How do they know all of this? Even if they found her comic,they couldn’t know all of that. They had details that no one knew, except maybeone person. A small horrible thought surfaced in her mind, and her stomachsuddenly felt weak. Palming the knotted wood of the cabin wall behind her, shebraced under the realization— and betrayal.
“You tricked me,” she couldn’t choke out the words fastenough. How could she have been so dumb? Another naïve mistake that would endup costing her dearly.
The strangled sob tore through her throat before she couldstop it, covering her mouth with one hand she watched through teary eyes asthey both stepped closer around the bed crowding close but still keeping theirdistance.
“Everly sweetheart,” Zane’s voice sounded rougher as ifpained by the sight of her tears. “You were miserable and lonely we had to.”
They were 2Blackhearts. The anonymous online friend shepoured her heart out to wasn’t just some other lonely girl she always imaginedit to be— it was them. Both of them. A dark part of her wanted to laugh it madesense now, Everly thought angrily swiping away her tears, the odd personality,the sudden shift in conversations. How could she be so stupid?
Fixing them with a scathing stare, she strained against thewall. “You both are just liars and criminals!”
“No,” Reid’s voice grated, silencing her immediately. “Wenever actually lied to you. Not once.”
Eyes widening in outrage she ignored all of her fears andstepped forward until she was only a yard away from where they stoodside-by-side. “Of course you did, you stalked me and impersonated someone elseto gain my trust.”
“Would you have given us a chance if it was us who chattedwith you?” Zane answered this time his own voice crackling with a low thrum ofanger. “Would you have even given us the opportunity to talk to you?!”
“No,” she screamed. “And I won’t now, either.” She promisedvenomously, enjoying the small look of shock that passed through them at heroutburst. Shock— and was that hurt she detected?
Jaws tightened, and their eyes hardened in anger. Zanecrossed his arms over his wide chest while Reid continued to stare down at herwith his hands thrusted deep into his pockets. Immediately the dangeroussituation pressed itself again on her mind in reminder. She had no controlhere, no leverage, no escape, and no one back at her apartment missing herabsence. Right now, it was just her and these two men that doubled her in size,strength, and speed, standing a few feet away.
Lowering her gaze, Everly tried to swallow the knot in herthroat. “Then what are you going to do with me?”
“Nothing, we already told you we would never hurt you,” Zaneanswered with a sigh. “You’ll be comfortable and safe here, sweetheart, I…”
“No,” she cried shaking her head frantically. They couldn’tdo this. “No, you can’t, Zane please,” she had to make him see, to get throughto him. “I can’t stay here I want to go back home.”
“Home?!” Reid’s voice thundered. Frightened, she jumped athis tone and turned to face him still shielding herself with the lamp base.Furious, Reid reached out and ripped the lamp easily from her hands and tossedit on the large bed. Grabbing her by the shoulders, he pulled her against himso she could stare directly into the fury in his eyes. “Dammit, Everly, thatwas no home, that was a ticking time bomb. You could not have expected to workfull-time and raise a child in a studio apartment.”
Pushing frantically against his solid chest Everly began topanic. “Yes, I expected that. It was my home, and this is my life,” shescreamed
Reluctantly the grip on her arms loosened letting herstumble back to the wall again. Her breathing heavy now, her chest heaved asshe stood pressed against the wall in fear.
Looking to one another, both men shared a silent, nonverbalcommunication with the other. Stepping back first Zane looked at his watchbefore giving her an unreadable look.
“It’s early, and you have been up all night, try to get somesleep.” Walking to the door, Reid followed behind.
No. No, this couldn’t be happening. Frantic, Everly ranaround the bed towards the door, stopping a few feet away she tearfully mettheir gazes.
“Please,” she begged. “You can’t do this. I don’t need yourhelp.”
Grabbing the doorknob, Zane opened the door.
Panic and anger thundered through her, clenching her fistshe blinked the tears from her eyes. “You say you care about me, that you knowso much about me,” her voice was barely above a whisper. “But if you knewanything about me, you would know I value my freedom above everything else.”
She couldn’t read the looks that passed over their faces.She had no idea what they were thinking.
“Get some sleep Everly,” Reid replied softly before closingthe door.
The click of the lock felt like it echoed in the room.
±
Numb. Both her body and mind felt absolutely numb. Laying onthe bed, Everly let her eyes follow the neat, uniformed mortar lines separatingthe bricks of the fireplace on the far wall. As her gaze unthinkingly followedthe un-ending geometric pattern she thought of Zane’s and Reid’s darkexpressions before they left the room.
This was really happening.
This wasn’t some vivid dream she was trapped in, this wasactually happening. That truth was driven in by every minute she spentsearching the colossal room for an escape.
