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Whatever they drugged me with still weighs heavy in my limbs, but I fight through it, desperate to escape whatever reality I may be faced with on the other side of the door.
My fingers are slippery on the ledge, and I lose my grip three times before I finally manage to drag myself up the wall and get my first glimpse of the outside of the house.
The sight of pine trees isn’t a surprise, but the fact that it doesn’t seem like there’s an end to them does nothing to settle the dread pooling in my belly.
The idea of running through the forest in bare feet after being drugged multiple times in the last twelve hours really doesn’t do much for me, but I don’t have a choice. This is my only chance to get back to Doc, and there’s no way I’m going to waste it.
The cool air brushes over my cheeks, and I welcome it as I shove myself further out the window. Right now the only thing I can be grateful for is that we’re on the first floor. As much as I want to get out of this house, I don’t know that I’d survive a fall from the second story under the circumstances.
I push my upper body across the windowsill, shuffling through the tight opening, cursing the ass I’ve always thought was my best feature.
My breathing becomes more labored by the second as panic starts to overwhelm me. I’m being too slow. I need to get out faster, but I’m at risk of getting stuck.
“What the fuck?” a voice behind me thunders, and a startled scream tears from my throat.
I shove myself as hard as I can against the window frame, tears falling against my cheeks. The thundering of my heart fills my ears as pure panic takes over. If I don’t get out now, I’ll never get the chance. I’ll never see Doc again, or finish college, or have kids. I don’t even know if I want kids, but I don’t want the option stolen from me along with the rest of my life.
Strong hands grip my hips and tug me backward, but I hold on as hard as I can, clawing at the frame until my nails split and agony rushes up my hands.
“Get back in here, you little bitch,” Spade growls.
I kick back without looking back, hoping I can gain some traction if I can push off his body, but his grip is too tight.
I slam my foot back into his stomach, and when he lets out a grunt of pain, I shove forward as hard as I can, ignoring the agony in my hips and stomach as I slide over the splintered wood.
Movement in the distance draws my attention away from Spade, and when I meet eyes so dark it’s like staring into the abyss, I almost forget how to breathe.
Doc stands at the edge of the trees, the same panic I feel in my chest clear on his features as he stares back at me.
Someone shouts his name from around the corner, and it’s only then I notice the figure behind him with a gun drawn and a dark smile across his lips.
“No!” I scream at the same time a gunshot fills the quiet morning air, but it’s too late.
Blood stains Doc’s arm, his face turning as pain washes over him, but there’s nothing I can do.
I’m so distracted by him being hurt that I forget to fight, forget to kick and shove, and force myself through the window, and the grip on my legs is stronger than ever.
“I was being nice to you, you little whore, but that ends now,” Spade snaps as he pulls me through the window, breaking my view of Doc, but it’s too late to fight. I grip on to the edge of the window, my fingers burning beneath my hold as splintered wood digs into my hands, but I can’t hold on any longer.
Another scream tears from my throat as my body falls to the hard tiles, my head cracking painfully against them.
Crimson is the last thing I see as my own blood surrounds me and my stomach bottoms out. It never really mattered how hard I fought, I stopped being in control of my life a long time ago.
CHAPTER SIXTY-FOUR
ISLA
The agony in my head feels never-ending, like for the rest of my days, the pain will walk side by side with me. But then again, I may not have that many days left.
I force my eyes open, fighting through my murky vision to assess just how much worse my situation has become.
My hands and legs are heavy, and it only takes me a few seconds to realize I’m tied down, the hard floorboards at my back and rough ropes wrapped too tightly around my wrists and ankles. I’m back in Spade’s office, that much I can tell from the walls of books surrounding us, but I don’t understand why he brought me back in here.
I tug at the ropes a few times but let out a hiss of pain as they slice into my wrists.
“Isla?” someone whispers, but they’re behind me. I can’t force my neck to strain that far back, no matter how much I want to.
I squeeze my eyes shut, forcing away the tears that threaten. This isn’t the time to fall apart. I don’t even know if that time will ever come again, but right now I have to stay strong. It’s my best chance at survival right now, and that’s all I can ask for.
