35. Ever
Chapter 35
Ever
B ellamy pulls out his phone and sucks in a sharp breath. “Sorry, I need to take this.” Without sparing us a backward glance, he rushes out of the room, totally missing the pleading look I shoot him that screams ‘ take me with you’ .
The lawyers and my agent are busy arguing over the contract specifications while the guys bombard me with their opinions, and I’m getting increasingly overwhelmed with every minute that ticks by. Arson is fully convinced that I should negotiate for a lambo as a signing bonus, but Ledger is more practical, focused more on, “Sure, it sounds good , but your lawyer and agent better go over that contract with a fine toothed comb before you sign anything.”
Myles shrugs, pointing at Ledger. “What he said.”
Before long, Myles makes his way over to ask our lawyer a question, which naturally turns into all of them being nosey and chiming in their opinions, until I’m five seconds away from either banging my head on the table, or asking if anyone has a bottle of whiskey hidden in their offices I can barter for.
Bell finally returns, looking worse for wear as he quickly scans the room searching for me before catching my gaze. “Can I talk to you in private for a minute?”
I practically leap at the chance to escape, pushing out of my chair before he’s finished speaking. “Absolutely. Everything okay?
Bell gnaws on the corner of his lip. “Honestly? Not really.” He runs a hand through his snowy hair, leaving the white strands standing up at every angle. “But nothing I can’t handle. I just need to talk to you about something before you sign anything.”
“Yeah, no problem. Let’s go out in the hall.”
Ledger glances up, looking uneasy, and takes a step towards us. “I’ll come with, you two shouldn’t be going off alone; either of you.”
My face must show how overstimulated I am, because Myles gives me a sympathetic look. “A minute to breathe without us all bombarding her is a great idea, Bell. Just shout if you need us, okay?”
Arson looks like he’s about to protest, but a nudge from Myles has him studying my face for a long moment before he turns all that pent-up energy onto Ledger. “Cut ‘em some slack, pops. I've fought the dirty rotten cheater; Bell will keep our girl safe.” He narrows his eyes at Bellamy. “Or else there will be one less person hogging the bathroom when we get home.”
Ledger pins him with a withering stare. “I’m thirty-two.”
Unfazed, Arson doubles down, “Exactly. Daddy age. I’m not sure what point you were trying to make?”
Leaving them squabbling, I follow Bell out of the room, taking his offered hand. “What’s going on? You don’t think I shouldn’t sign with them?”
“No, I don’t.” He remains alarmingly quiet until pushing opening a door at the end of the hall. Tugging me outside, fresh air hits me for a brief moment before a hand claps over my mouth, stifling my scream.
Terror leeches into every one of my muscles, and I buck against him, but to no avail. No matter how hard I struggle, Bellamy doesn’t let up, dragging me toward the black van on the curb as the door slides open. “Sorry, gorgeous.”
He passes me to the guy in the van who swiftly zip-ties my hands behind my back. I try to tap into that part of me that lets me latch onto any of their abilities, but the only times I’ve been able to consciously pull it off are when Myles calmly coached me through it. With the way the adrenaline is pumping through my veins, there isn’t a chance in Hell. Bell follows me in, slamming the sliding door behind us and shouting, “Drive!”
“What the fuck do you think you’re doing!?”
I whirl around, prepared to bash my head into his stupid face, but pull back in horror as it starts melting before my eyes. As the van lurches forward, pulling out onto the street, I fall back on my ass, gaping at the horrifying sight in front of me. A muffled groan has me hesitantly glancing over my shoulder, and that’s when I see the real Bellamy bound and gagged, unconscious on the floor.
“Bell,” I breathe, wrenching my bound wrists free from the stranger’s grasp and trying to scoot closer.
“You deserve better than those bastards,” one of the men snaps.
“They seriously let two mimics wander off alone? Pathetic,” the driver growls.
I catch a brief flash of cloth before fake-Bell grabs me from behind, the smell of chloroform making my brain foggy as he holds it over my mouth and nose. “We'll take care of you now, little one. Just leave everything to us.”
To be continued in Book 2…