the hospital right now, or I take this to coat.”
H
Dominic lowered his phone, his expression darkening. “Calm down, Alex. She’s not here.”
“Not here?” I spat. “You expect me to believe that? She’s hiding, trying to avoid her responsibility.”
But Dominic’s face was anything but calm “Alex,” he said, his voice strained. “Raina’s missing.”
The words barely registered, my anger twisting them into something I could barely comprehend, Missing? It had to be a lie, a nise to make me back off. I shook my head, letting out a bitter laugh. “Of course she is. That’s all she’s ever been good at, isn’t it? Running away when things get difficult. You need to check your properties, it could be possible she stole from you and ran off.”
Dominic’s phone rang, and I could hear the urgency in his voice as he answered, his gaze flickering to me with something like concem. For the first time, I felt a sliver of doubt crep in, a gruwing sensation in the pit of my stomach. Could it be true? Had Raina really left, abandoned her promise to save Liam?
When Dominic ended the call, he looked at me with a solemnity that sent a chill down my spine. “If you really think she left by choice, then you know nothing about
“1” help you find her,” I said finally, with a firmness that surprised even me. “If we work together, we’ll have a better chance of finding her faster.” I hated that my voice wavered, but the urgency was real, and I wasn’t going to ignore it.
Dominic barely looked at me. “I don’t need your help, Alexander.” He turned, walking off toward his waiting car. I followed, “I want to find her as much as you do Domine, my son needs his Mother.”
I swallowed, frustration twisting in my chest. But this was the only way. If I stayed involved, I’d be able to uncover what was really going on–and most importantly, I’d make sure Liam got the help he desperately needed.
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12
RAINA
The pounding in my head made it hard to think, like my skill was caught in a vice, I tried to lift my hand to ease the ache, but I couldn’t. My wrists were bound to the arms of a chair, and my ankles were tied together, holding me in place. Panic twisted in my chest as the memories came flooding back Eliza, her cold smile, the way she’d looked at my son. The vile threat she’d made against Liam, as if his life meant nothing
My breathing quickened Liam. The ache in my head taded beneath a sharp spike of fear. If she got to him before I did, if she carried out her plan, then all my efforts, every piece of this painful joumey, would be for nothing. No! I couldn’t let her get away with this. 1 thrashed against the bindings, calling out, my voic cracking with desperation.
“Help! Please, someone! My son is in danger. He he’s going to die if I don’t get to him!” My pleas echoed off the walls of the dark room, empty of any sympathy,
amy signs of lite
But as I struggled, guilt cut through the panic, I should’ve agreed with Alexander when he first demanded my bone marrow. I shouldn’t have waited. If something happened to Liam now, his death would be on my hands as much as Eliza’s. The sharp regret settled like a stone in my stomach, and for a moment, It was all I could
“Please…” I whispered, my voice barely audible. “Someone help me.
My throat was raw from shouting, every cry scraping painfully through my parched mouth. But I forced myself to try again, one last desperate call tearing out from deep inside me.
“Please! Somebody help me! I need to get to my son!” My voice ricocheted off the empty walls, fading into the thick, oppressive silence. And then, footsteps–a hey, slow chythm, each step echoing louder than my heartbeat, filling me with dread.
The door swung open, and a man stepped inside, tall and broad with a scar slicing down his cheek. He looked at me, more annoyed than anything, rubbing his temples as if I was the worst part of his day.
“Will you shut up?” he snapped, his tone sharp and cald. “You’re giving me a goddamn headache.”
My heart plummeted, and every instinct told me to fight, to scream harder, but I forced myself to stay calm. This was my chance, maybe I could reason with him. Swallowing down my pride, I looked up at him, trying to keep my voice steady, though I could feel it tremble,
“Please,” I whispered, each word feeling like it was carved from glass. “I’ll do anything. It it’s money you want, you’ll have it. Take whatever you need–just let me po. My son… he’s dying. I need to get to him before it’s too late.” I could feel my face cumple, the cracks in my composure starting to show. But I couldn’t afford to fall apart now,
The man scoffed, his expression hardening, amusement dancing in his cold, flac eyes. “Money, huh?” He let out a harsh laugh, as if he was enjoying some private Joke at my expense. “What makes you think I need anything from you, lady?”
I searched his face, clinging to any scrap of humanity I could find. “If you. If you have children, then you have to understand.” My voice broke, and I felt my breath hitch. “Please, he’s just a little boy. I have to save him.”
At this, his face twisted with disgust, and he let out a dark, ugly laugh. “Kids?” He spat the word as if it were poison. “Fuck no. Those little creatures are pure evil. Last thing I’d want is some snot–nosed brat ruining my life.”
I felt my hope crack, splintering under his cold stare. But I wasn’t giving up. Not yet. “Then just tell me what you want.” I leaned forward, hands shalding against the ropes binding me to the chair. “Just name your price. Dominic would pay you anything you want. Just let me go.”
For a moment, his gaze sharpened, his eyes shifting as though he were actually considering it. The silence stretched out, my heart hammering with the slightest glimmer of hope.
