AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Don’t yell or make a single sound,” my father says, holding the knife at his neck.
The guard reaches for his pistol, but I’m pointing it at him.
“No one has to get hurt if you let us walk out of here freely,” I whisper.
My father’s shaky hand presses the knife against the man’s neck. He sighs aloud when he hears that I might not have to kill anyone, and he might not, either.
“Are there more guards here? Don’t lie to me; we can just slit your throat and find out for ourselves. We’re giving you a chance here,” I say.
The guard spits at me, but my father tightens the blade against his skin, and I put my finger on the trigger. “Okay, fine.” He holds his hands out. “Yes.”
“How many?” I ask.
“Three,” he says.
“Are you lying?” I confirm.
“No,” he mutters.
“Where are they?” I press.
The man swallows and though his eyes are on fire, his body shakes as if he’s freezing. “There are two guarding the entrance to the building and one more at the entrance to the cells.”
“So, the back exit is free?” I ask. “That’s odd, isn’t it? If I find out you’re lying to me, I guarantee that even if we die, you’ll die first.”
“I’m not lying.” He grits his teeth.
“Okay, well, I guess we’re going out the back.” I step out ahead of them to make sure the coast is clear and then gesture to my father to walk with him. We take the guard with us, releasing him only when we’re clear into the woods.
Present
Dust blinds me, and leaves whip up in small tornadoes as Chance blazes through the woods with me on his back. My father had led us to where he believed Chance might be grazing. After riding with him to a plump woman’s house, I took off as fast as I could.
The tracks made by wheels and hooves are still fresh in the dirt and wild grass. From beyond, there are blasts of bullets like fireworks. My blood gathers in my stomach, pounding madly. Leaning in and pressing my feet into Chance, I hurry him along even faster; we move like a blur through the wind.
I’m dizzy when I dismount him, by both the journey and the sight before me. Dead bodies and detached limbs are left for the wolves to feast on. I search the pile for Adam’s body. I don’t see his or Heath’s, but I’m not sure if we’re in the clear just yet. The large gate is broken and bent. I don’t have a clue how they managed to get through this monster of a barrier. My mouth hangs open as I stagger toward the entrance of the mansion. A few of Adam’s bloody men work hard to put out a fire. The heat and smoke blacken the doorway. Several spots around the house look like that. The men are so wary, they don’t even see me pass them.
I trip over a rolling head when I step inside and grab my stomach, trying to keep anything from coming up. My heart stops beating when I hear a groan. Running toward the sound, I see a bleeding Lucian. I drop to my knees and grab his face, crying out his name. “Where’s Gloria?” I ask.
“She—” He trembles. “She—escaped.” His eyes flutter shut, and I shake. “Where’s Adam?” I grip his head, but he’s already unconscious. I can’t feel the floor or my body as I search this room, with my heart in my mouth, earning a slight relief when I don’t find them among this other pile.
Looking between the hallway and the staircase, I notice drops of blood on the steps going up. Swallowing and taking a deep breath, I follow the trail. My lungs are tight. My brain is being deprived of oxygen. I’m lightheaded as I get to the top. The stairs keep going for what seems like forever, past all the floors and all the rooms to a door I didn’t even know existed.
Pushing my feet forward and shaking, I take tentative steps toward it. It’s slightly open, and there’s a bloody handprint around the knob. Grunts echo from behind it. With my breath rattling, I use my foot to nudge it wider, and I have the wind knocked out of me when I come upon Heath, crouched over my Adam, pounding his fist against his abdomen.
My tongue is dead in my mouth. I can’t speak. Frozen and dizzy, I stare as Adam bounds Heath’s wrists with his own hands, but before he can pull him forward, Heath kicks him in the side of his ribs. Adam folds in on himself, grimacing against the pain.
Wind rushes back into me, and I only hear my voice after I scream. “Adam!” Both men pause and turn to look at me. Adam coughs, and bloody spit leaves his mouth. My eyes grow heavy with water. “Adam! Fight back! Please! I love you!” I cry.
Heath swipes a bloody hand across his face, sniffling and laughing. “Love him? You love him? Then you’re a fool! You don’t know what love is!” Heath yells as Adam grips the ground next to him, wheezing. “I could’ve loved you. I certainly wouldn’t have locked you away in a cage like an animal. But you choose him, your weak, pathetic captor over me? Well, I’m going to let you watch me kill him,” he says. “And then I’m going to kill you too.” He smiles.
Adam groans. “No!” He grits his teeth against the pain, growling as Heath continues to do his favorite thing in the world—talk. “No!” Adam grabs him by the neck. His strong forearm bulges, tightening as Heath attempts to pull at it. Limping backward, he pulls Heath toward the edge of the roof. “You won’t lay a hand on her!” he grunts, throwing him over the edge, from many meters high. He wobbles a bit at the edge himself, and I run forward, pulling him away from it and wrapping my arms around him.
“Adam.” I kiss his head and his cheeks, patting my hand against him. He yelps and groans when I press my hand against his bruises. “I’m sorry.” I sniffle, sobbing and swiping away snot. “I’m so glad you’re alive,” I murmur against his head in the crook of my arm as I rock us back and forth. “I don’t know what I would’ve done if I’d lost you.”
He sighs and kisses my arm, hissing as he tries to come to his feet.
Chapter Forty
