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Castiel ignored her, directing his attention at me. “When Morgan came to me and asked me to help track you down, I didn’t really need any incentive. But after you killed him…” His expression filled with rage. “You’re going to pay for that.”
Then a grin slowly spread across his face as he pulled out his phone. “And so is Romero Vazquez.” He lifted the device, turning the screen around. Romero’s angry face broke something inside me.
“Romero!” I shrieked.
His expression morphed to one of horror before going eerily blank. “What do you want, Castiel?”
Our captor focused the phone back on himself. “I just want you to watch your slut and her friend splatter right outside your office building. Then I want you to jump from this balcony too. A true ending for Romeo and Juliet.”
Chaotic sounds came from the other end, but I couldn’t see what was happening. I started to twist my hands, working them out of the plastic ties. Thanks to the weeks of practice Romero had forced me to undergo, I made short work of it, gripping the chair even though the tape wrapping around my body kept me from falling.
Romero’s voice bellowed down the line, jarring me. “I will get up there, Castiel. Face me man to man, you fucking coward!”
Castiel barked a laugh. “The elevators are disabled, the stairways are filled with office furniture. You’ll still be digging your way up to your beloved cunt when this rope gives way. I left all the windows open, too, so you’d be able to hear her screams no matter which floor you’re on.”
Arie sobbed louder and I tried to shush her while slowly working the tape off my thighs. Fortunately, Castiel’s attention was on his phone, and not on me. Prying the adhesive strips without making much noise was the greatest challenge.
I glanced up, finding the ropes secured to poles that extended from the roof of the building. They looked to be pipes of some sort. I wasn’t sure how much stress they could take without snapping, but I had no choice but to try.
Arie spun toward me, seeing what I was doing, and her cries subsided to heavy sniffling. I gestured for her to continue. She nodded, wailing so loud I saw Castiel’s head whip toward us. Cringing, I pulled my arms behind my back and pretended they were still tied there.
I sent Arie a look before mouthing not so loud. Real tears slipped down her cheeks. Her big, stunning brown eyes made my chest ache. When Castiel went back to his exchange with Romero, I began working the tape off again.
“…I’ll give it all to you, Cas. No strings. You let me take Julietta and Arie away unharmed and I swear to you it’s all yours.”
My mouth fell open as my chest tightened.
Romero was seriously giving Castiel everything he’d built?
“I’m not a fool, Vazquez. If I let you live, you’ll never rest until I’m dead.”
I stuffed the tape under my thighs the second I freed them, working on my ankles next, careful to sit upright each time I rotated back into view. Part of me wondered if Romero wasn’t intentionally keeping Castiel talking to give me time to escape my bindings. That thought spurred me on faster, my hands shaking.
I couldn’t help but glance down at the street below. My stomach flipped—heights were not my favorite.
Arie’s cries had lessened again, her gaze flicking nervously between me and the man on the balcony.
“If you let my girl go, I’ll step off that balcony willingly. My empire is yours and with my death you’ll be able to rest knowing I won’t be hunting you.”
Castiel turned suddenly, just as I ripped away the last strap of tape holding my abdomen. I clutched the chair, rocking it into a swing. His eyes widened.
The rope creaked above me and my heart hammered so hard I thought I’d pass out.
“You stupid bitch!” he bellowed. His phone dropped, hand going for a knife. I kicked my legs harder, tucking them in when the steel railing was close enough to touch.
Lunging forward, I gripped the rail and pulled myself up. Castiel grabbed my biceps, pushing me back.
If he let go, I’d fall.
My breaths were shallow pants. He leaned in close, gritting, “Say your prayers, slut.”
Just before his fingers released me, I swung my leg over the rail, locking my foot around one of the rungs. My hands snapped up and gripped his beefy neck. I pulled him down, slamming his head against the bar.
He reared back, allowing me the time to fling my body over the side. Arie cried a mixture of relief and fear.
“I’ll get you in a sec, Arie,” I yelled over my shoulder.
Castiel bared his teeth, a rivulet of blood running down the crease on his forehead. “That’s not gonna happen,” he snarled.
