AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Thick hands curl into the fabric of my shirt and rip it roughly.
And there’s nothing I can do about it.
I fight, curse, and twist.
But I just can’t get away.
Chapter 19
Anton
Cold sweat prickles between my shoulder blades.
I clench my fists, then release the tension as I anxiously pace the room. Rage and frustration set my heart hammering against my ribcage like a caged beast, desperate to break free. Luka and Carl exchange glances, their own tension mirrored in their eyes.
“Anton, we have to find her.” Carl’s voice breaks through my thoughts, his face set with determination.
“Do you think I need to be told that?” I snap. My jaw clenches, teeth grinding together.
“Fuck…I’m sorry, man.” The man backs up a step, and I realize I’ve rounded on him with my fist raised. I take a steadying breath. I have to figure this out.
“Yobany Urod!What are we missing?” I keep pacing. The morning Sun casts elongated shadows across the floor, yet the chill from the night still lingers. The air is heavy. Heavy with anticipation of disaster, the silence oppressive. A faint ticking noise comes from the wall clock, a mockery of the time slipping away as Scarlett remains in Cartwright’s grasp.
“Wait,” Carl snaps his fingers, eyes widening as realization dawns. “At the hospital. The ginger-haired woman. Don’t you think she was a bit too interested in what was going on?”
I stare at him for a moment. “Blyad!Fucking Lena! The woman from the bar in town.” The pair frown at me. “She shouldn’t have been there. Not at that hour.”
There must be a connection; every one of my instincts is now screaming that this is the answer. My blood boils at the thought of that bitch putting my woman at risk. Every second wasted is another moment that Scarlett suffers at the hands of that monster.
Victor and Carl both shoot me a glance, seemingly waiting for me to tell them what’s next.
“What the fuck are we waiting for?” I’m already on my way to the car.
I don’t look back to see if they’re following me.
***
The dingy bar reeks of stale beer and cigarette smoke, its dim lighting leaving the empty room cast in gloom. The last time I’d been here, it had been bustling with patrons, and I’d been focused on Scarlett, yet still, it lacked charm. Now, in the cold light of day, it’s even more squalid than I remember. The filthy floor bears years of scuff marks and the stains of spilled drinks. The walls are yellowed by smoke.
But I don’t care about any of that.
All I care about is the woman behind the bar, wiping down the surface of the counter with a filthy rag. Lena. As I stride up to her, she freezes, the rag stopping its sweeping movements.
“Lena, right?” I lean against the counter casually, masking the simmering anger lurking beneath my words. In the corner of my eye, I notice Carl and Luka approaching behind me.
“Who wants to know?” Her gaze flickers between the three of us, the fear in her eyes betraying her.
Fucking jackpot.
As soon as she locks eyes with me, I know she’s dirty. I’ve done this shit long enough to spot it from a mile away.
“That’s none of your business,” I loom over her, barely containing the urge to wrap my hands around her throat and squeeze until she tells us what we need to know. She swallows hard, eyes clearly showing that she recognizes me.
“Oh. Um…Anton, right?” She attempts a smile. She fails. “How’s Scarlett doing?” She glances past me as if expecting to see her. It’s a pathetic act.
“I was about to ask you the same thing,” I growl, keeping the killer in me at bay.
“What?” She widens her eyes in an attempt at innocence that falls far short of the mark.
