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A ding from the elevator makes me jump as it signals my arrival. I wait another second for the doors to part and fold both of my arms over my stomach as if that can keep me together while it feels like I’m falling apart at the seams.
My vision blurs, but I blindly continue forward, reaching a hand in front of me so that I don’t run into anything that will cause a commotion.
When my chest tightens too much to breathe, I lean against a wall and stare up at the tall, cream-colored ceiling.
“I can fucking do this,” I whisper. Still, I don’t know what “this” is, but I’m going to find a destination and get there without losing my damned mind.
As my vision clears, I continue down the hallway, but my progress is halted by the sound of voices echoing from a nearby room. Intrigued, I pause to listen, trying to make out the conversation.
“Did you see Luca toss him down the stairs?” a man’s voice carries through the walls. “I’d hate to be the one locked down there with that crazy fucker.”
My curiosity is immediately piqued, wondering who the hell they’re talking about.
“Good thing it’s soundproof down there,” another adds, then laughs. “None of us would get any sleep tonight from the torture Luc’s undoubtedly going to indulge in.”
My gasp is muffled by my hand, and a surge of anger courses through me. Is this why Luca has been avoiding me? Is he out there, hunting people to kill? The realization makes my blood boil.
That motherfucker.
Backtracking the way I came, I get back on the elevator and know exactly where I’m going. My finger jabs so hard at the correct button for the sublevel that I miss and have to press it again. My shoulders rise and fall as my breaths get deeper from my rising fury.
How I could have ever let myself be attracted to this asshole is beyond me, but I can now officially say I hate Luca Monroe with every fiber of my being. He is the worst kind of human in existence and he’s about ready to know what I think.
Only the elevator doesn’t move. No matter how many times I press the stupid button, the doors don’t close. Stupid security. It probably needs a thumbprint, but that can’t be the only way down there.
I step back into the hallway and squeeze my eyes closed, thinking hard. There has to be a way to get to the basement. One of the guys mentioned stairs, which gets me thinking. If the power went out, they wouldn’t risk being stuck, right?
No, there has to be access somewhere else and I’m going to find it. I go back the way I just came from and continue past the room where the men are. I find myself in another hallway, but the more frustrated I get, the harder my breathing, and with black dots flickering in my vision, I can barely see where I’m going.
I start to open doors, but nothing leads to stairs. I find myself at the kitchen entrance, and I’m tempted to just look for some wine and sit at the counter, but as I give it a solid glance, I see there’s another hallway, darker than all the rest, as if it’s not used all that often.
“Bring me back a beer, too,” I hear someone yell.
That’s all it takes to get my feet running toward the darkness. I can’t be sent back to my room. Not until I… I don’t even fucking know, but I need to see Luca. The “why” can be sorted out later.
I hide in the shadows as I hear the fridge being opened, bottles clinking together, and the rustle of something else. My breath ceases until I hear the sound of retreating footsteps.
Once I’m alone, I start checking more doors. There are only three, and the first one is a storage room with food, but the next one… It’s pitch black, and I can’t feel any light switches on the wall, but there are stairs.
I could be making a big mistake, but I don’t stop myself from stepping forward, holding tight to the railing and making my way down, one careful step at a time.
When I’m at the bottom, a flicker of light shines ahead and I move toward it, shivering in the familiar cold within the stone walls. Now that I’m certain I’m in the right place, my rage returns and I charge forward like a woman scorned.
Technically, Luca never made me any promises, but it was implied in a fucked-up way that he was responsible for keeping me safe. Then, he failed and thinks he can slink off into the shadows without so much as an “I’m sorry I let you down, Raven”?
Fuck. That. Bullshit.
I round another corner of the dank hallways and have to hold my breath. The frigidness in the air and stench penetrating all around me remind me of my first two days here. Still, the emotions that stir within me don’t touch the fury I’m clinging to like a lifeline right now.
A long, agonizing groan echoes through the hallway, stopping me in my tracks. My head lowers, and I’m momentarily lost in the darkness, reliving the torment I endured, seeing the image of my shredded dress, battered face, and sprained wrist.
Then, a growl erupts from my throat, snapping me back to reality. I need to confront Luca, to see what could possibly be more important than facing me.
I round the final corner and stand at the entrance of an open area. There’s only one light hanging from the center of the ceiling. Beneath it is a man beyond recognition, tied to a metal chair, head lolled forward and passed out until someone from the shadows throws a bucket of water on him, causing him to spit and sputter.
But I don’t focus on the broken man for long. My attention is drawn to Luca, standing in front of him. His eyes are dark, filled with an indistinguishable emotion. His sleeves are rolled up as if he attempted to stay clean, but blood splatters still mar the front of him. There are dark circles beneath his eyes, and his jaw is so tense that his cheeks seem hollow beneath several days’ worth of hair that’s grown since I last saw him.
He holds a knife to the man’s neck, leaning closer, menace dripping from his words. “Since you don’t seem to listen well, how about I take your ears next?”
