus Reed to his knees.”
My shoulders drop for a second at his words, but when he lifts up the knife, they tense again.
Adrenaline floods my blood as I wait. Beating fast and heavy. Making me feel dizzy. Saliva thickens in my throat as each second passes.
“But just because I won’t be able to, doesn’t mean I won’t ruin you. I’m still allowed to play and since you aren’t being picked up for a few days, we can have some uninterrupted fun.”
I won’t scream.
I won’t scream.
I won’t scream.
Fear chokes me like a tight necklace around my neck. Cutting off my supply of oxygen, he approaches me like a cheetah, faster than I can ever imagine. My chains are tightening in his arms as he reaches into his back pocket and pulls out another set. This time, I’m stuck in place, and I won’t be able to move.
I kick and try to break the chains, but as I’m secured tighter to the bed, I know it’s futile. I won’t break out.
The first slice comes. Breaking through my efforts. My shoulder burns from where he left the gash. His blade hovers against my skin. Across my shoulders, down my bicep.
Slash.
Slash.
Slash.
My breath comes out choppy. Liquid dripping from where I was cut.
I pray it will end soon.
46
Cyrus
Two days.
Two long days.
I haven’t eaten. I haven’t showered. I haven’t fucking slept. Time drags on in a never-ending loop. It melds together like a form of torture.
I wish I didn’t care.
I wish I didn’t feel.
But this girl changed everything. All I can think about is her. What he’s doing to her. If he’s broke her. I know I’m too late. He will have taken all the parts I love . . .
My movements stop.
Fuck.
My hand lifts to my head.
Love.
I fucking love this girl.
Slowly, she pulled me from my darkness. She has shown me what it is to bask in the light again. I stand from my chair. The legs scrape against the floor as I head to where my men are.
I find them where they have been for days, except this time, Jaxson Price is here too. He’s supposed to be one of the best hackers out there. He better be, because I need him to find Ivy.
He’s using the intel Matteo has gotten to pinpoint the GPS location of Boris’s phone. Apparently, the thing is not turned on, and when it is, it’s untraceable. But I know if anyone can find her, it’s him.
Alaric is also working with them to try to lure Boris in with a new shipment of guns, and Tobias is here as well. Pays to have the mafia and the most ruthless men on speed dial.
“I got something,” Jaxson announces, pivoting in his chair to look at me.
I step closer to where he’s sitting in the room. “What?” I’m in his face now. I know I shouldn’t be, but I am. As if I think threatening Jaxson Price will get her back any faster.
I’m a fucking mess.
“Here.” He points at one of the computer monitors in the surveillance room. “When Boris called to schedule the pickup of the guns, he pinged this location.”
“Yeah. We know this, but there are too many buildings.”
“I hacked into a satellite.”
“Your point?” I have no idea what he’s going on about, but if he could just get to it. So much time has been wasted already. We need to find her. I’m about to bark at him that he needs to clarify when he lifts a hand and points at the screen.
“See the red?” In front of me on one of the monitors is what appears to be a building. The image is a live feed taken from above. There are small red dots moving around. “That’s a heat index,” he clarifies. “There are bodies moving in that building.”
“How do we know it’s them?”