AllFreeNovel
Share Us
How could I have not thought to check the cameras? Not that I need any further confirmation of Vin’s betrayal, but I need to have eyes on Olivia. To see that she was at least unharmed when she was taken.
Damon is already doing so on his phone, and I move closer to see the screen myself. Sure enough, there is Vin at my door, punching in the code as if he lives there himself.
“Turn the volume up,” I say, wanting to hear how this went down.
Olivia is a smart woman. She wouldn’t have just gone along with things for the sake of doing so.
I listen intently as Vin plays her, spewing lies and half-truths from his mouth. Though, there is a sense of pride as I watch my Raven keep a gun that I didn’t give her pointed at him and question the fuck out of him.
Unfortunately, I don’t blame her for going with him by the end of the conversation. He had the code. She knows I trusted him. He allowed her to remain armed. She had no reason to distrust him.
Once they head down the stairs, Damon turns the screen off, then begins digging through Vin’s pockets, pulling out his cell phone, unlocking it with a code Damon shouldn’t know. Though, it doesn’t surprise me in the least that he does.
I watch as he goes through his text messages and tense when he growls. “Vin has been working against us for months. Titan was blowing his ego up, promising that Vin would be running this compound within six months, and in Titan’s words, just like he should have been doing since your father’s death.”
Fuck. It isn’t as if I’ve spent years keeping Vin at arm’s length. He’s been given important tasks and trusted without hesitation. Though, I can’t deny there have been moments when I’ve known he’s wanted more from me, and I haven’t allowed him in.
“Find them and get her back, Damon,” I seethe. “Do it fucking now. And if you don’t, I’ll start killing people every hour until I find her myself.”
I’m growing weaker by the second, but as soon as I’m stitched up, the scum that live in this city better hide, because it’s not just Titan I’m coming for. I’ll hunt every son of a bitch who even considered cashing in on that bounty and taking Olivia from me.
I won’t stop until the streets run with red and I have her back safe and sound. And if she’s not returned to me…
The world will know the consequences of Titan’s mistake when he decided to fuck with me.
3
OLIVIA
The night stretches on, and Titan remains absent. My hands are still bound behind my back as I lean against the wall, but at least the blindfold is now resting against my neck, giving me some limited view of the room. I search for a place to lie down, hoping to find some rest amidst this nightmare.
Through the barred and tinted window, I catch glimpses of the setting sun, leaving me wondering about Luca and his safety. Vin had mentioned Luca being shot. Was it a lie? Could he have used that as an excuse for not rescuing me personally? Should I even care?
If Titan is right and Luca was only using me to get to him, there’s a chance he’s not even looking for me. He made no promises of affection, only that he would keep me safe. Now that he’s failed at that…
I give my head a solid shake. I can’t go there right now. It’s a worry for future me and not an added stress that I need right now.
Surveying the rest of the room, I realize there’s no comfortable place to sleep. No couch, no padded chair, only a wooden table and hard seats. Next to that stands a locked metal cabinet, tempting me with thoughts of breaking it open if only I had access to my hands.
Still resting against the wall, I close my eyes and take a deep breath. The events of the day have left me exhausted, but my will to survive and escape Titan remains resolute. He may physically break me, but not mentally. I'll fight until my dying breath to regain my freedom, because he doesn’t deserve to have this win over me. I’m more sure of that than anything else right now.
An itch irritates my nose, and I groan in frustration. My face has never itched so much in my life, taunting me further with my inability to use my hands properly. Worse, I desperately need to use the bathroom and can't undo my jeans in this condition.
As I contemplate knocking myself out to avoid the humiliation of wetting myself, I come up with a better idea. One I should have thought of hours ago. Maybe I can merely slip my arms out from under me, forcing them to stretch past my feet. Movies make it seem so easy.
Knowing that I’m not the most limber or agile person in the world, I lower myself to the ground, then push my ass out as far as I can contort my body. The cotton rope tying my wrists together gets stuck on the back of my pants, but I jerk hard and then wince loudly from the strain on my shoulders.
Oh, I’m totally fucked now.
With my hands pressed firmly beneath my ass and my arms feeling as if they’re going to be pulled out of their sockets, I lay my head on the ground and close my eyes again, trying to calm the panic clawing its way up my throat.
I can do this. I just need to relax and trust that my body is capable of being as flexible as I need it to be. I’ve done yoga. Once. This is totally fine.
It’s not as if my ribs aren’t also screaming at me thanks to the beating Titan decided to give me earlier. The pain is nothing if not motivation to get free.
Another deep breath and I feel the muscles in my battered body finally begin to do as I’ve pleaded, the discomfort slowly fading away. With another swift tug, I pull my arms further down while bending myself inward as much as possible.
One foot slips through above my wrists, and I nearly pause due to the awkwardness of this position—it’s definitely not as easy as the movies make it look—but I know if I stop, I’m going to be in an even more difficult position than just a few moments ago.
