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CHAPTER23
Sariah
Something feels off. Aurelia trusts this Aaron guy, but something about him puts me on edge. He keeps looking in the rear-view mirror as he drives us to meet Luke. Something about it just doesn’t feel right. Luke had wanted us to stay in the penthouse, why would he suddenly change his mind?
Things will never be safe out there until Jeremiah is gone. Has my husband killed him already? It doesn’t seem possible that in the short time he’s been gone he has managed to achieve that goal. I don’t doubt Luke’s talents or skills, but Wood isn’t a man who will be easily corralled.
I glance at my sister-in-law, expecting to see the same unease in her face, but she’s just peering moodily out of the window as if she’s annoyed about having to leave the apartment. I grab her hand and give it a squeeze, trying to communicate without words what I’m feeling. Her eyes meet mine and I see the confusion cross her expression. I let my gaze slide back towards Aaron before bringing it to her. I don’t trust him.
Dropping my voice low, I say, “I don’t like this.”
Aurelia frowns at me as if I’ve lost my mind. Why wouldn’t she? Aaron is one of their men, and there has to be a level of trust between her and him for him to be her bodyguard. So why are all my instincts fired up? Why am I afraid? “I don’t particularly like traipsing across the city either, but you’ll come to learn my brother’s words are law.”
I shake my head. She doesn’t seem to understand what I’m getting at, and she certainly isn’t feeling the same unease I am. Maybe I’m overreacting, but I lived with a monster for years. I recognise when I’m in the hands of one. Everything about him is setting my nerves on edge. “Something isn’t right.”
She straightens in the seat, her whole body tensing at my words. “What do you mean?” she demands in a low voice. Aaron’s eyes come to the mirror again, so I give him a forced smile until he looks away.
“Why would Luke make us leave the safety of the penthouse? Why would he want us to go to him? None of this makes sense, Aurelia.”
She gives me an amused smile. “I trust Aaron. He’s been with our family for a long time.”
He might have been, but right now I don’t trust him at all. I don’t say anything else, though, and eventually we turn into a scrapyard. This isn’t right. Nothing about this is right.
Aurelia’s eyes find mine and for the first time I see uncertainty there. “Where are we going, Aaron?” she asks.
He meets her eyes in the mirror but doesn’t answer her question. His attention just goes back to the dirt track leading through the middle of the scrapyard. There are carcasses of cars lining the path, some with their windows still intact, while others are smashed to pieces. The paintwork has corroded on many, leaving behind a metal shell. Fear clings to me, its sticky grasp making it hard to breathe. This isn’t right. Luke would never bring us to a place like this.
I try the door handle, tugging at it, but the door doesn’t open. Panic surges through me as Aurelia does the same. Her door doesn’t move either. We are trapped in the back of this car as Aaron drives us deeper into the scrapyard. I can’t see the road behind us or any sign of civilisation. That doesn’t seem like a positive. My heart starts to pound, racing like an express train. Is this where we die? Luke will never know where we are and would never find us in time even if he did.
“Aaron, unlock the door.” Aurelia’s command should have him jumping to do what he’s told, but the guard just ignores her. She gives me a desperate look and quickly pulls her phone from her pocket. She types out a message, though I don’t know what she writes or who she writes it to, but I hope it’s to someone who is going to save us.
The car stops suddenly and Aaron turns around, pointing a gun in her face. “Give me the phone.”
She glares at him, her eyes cold enough to melt the polar ice caps. “My brothers will kill you for this.”
“Your brothers are weak. They will fall, as will the rest of the Fraser Empire. Your time in London is over. A new king is taking over.”
The panic-stricken look on Aurelia’s face does nothing to help my own anxiety. Fear claws up my spine as the car comes to a halt in front of a small hut surrounded by piled up cars. Three men step out of the building and come to the back doors. They look menacing, huge, and grim. I grab Aurelia’s hand as they open the door on my side and pull me out. I fight, scratching and thrashing even as I struggle to keep hold of my sister-in-law. Her hand slips from mine as I’m dragged further away and into the hut.
My heart is thundering as I squint against the darkness inside compared to the bright sunshine outside. I’m pushed down to my knees, a crushing hand on the back of my neck stopping me from moving without pain. Aurelia is shoved down next to me.
“Hello, Sariah.” The new voice makes my whole body tremble with terror. I peer around my shoulder as Jeremiah steps into the room and comes to stand in front of me.
He is exactly as I remember, bigger even, and angrier. His eyes blaze with fire as he stares down at me like I’m his prize. “Let Aurelia go. She isn’t involved in this,” I demand.
“You’re not in a position to give orders, darling.”
“What do you want from me?” I demand, my voice sounding braver than I feel.
“You are a dead man,” Aurelia hisses. I want to tell her to shut up, to stop poking the beast.
Jeremiah walks towards her and stands in front of her. He lifts his arm and backhands her so hard she goes sprawling onto the floor. I try to push to my feet to defend her, but the grip on my neck is so tight I can barely move without cutting off my own oxygen. “Jeremiah, please—leave her alone.”
He moves back to me, disgust crawling across his face. He grabs my chin between his finger and thumb, his grip bruising as he forces my attention to his. It feels like he’s crushing my jaw, and I try not to whimper, even though I want to. “You married the Fraser cunt. You were promised to me, Sariah. You betrayed me by marrying someone else.”
He reaches out and cups my breast through my T-shirt. It offers no protection from his grabby touch. Bile climbs up my throat as he gropes me savagely with little thought of how it will affect me. I can hear Aurelia fighting against her captors to try and help me, but I’m transfixed, frozen in place. For a moment I’m back in Declan’s house, standing in the living room while Jeremiah touches me against my will. I can hardly think or focus on anything but the disgusting feel of his fingers on me.
No. This isn’t like last time. I have a voice now. I am not Sariah Easton, that scared little girl who let others tell her what to do. I am Sariah Fraser, and I will not go down without a fight. I shove Jeremiah’s hand away from my breast and meet his gaze with one that is steely. “You touch me again, and I will break every one of your fingers.”