But then he shook his head, his lips curling into a mocking smile. “As tempting as that is, sweetheart, I’m afraid that’s not an option. His voice was stone–cold, final, and it echoed through the empty coom, crushing the last ounce of hope I had clung to.
My heart sank. “Is this…is this because of Eliza?” I managed to ask, barely daring to breathe. “Did she put you up to this? Did she ask you to… dll me?” The last word barely made it out of my mouth. The memory of Eliza’s calculating gaze sent shivers down my spine. The image of her reaching to shut off Liam’s machine. couldn’t stop it from replaying in my mind
The man’s laughter broke through my horror, bitter and bunsorless. “All I know,” he said, “is it you’d stayed away, your lod might still be alive. But no, you had to come back, didn’t you?” His words stung, cold and sharp. How did he know about Ham?
He tumed on his heel and left, leaving me alone in the silence. The our clicked shut behind him, trapping me with my tears and regrets. I couldn’t let this end here, tied to acluir while my son lay dying, while that woman gloated over her twisted victory. I wrestled against the binds, but they only dug deeper into my skin. My Insuration finally broke through, turning to a sob that wracked my body, and for a moment, all I could do was cry,
But crying wouldn’t save Liam. It wouldn’t save i
A fierce determination lat inside me, and I took a deep breath, steadying myself. I had to find a way out. I have to be stronger than this.
The door swung open again, and the man stored in, looking even more irritated than before. He held a bottle in his hand, and before I could react, he came closer, the smag smirk on his face widening
“Shut up already!” he snarled, swinging his lofty palin toward my face. My body jerked as i instinctively kicked out at him, throwing my bound legs with as much force as I could. “You piece of shit!” He cursed as he stumbled back, the bottle slipping from his grasp and shattering on the floor beside me
15 Danus
The next strike landed across my face, hard and unrestrained. Pain exploded behind my eyes, my vision bluing for a moment as I tried to steady myself, the metallic taste of blood blooming in my mouth
But he didn’t stop there. He hit me again, his fist crashing into my shoulder this time, leaving a hot, pulsing ache that spread through my arm, but I bit down, swallowing the urge to cry out. I wouldn’t give him the satisfaction.
“You’re a fucking bitch, you know that?” he sneered, his voice dripping with contempt. “Screaming your head off like ampone cares. You’re a nuisance, a goddamn pest.” He drew back and struck again, this time against my nibs, the breath locked from me in a gasp I couldn’t contain
I forced myself to keep my head up, teeth gritted, even though every inch of my body screamed for merry. “You won’t get away with this,” I managed, though my voice sounded frail, barely above a whisper. It was more a promise to myself than a therat to him
He laughed a dark, empty sound that sent chills up my spine. Leaning in close, he sneered, his breath hoc against my cheek “You don’t get it, do you?” He pushed back, hitting me once more across the jaw. “You’re nothing here. And if you keep pushing. 171 make sure you’re nothing for good. Got it?”
His words slithered into my mind, wrapping themselves around my fears, and I shuddered, unable to help the tremor that ran through me. He noticed and smirked, pleased with himself, as if he’d won some kind of sick game.
Finally, he tumed away, wiping his knuckles as though I’d dirtied them. “Keep quiet, or you’ll regret it. Don’t make me have to come back in here,” he said, voice dripping with venom. And with one last dark look, he left, slamming the door shut, leaving me alone, battered and benken, with only the sharp, bitter taste of my own resolve on my tongue.
Every inch of me throbbed in pain, but 1 ignored it. My eyes fixed on the broken shards scattered on the floor. This is it.
With adeep breath, I tilted the chair and pushed, rocking until I tipped over, landing hard on my side. My hands were bound behind me, but I wiggled my fingers, searching until I found a sharp piece of glass. The edges bit into my skin, and I could feel wann blood trickling down my wrist, but I didn’t stop. Come on, Raina. You can do this.
Minutes crawled by, each second agonizingly slow. Finally, the bindings around my wrist loosened, and I rugged my hands free, quicidy moving to untie my ankles. I had to be quick–he could come back at any moment. My heart pounded as heard footsteps approaching again. I hurried behind the door, gripping the chair
The door opened, and I swung with every bit of strength I had left, catching him off guard. He crumpled to the ground, his eyes rolling back as he lay motionless. I didn’t stick around to see if he’d stay down. I bolted out of the room, my bare feet slapping against the cold, hard floor of what I realized was an abandoned warehouse.
The night air hit me an
me as I burst out, lungs burning as I pushed myself to run faster. I could hear him shouting behind me, his voice echoing off the empty walls, but t didn’t look back. I ran until I stumbled onto the roadside, my feet bruised and bloodied, my breath ragged A pair of headlights appeared in the distance, blindingly bright, and barely had time to react as the car screeched to a halt Inches away.
I collapsed onto my knees, exhaustion flooding my body, and toca moment, I just sat there, chest heaving, trying to process everything. But I had no time to lose.
D
