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I refused to budge, tightening my grip until my knuckles were white from the effort.
“Fine. Just know this is your fault.”
Before I had a chance to work out what she was talking about, she took hold of my ring finger, pried it loose from the chair, and snapped it back until we both heard the loud crack.
Pain seared through me as my finger was broken, and I cried out. Harlow grinned and slid the ring off my rapidly swelling finger. She held it up to the light as though examining it, then placed it on her left hand. She waved her hand at the bodyguard. “Look how beautiful this is on my finger!”
I heard his responding grunt, but the pain coursing through me overwhelmed me and I couldn’t stop the tears streaming down my face.
She frowned at me. “Stop being a baby. It doesn’t hurt that much.”
“That’s enough, Helena.”
A new but familiar voice entered the conversation, and I looked up through tears to see none other than my biological mother standing a distance away from us.
“Janet.” My voice was croaky, and I saw her expression soften as she took my appearance in, her gaze lingering on my hand. She frowned, her face darkening.
“You stupid girl.”
I thought at first she was speaking to me, but then she hurried over to where Harlow—Helena—stood and gave her a taste of her own medicine, slapping her face hard.
“I told you not to harm her in any way. What part of that did you not understand? We won’t get the money if she’s injured, you fool.”
It took me a few moments, but everything clicked into place. Harlow Sterling, the assistant manager of Meteor who’d been trusted to help run our clubs for over a year, was really my younger half-sister. A sister I’d never known until recently I had.
I had no idea why, but I felt…betrayed. How could my own flesh and blood do this to me? I couldn’t wrap my brain around it, and the entire situation left me stunned.
I had to find a way to get out of here safely. I didn’t know how Jase was ever going to find me, so I had to assume I was on my own.
That hurt even more, the idea I was truly alone. I knew Jase would do everything he could, but how would he have any clues as to my whereabouts?
Panic started to set in and I struggled against my bindings. Janet saw me and came over to where I sat, leaning over me. “Don’t struggle, baby girl. It will only make your bonds tighter.” She looked over my shoulder. “You. Get a bottle of water.”
Digging through the large handbag on her shoulder, Janet pulled out a box of what appeared to be aspirin. Taking the bottle off the hired help, she popped two tablets out of the blister pack and uncapped the water. “Here, sweetie. This will help with the pain.”
I didn’t really want to accept any tablets from this woman, because I had no idea if this was a further ruse to keep me drugged, but the pain from my broken finger was more overwhelming than my fear, so I accepted the aspirin and the water to wash them down.
“Loosen the rope on her left hand.”
The man who’d tied me up suddenly appeared at my side and did as commanded. It helped, just a little, but the binding was still secure enough to ensure I wouldn’t be getting free any time soon.
“I’m so sorry, Emilia. You were not supposed to be harmed in any way. We just want a little money to make a new life for ourselves, and then we’ll let Jason know where you are and be gone from your life.”
I gazed into her eyes, knowing her words were a lie. She looked sincere, but that was from years of practice, no doubt. I nodded over to Helena, who stood next to me. “She said you’re going to kill me.”
Anger clouded Janet’s face as she straightened up, and even Helena looked worried. Janet looked over my shoulder. “You can leave. Your work here is done and payment is in your account.”
The man who’d helped kidnap me didn’t say anything as he left the warehouse. Just slipped out the door and left me alone with these two monsters.
Because that was exactly what they were. Cold-hearted, selfish, greedy monsters.
“What the fuck is wrong with you?” Janet hissed at her other daughter. “Did you not hear a word of the plan we discussed over and over?”
Helena crossed her arms over her chest and pouted. “She mouthed off at me.” She then waved her hand in front of our mother’s face. “I just wanted to play with the ring. If she’d handed it over without a fight, I wouldn’t have had to break her finger.”
Janet’s eyes narrowed, her gaze cold. “I can easily kill two daughters as well as one. Don’t think for a moment you ever possessed the brains to think up such a brilliant scheme on your own, Helena. I will leave you behind if you do anything to jeopardize this payout for us. Do I make myself clear?”
Silence followed, then a small, “Yes,” echoed around the large room.
