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22
EMILIA
Itried to keep track of how long I was in the trunk of the car, tried to remember how many turns it took and which way, but it was impossible. By the time the car stopped moving and the trunk opened, the sun had set and it was dark outside.
I was still groggy from the drug I’d been given, but it didn’t stop me kicking out when the goon who’d helped Harlow kidnap me reached down to pick me up. I caught him unawares and he stumbled back. The look on his face told me it hadn’t been a good idea, which was confirmed when Harlow appeared out of nowhere and backhanded me across the face.
“Don’t even try, Emilia. You can’t escape and you’re not going anywhere, so being difficult is just going to piss me off. And you do not want to do that.”
I could see her face, thanks to the large streetlight the car had been parked under, and her expression told me she wasn’t joking, so I didn’t put up a fight when the man lifted me out of the trunk and set me on my feet. “Can you walk?”
I shook off his hold and put one foot forward, but it was obvious from the way I immediately swayed to the side that I couldn’t walk without help. I had no choice but to lean heavily against him as Harlow slammed the trunk lid shut.
He placed his arm around my waist and guided me toward a large warehouse that was dark inside. Once we got to a small door situated next to the large roll-up door, Harlow pulled out a set of keys and unlocked it. I was dragged inside as she flicked a light switch.
The warehouse was largely empty, apart from an open kitchen which ran along one wall and stacked boxes dotted along the perimeter. I could see two doors leading to other rooms; one at the end of the kitchen and another on a perpendicular wall.
I noticed dust on the tops of the boxes I could see, which led me to believe this warehouse had long been abandoned and didn’t belong to Harlow.
Moving closer to the kitchen, she pulled out a chair from underneath the small table with a Formica top that wouldn’t have looked out of place in the seventies and set it apart from the rest of the furniture, turning it around so it faced away from the kitchen.
“Sit her here.”
The goon did as instructed, placing me down on the chair roughly. He went around the back of me, only to appear moments later with rope in his hands. He tied my arms to the chair, then secured my legs as well. I wiggled my fingers, grateful the binding wasn’t tight enough to cut off circulation, but I certainly wasn’t going anywhere any time soon.
He disappeared from view as Harlow stepped around to face me. “Emilia Lucille Quinn.” She stated my full name as she began walking around me in circles. “Rich, successful, powerful. What a role model.” Her tone was biting and sarcastic. “You think you’re so much better than everyone else, don’t you? Just because you got lucky with your company.”
“We didn’t get lucky,” I spat. “Jase and I worked our asses off for years to achieve what we did, and we’ve earned everything we got through hard work. Something you obviously know nothing about.”
I didn’t have time to brace myself before she slapped me across the face, hard. My cheek burned and my teeth rattled. “Shut the fuck up, bitch. I don’t care how you claim you got it. It’s all gone, do you hear me? You’re going to lose everything: your money, your company, your power.”
She leaned over me, her eyes cold. “Jason. Oh, I’m sure he’ll mourn your loss for a little while, but I’ll be there to help him pick up the pieces.”
Her laugh was almost maniacal as she trailed a finger across my shoulder, resuming her little walk around me. “How many people will really miss you, Emilia, hmm? How many will truly remember you six months after your death? A year?”
My blood ran cold as her words sank in. She had no intention of ever letting me go. Fear snaked up inside me, wrapping around my heart and squeezing as my eyes welled up. I blinked rapidly and shook my head, determined not to give her what she wanted. I wouldn’t let her see how scared I was now.
“You don’t really think you’re going to get away with this, do you? Jason will find me and he’ll kill you for what you’ve done.”
The force of another slap had my head jerking to the side, and this time I could taste blood.
“Your smart mouth isn’t going to do you any favors, so I suggest you keep it closed.” She glared at me. “It didn’t have to be this way, you know. Our original plan was for me to siphon money from the club into an offshore bank account and leave before you even noticed it was gone.
“But when I tried to do that, I discovered I couldn’t because you had too many systems in place to allow it. I’m sure you can imagine how frustrating that was. We spent months coming up with that plan.”
Her fingers trailed down my arm slowly, and something about the smile on her face sent shivers down my spine. “You had to be greedy. Couldn’t just live with all the money and power you have.” She spat the words out as though they hurt.
“No, you had to start dating Jason, too. Why? You could entice so many men with your money, but you had to sink your hooks in to the one man I want.”
When she ran her thumb over my engagement ring, my heart sank.
“Such a beautiful ring. What is it, a pink diamond? Pink sapphire? Jason has exquisite taste. At least, in jewelry. Not so sure about women.” She smirked at me and I wished my arms were free so I could punch it right off her face.
“Yes, it’s gorgeous,” she continued on. “And since you won’t be needing it for much longer…”
She attempted to remove the ring from my finger, but I curled my hand around the arm of the chair, gripping it tightly and causing my finger to bend so the ring couldn’t be moved.
“Bitch! Give it to me right now.”
