Bound By Thorns (Squad Six #2)

SIX

Kaylan

Not here. Not now. Not yet.

Skipping lunch with Martha, I slid out of the kitchen, my heart pounding, my mission clear. The vast grounds of Ravenrock loomed before me, a sprawling expanse of manicured lawns and ominous gazebos. I scanned the area, my eyes catching a lone figure shrouded in a haze of smoke behind a distant gazebo. Noel .

His figure was tense, alert, as if the air around him buzzed with unspoken threats. I tread lightly, my steps muffled against the lush grass, each footfall a silent plea to remain unnoticed. But Noel was sharp, his instincts honed in shadows and secrets. His hand darted to the gun at his belt, drawing it with a fluid motion that spoke of routine, of countless drawn weapons and faced dangers. Our eyes met, and a flicker of recognition passed through his gaze, lowering the gun with a reluctant ease.

“Kaylan,” he greeted, his voice as smoky as the cigarette dangling from his lips. The smoke from his cigarette danced between us, a ghostly mediator.

I edged closer, the grass whispering under my feet. “I was wondering,” I ventured, my voice a careful blend of casual inquiry and veiled desperation, “If I could maybe go see my parents soon. Just a quick visit.”

Noel’s eyes flicked to mine, a sharp, assessing glint in their depths. He exhaled, a cloud of smoke billowing between us, his expression unreadable.

I held my ground as he leaned in, his face inches from mine, his eyes piercing through the haze.

“You think you can just waltz out to see your parents, princess?” he murmured, his breath a mix of tobacco and challenge, the smoke enveloping me as he exhaled slowly, his smirk a silent taunt.

I met his gaze, unwavering, my own eyes mirroring the resolve that had brought me here. “I need to see them, Noel. They have no one else but me. They were financially dependent on me. They need me.”

His smirk faded slightly, replaced by a calculating look, “You’re not just any prisoner here. You’re Garret’s whore, the doctor. Your absence wouldn’t go unnoticed. Makes it complicated.”

When I remained silent with defiance, he growled, threat unmistakable, “You’re playing a dangerous game, Kaylan.”

“I’m aware,” my voice trembling slightly.

Noel studied me for a long moment, the silence stretching between us, taut and heavy. Then, with a sigh, he dropped his cigarette, crushing it under his boot with a finality that echoed in the quiet garden.

“I can’t promise anything,” he finally said, his voice a low murmur, a hidden current in the stillness.

I nodded, a tentative hope kindling within me, fragile and flickering.

“Thank you,” I whispered.

He gave a sharp, humorless chuckle.

“Don’t thank me yet,” he warned, his eyes dark and unreadable. With that, he turned, his figure retreating into the shadows of the gazebo, leaving me standing alone in the garden.

???

In the suffocating darkness of my nightmare, Garret’s hands were a vise around my throat. I gasped, clawed, desperate for air that wouldn’t come. The world blurred at the edges, pain, and panic merging into a terrifying crescendo.

Then, abruptly, the nightmare fractured, and I jerked awake. But the terror didn’t end. A real hand, heavy and stifling, clamped over my nose and mouth. My eyes flew open, my heart thundering, as I met Noel’s icy stare. His smirk was sinister in the moonlit room, his eyes roaming over my exposed skin. My camisole and panties were scant protection against his predatory gaze.

The blanket lay discarded at my feet, a casualty of my thrashing panic. Noel’s grip loosened.

He leaned closer, his breath a cold whisper against my skin, “You have something I need, sweet Kaylan. Only then will you get the freedom you want.”

My eyes belied my panic, my throat constricted at what he was insinuating, but still, I asked, “What do I get in return?”

“In five days, a car can be waiting for you at the edge of the front lawn behind the storage building,” his mouth was dangerously close to my neck, “A full tank, with food supplies.”

I almost gleamed at the prospect of escape, but I didn’t even know where I would need to drive, so I pressed further, hoping Noel wouldn’t snap, “Where are we? Where would I need to drive?”

“I know you have questions…many many questions,” he climbed into my bed and caged me as his broad frame loomed over me, “So, I will be generous, and answer. You just need to not move or scream, understood?”

My whole body trembled as I nodded. This wasn’t new to me, but Noel seemed like a man who wouldn’t want to risk getting caught by Garret, so he wouldn’t leave a mark on me, which I was sure of.

With each question I asked, I lost a piece of my clothing, and there were only two to begin with. But I had many questions that I needed answered, to be able to escape without fail.

After two questions, the atrocities began. Tears prickled my eyes as I forced myself to listen to his answers that were shadowed by his grunts and moans.

He continued to use every inch of my body to his advantage until I had learned everything I needed to.

I learned that we were not only in the central time zone, but we were also smack down in the middle of Mississippi’s northern forests. If Logan and I drove northeast, we would reach Washington DC, and reconnect with Bridgewood.

I negotiated and traded the food supplies for a wad of cash instead, that earned him another way to violate me.

I fabricated a story for him, claiming I wanted to take Ingrid along with me. The exchange was agonizing, yet somehow, I managed to secure a promise from him: he would hand over his copy of the dungeon key, a secret I hadn’t known he possessed.

After he left me isolated in my chamber, tears eluded me, the storm of my emotions rendering me numb and utterly used.

But I had a clear goal: in the next five days, I needed to plan Logan’s escape and leave Ravenrock Hall behind for good.