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There was a triumphant gleam on his face, and my stomach tied itself in knots. “Do you think I’m an idiot? He’s busy kissing the boss’s ass. It’s only you and me.”
He brought my body flush to his, his erection pressing against my belly. I fought the bile rising up my throat. He was already angry; no reason to make it worse.
He pulled on my hair, and I ground my teeth, my poor scalp protesting. “Come. I have plans for us.”
He dragged me along, his destination one of the bungalows. I knew that once I was inside, nobody would find me. The thought was terrifying.
My breaths sped up, and my head was getting fuzzy.Oh no. No no no. Another panic attack is the last thing I need.I had to keep a clear head, or I wouldn’t make it out of this in one piece.
“Please let me go. You don’t have to do this.”
He sneered at me, his grip tightening. “You think you’re better than us. But once you’re no longer useful, he’ll throw you out like last night’s dinner.”
I fought against the rising panic overtaking my body. Now was not the time. I was the only one able to get myself out of this. “They’ll be wondering where I went.”
He stopped and tugged my hair, then twisted my arm. I cried out in pain. My eyes stung from the unshed tears. I tried to slow my steps, but that earned me another sharp tug. “Because of you, we can’t go into the house anymore. We have a curfew. Have to report in every hour.”
I was trying to make sense of his words. How could he think that was my doing? I had no influence over anything, no voice.
His iron grip on my hair prevented me from responding, the pain rendering my mouth and body immobile. A tear escaped, slowly trickling down my face. We neared one of the houses, and I tried to plant my feet on the smooth tiles but earned myself a slap and a hissed threat instead.
Unfortunately, my small frame was no match for him. I didn’t know how to throw so much as a simple punch. I’d never even worked out. He obviously knew it. And he delighted in the power he had over me.
I somehow wrenched out of his grip and a loud rip filled the air, my top giving way when he grabbed it to stop my escape. He tackled me onto the hard ground, smashing my face against the hard-packed dirt.
The soil invaded my nose and mouth, making me cough. Another rip, and hot and humid air caressed my butt and legs.
Don’t think about what’s going to happen, Ever. The square root of 576 is 24. 9345 is 96.67. 2933 is 52. No, it’s 54.16.
No. This was not how my story would end. I couldn’t put my head in the sand and hope for the best. I needed to fight. When his weight shifted, I planted my feet on the ground and roll us over. And then I jumped up and ran. I didn’t care where. I didn’t care that I was only wearing one shoe, the sharp rocks cutting into my socked foot.
Shouts sounded behind me, and I pumped my arms and legs harder, my body straining, my lungs screaming at me to stop. When I thought I couldn’t go any farther, I spotted the cliff.
Without thinking, I jumped.
Chapter12
Lucius
How couldthis fucking day get any worse? Maurizio wasn’t happy that I’d banned the guards from the house. He went through my every move with a fine-tooth comb. Santino provided him with a detailed account of all my movements.
Maurizio had called him into the office with us. I knew Santino had to respond when asked what I’d been up to. It was a power play. Maurizio was showing me that my once best friend was now loyal to him.
I would have done the same. But it just meant I had to get creative to make it out unnoticed tonight.
Maurizio puffed on his cigar, his dead eyes, which didn’t miss a thing, pinned on me. “What about the girl? You tired of her yet?”
I tensed at the question, cursing myself for showing a reaction. If he found out exactly how much I’d come to care for Everleigh, he’d use her against me. “I’m not done with her yet.”
And I probably never would be.
Shouting outside interrupted any further questions he might have had. We all went out to the balcony, watching guards rush to their quarters. Then I saw what they were yelling at.
A small figure was sprinting right for the cliffs, long hair flowing, legs pumping. Someone else was chasing her.
I didn’t waste another breath and scaled down the balcony. I’d done it a million times, knowing how to get out of most rooms in the house. Maurizio’s office was one of the easiest to get in and out of.
Landing hard on the tiles, I ignored the pain jarring through my bones and took off.
