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“You don’t really know me.”
I shake my head. “No, I don’t. I don’t know you well at all. I’m not sure how our future will turn out, but I’m excited to figure it out.”
She gives a sharp nod then steps away. “I need to get to class.”
I lean in and brush a kiss over her lips. She already has my heart. Now I just need to make her mine. Soon enough, we'll be wed. Her father won't be able to take her away once the ceremony takes place. I still need to figure out who is acting against us, but that will take a while. Whoever sent their men in hasn't shown their face. Maybe we eliminated the problem when we killed their men. Or perhaps they are biding their time, waiting to strike when they can do the most damage.
ChapterFourteen
Adali
Class was a bust. I could have read it all in a book and gotten the same information. I hate the requirement to show up to get a grade. Most of the information is practically remedial. For once, I'd like to be in a class that challenges me.
It’s time to leave so I head to the parking lot with Cohen following. We're about fifteen feet from the car when all hell breaks loose. Cohen drops to the ground beside me, red spreads across his shoulder. Shock fills me, and I can't move.
A car pulls beside me, and someone hops from the back seat. My muscles aren’t working, not as fast as I need them to. The man in the car has me in his clutches. Suddenly, I'm in the back seat, and a cloth covers my mouth. My brain fogs, and though I'm fighting, I can’t keep my eyes open.
When I wake, I don’t think I’ve been here long. They blindfold me before I’m allowed out of the car. There is noise to my right, but I’m unsure what it is.
There's no way Neo will be able to find me. Whoever wants to harm me has won. I'll be dead soon or sold off, or some other terrible fate. I’ll never see Neo again.
Tears fill my eyes, and I choke back a sob. I'd just found the perfect person for me. No one has ever understood me before. The tears run freely down my cheeks. Neo will never know where I am. Heck, I’m not even sure where I am. If only I had another chance to see him. I’d make sure Neo knew how I felt.
My hands are tied behind my back, and I'm in a small space sitting on the floor. Maybe this is a closet. There is no way to escape. Yelling didn’t help, and banging doesn’t either.
I wish I’d stayed home. The threat against me hadn’t seemed real, but this is very real.
The closet is warm, and I’ve been here long enough I start to drift off. Right about when I’m asleep, the door jerks open.
“Get up,” the man barks.
Anger surges, and I'm unsure if I should get up or stay down. The man pulls his foot back like he means to kick me. I scramble up though my arms are bound behind me. I lean against the wall, knowing I might just take a nosedive if I'm not careful.
“Step out here.” The man waves his gun, indicating I should join him.
I don’t want to be out there with him. I don’t want to talk to another living soul. But here I am, stepping from the closet, praying I can find a way to escape.
The guy leers at me, his breath smelling of whisky or something like it. “Your father should be happy to be getting you back.”
I hate to burst his bubble, but my father won’t care because he’s not my father. He won’t care if I live or die. I’m totally dispensable. He didn’t want me in their family in the first place. Now I’m the reminder of his wrongs. Valery thought I would be her little project, and I was at first. But once I grew older and had a mind of my own, she no longer wanted to play her game.
His hand flies, and pain blossoms across my face. "That smirk, I hate it. You're not a good child, are you? I bet you're really bad. I bet we—"
“Scorch, don’t even think it.”
Another man, this one older, more refined, steps in. He's not like the first one, Scorch. What kind of name is Scorch, anyway? All I can think of is scorch marks in underwear, and laughter bubbles up.
Scorch sneers at me and pulls back his hand to hit me again. The new guy barks out something, but the words are lost in the fuzz of my mind.
“Your father has committed many sins.” New Guy says.
I stare at him, wondering if I'm supposed to say anything. Of course, Eric Gale has committed sins. He's not a good man.
New Guy moves in close, his fingers running over my cheek before he pats the place where Scorch hit me. “He needs to pay.”
I blink at him, trying to figure out if I’ve seen him before. “He doesn’t care about me. If you want to make him pay, I’m not the answer to your problems.”
NG throws back his head, laughter booming in the room. If this were a movie, I think we'd be in a cave or some rundown warehouse. We're not. This room is nearly opulent. The lamps give it away. They aren't cheap department store lamps. They're handmade with quality. Also, the curtains are thick, not the crap sold in catalogs. This room is decorated by someone with money and style.
