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“Ari!” I hurried after her, digging my heels into the ground to stop myself from falling too. God, I hoped she was okay.
Ari sat up slowly and brushed the leaves and dirt off her face.
“There they are!” Psycho yelled from the top of the steep slope.
Three men shot out from between the trees directly across from us, their expressions morphing from alarm to anger in seconds. They scrambled for their guns, and we were surrounded before Ari had a chance to get up.
Shaking and gasping for air, I groaned as every drop of adrenaline in my body flooded my bloodstream. We weren’t going to make it out alive.
ChapterForty-Four
Jagger
Ilanded with a thud on the cement floor before the door closed. Ari had kicked and screamed, giving the men hell until they knocked her out. She was tossed in a different room this time, across the hall. My new problem was that the entrance only opened from the outside. From where I was, it looked like a wall—no doorknob, only a keyhole.
“Fuck!” I groaned, picking myself up off the floor. I stumbled to the table and sank into the chair. I scrubbed my face with my cut and bloody palms. How was I going to get to Ariana? If they touched her, I’d fucking come unglued on them.
Standing, I walked the room and kept my legs moving. When Ari and I started to run, I could tell we hadn’t eaten in a while. The only water we’d had were the little bits Psycho had provided. We were weak and dehydrated, which slowed us way down.
My gut twisted into knots as I sank into the chair, sifting through different ways to get Mom and Psycho to set Ari free. But before I had time to piece together what to do, the door opened.
Fearing the worst, I rose to my feet. Anticipation halted my breath in my lungs. My vision blurred, and my pulse pounded in my ears as my mother stormed in.
“I hope you’re proud of yourself. All you did was manage to piss me and your father off. Things will be much worse for both of you.”
It crossed my mind to apologize, but I didn’t owe this bitch anything.
“Why?” If I was stuck in this shitty room with her, I wanted answers.
“Why what?”
It took a moment before I realized she had a bottle of water and a sandwich. She placed them on the table, her eyes never leaving mine. “Eat. I can’t have you looking like shit. Your handsome features are what make you so valuable.”
I grabbed the water, untwisted the cap, and downed a few gulps. It took everything inside me not to guzzle all of it at once. Finally, I sat in the chair across from my mother.
“What did I ever do to make you hate me so much that you used me as bait to kidnap little kids?” I sniffed the sandwich, then picked at the roast beef hanging from the side.
“It’s not poisoned, so eat.” She pointed to the food in my hand. “I’ll bring you another one if you behave.” She arched a penciled-in brow at me.
“Is that why Psycho snatched me up? Because you thought my looks would be good for business?”
My mother crossed her legs and smoothed her black slacks. “It was his idea. As you and Ari began to hook up and other girls started calling you after school, I knew you would fit the job perfectly.”
I barked out a laugh. “Job? I never got paid.”
“You had a roof over your head, food to eat, and clothes on your back. You were provided for.” She tapped her red, manicured nails against the table. “At first, Psycho and I thought you might want to join the family business, but Psycho realized you had a soft heart for the kids and their parents. Our hopes to train you to take over fizzled pretty damn fast.”
Befuddled, I shook my head. A beat of silence hung in the air. Finally, I took a bite of the sandwich, and my stomach growled in agreement. I set it down, chewing slowly. My mouth was dry, but the mayonnaise and tomato slices helped. I would see how it settled and if I got drowsy before I had another bite. I didn’t trust her not to drug my food no matter what she said.
“What about you and Theo? You clearly never broke things off with Joe.” I held her stare as I used my father’s real name.
“Theo is a smoke screen. He’s good in bed, works hard, and loves his family so much that he can’t see the shit show in front of him. It’s sad really.”
“Are you and Joe . . . Did you even get divorced?”
“We did. Joe and I were young and toxic when we were together. At the time, I wouldn’t embrace his dark side. After I took you and left, I met Theo. Not long after, Joe reached out. I realized I missed him terribly, and when he told me how much cash he was making.” Mom gave me a little shrug. “Being a housewife and waiting for my husband to come home wasn’t for me. I mean really, do I look like a Stepford wife to you? I wanted to live on the edge. Also, I knew you could bring us in a lot more money. Joe and I planned the fire and Ari’s part in it. It came together beautifully. Everyone won. Theo got a large sum for the damages, you joined your father, Ariana was out of the way, and I steered the business from behind the scenes.”
I rubbed my chest, where my heart pounded. The palpitations were full of fear, anger, and shock. “I don’t even know who you are. My own mother has lived two lives, pretending to be a caring parent and wife.”
