Chapter 9 Kaylor #2
The room reeked of smoke and money, expensive cigars mingling with the tang of cologne.
The air hung thick and oppressive as the guards led me down a narrow passage lined with exposed brick, my bare arms scraping against the rough walls with each stumbling step.
Behind me, I could hear the low rumble of voices and the clink of glasses that sounded very much like a party.
At the end of the passage, I was shoved through a heavy curtain into blinding light.
Bright and hot spotlights blared down upon me, my eyes instantly watering.
I threw up a hand to shield my face, but it was useless; the beams were positioned at every angle, highlighting me while protecting the faceless crowd beyond.
“Walk,” Silvia hissed from my left.
My legs screamed at me to run, to bolt, to throw myself off this stage and disappear into the maze below, but the drugs still dragged through my veins.
My muscles wouldn’t obey, and my coordination was shot to hell.
It took everything I had just to stay upright, forcing one shaky step after another.
My heels clicked against the wooden stage, stilettos I didn’t remember slipping onto my feet.
A voice boomed through hidden speakers, one I recognized. “Gentlemen, we end tonight’s festivities with the highlight of our collection…”
Fucking Rusty.
I squinted as I searched for the bastard, not that it did any good.
My vision was impaired by globes of white swirling behind my eyes.
I tried to scream his name, but his amplified voice overpowered me as he began to describe my attributes.
Height, weight, age, measurements, eye color, and natural hair.
My education was mentioned as well as my background.
It was difficult to tell if there were only a few select takers in the crowd or if the room was packed with dozens. I couldn’t be sure, and perhaps it was better I didn’t know.
I crossed my arms over my chest, but it offered little protection or coverage. The dress hugging my body left nothing to the imagination. They knew precisely what they were getting. I might as well have been naked.
I loathed every second on the stage. Never in my life had I ever felt so small, helpless, bare, and less like a human being. Numbness settled into my bones.
The bidding started immediately. Each price increase was met with murmurs of approval or disappointment from the crowd.
I couldn’t breathe. The air was too thick.
My chest rose and fell in rapid, shallow pants that weren’t bringing in enough oxygen.
The stage lights made my vision swim, dark spots dancing at the edges of my sight.
I couldn’t think, and I’d had enough.
So I dropped.
Right there in the center of the stage, my knees hit the ground, and I curled into a tight ball, arms wrapping around my knees.
“Get up!” Silvia yelled from the sideline.
What was the point? What more could they do to me for disobeying?
Fuck them.
If they wanted a show, if they wanted me on my feet parading around the stage, they would have to carry me. They should have strapped me to a chair and rolled me around. I didn’t have an obedient bone in my body.
I lifted my hand and flipped off the entire crowd.
For one beat, the universe held its breath. The crowd’s murmur shifted from quiet appreciation to confusion, voices rising.
Then chaos erupted.
My ears rang as the hall exploded around me, shots firing. I didn’t move at first, frozen in place by the confusion and magnitude of what was happening, stunned by the flashbacks of the night my parents were murdered. It was all too familiar, the drugs making everything feel surreal.
Shouts of outrage. Curses that needed no translation. Rusty stammered into his microphone, trying desperately to salvage order from the disaster unfolding over his event. Chairs scraped against the floor as men stood, some in anger, others pushing toward the exits.
A voice popped into my head, and it took a heartbeat for me to conclude it was my voice.
This is it. This is your chance. Go. Run. Kaylor, now!
The crowd was panicking, security rushing to find the source, and in the chaos, maybe, just fucking maybe, if luck was on my side, I could slip away and find my way out of this hellhole. If there was a way in, there was a way out. I just had to find it.
I scrambled to my feet, my body sluggish and uncooperative as I struggled for balance.
I stumbled toward the front of the stage, misjudging the distance completely.
The drop was farther than I thought. My feet hit empty air, and for a terrifying moment, I was falling, arms windmilling uselessly.
I hit the floor below with a bone-jarring impact, driving the breath from my lungs.
My knees screamed on contact, skin tearing, my dress too damn short to offer any protection between my skin and the hard surface, but through the searing pain, I forced myself up anyway.
CRACK. CRACK. CRACK.
Gunshots rang through the house with ear-splitting intensity. Screams followed, high and terrified and human in a way that cut through the surreal sense of everything. Overhead, lights began exploding in showers of sparks and glass, plunging sections of the room into shadows.
A fire alarm started going off, its blaring joining the pop of gunfire.
People were scrambling, running, diving under tables, shouting orders.
Armed men appeared from nowhere, weapons drawn, and I couldn’t tell who the guards were and who the shooters were or if the guards were the shooters.
I basically had no idea what the fuck was going on.
Run! Just Run, and don’t look back.
So I did. Through pain, I pushed past the lingering effects of the drug, my adrenaline clearing my head just enough, except I wasn’t quick enough. I took a handful of steps when heavy hands clamped down on my upper arm, fingers digging into flesh hard enough to leave bruises.
“No!” I shrieked, my throat raw as the protest tore from me.
Survival took over, turning me feral. I twisted in his grip, fingernails raking across whatever skin I could reach.
As I spun, I jammed the heel of my hand up, connecting with his nose.
The man cursed as blood spurted from his nostrils, his grip loosening.
I tore free, surprising us both, but in my blind, panicked scramble to get away from him, I slammed straight into another body. This one didn’t give way like the others, solid as a brick wall. My fists came up automatically, swinging wildly at whatever target I could find.
Before I could land a blow, strong hands caught my wrists.
Not painful, not cruel, but firm enough to stop my frantic assault.
A voice brushed against my ear, barely audible over the chaos surrounding us.
“Relax, hellcat. I’m not going to hurt you.
If you want out of here alive, you need to come with me. Now.”
My head shook. “Sorry, there’s only one person I’d trust to get me out of here.”
The stranger sighed. “He warned me you’d say that.”
My whole body froze. He couldn’t mean… Was he implying… Kreed? Was Kreed here?
Suddenly, the mayhem swirling around me made perfect sense. My heart knocked in my chest for a completely different rush. The thought of Kreed close sent shudders down my spine. I needed him to say his name.
“Who?” I demanded, looking at the stranger. His features were difficult to distinguish in the dark, but I was positive I’d never seen him before.
“Who else would send an army to rescue you? Not that I know Kreed Corvo, but your cousin assured me his reputation wasn’t based on lies.”
A gush of air rushed out of my chest. I desperately wanted to believe him, but I’d become a jaded bitch. My gaze locked on this guy. How did I know he wasn’t playing me? Could I trust him? Did I have a choice?
He seemed to be able to read the expression on my face, his eyes darting constantly between me and the room.
“I get you don’t trust me, but we need to move.
Now, if we stand any chance of getting out, and I really don’t want to tell Kreed Corvo I didn’t get his girl.
That would be really, really bad for me. ” He held out his hand.
“Fuck it.” What was the worst that could happen?
“I was hoping you’d say that.” A heavy cloak swung around my shoulders, the fabric thick and warm against my bare skin. He tugged the hood over my head, covering my distinctive hair and shadowing my face from any security cameras that might still be functioning.
I placed my hand in his, hoping I wasn’t making the biggest mistake of my life.
I didn’t need it to come back and bite me in the ass.
My fingers barely grazed his when he reached for me quickly, securing our twined fingers firmly together.
He moved without a second thought, keeping his head and shoulders down.
I followed clumsily as shots rained from all directions, my feet tripping over each other.
“Kaylor!” Rusty bellowed, my name crackling through the speakers.
The stranger picked up his pace, a sense of urgency nipping at our heels. “Don’t stop.”
Oh, I didn’t plan on it.