Chapter 28
THE SWEET ESCAPE
EMERY
She looks quite harmless when she sleeps. Naked. Sated. And almost innocent. Her arm drapes over my waist, the fur throw blanket covering the embrace. I remain still. Frozen. Except for my eyes. My eyes are moving, tasked with identifying all the tools I need for a sweet escape.
My gaze floats across the room. The key to the chain is precariously lying next to Toni’s clothes.
Her satellite phone is on the computer desk.
There’s a pair of shoes by the door. And a jacket.
Wallet. I probably need a wallet. Scanning the room for a wallet, I swallow when I notice the handle of a pistol poking out from underneath an upside-down book on her desk.
That might be more useful than a wallet.
Who needs cash when you’ve got bullets?
The clock hanging in the back of the basement reads 7 a.m. It’s dark outside.
The benefits of winter. I place two gentle fingers against her neck, checking her pulse, careful that my movements are calculated and stealthy.
Forty-eight BPM. She’s in a deep sleep. I could never reach such levels of rest. Lucky, Toni.
I pull my hand back and stare up at the ceiling, controlling my breathing.
Now. I need to move now.
Slowly, carefully, I shift my body closer to the edge of the mattress.
A sound creaks from the worn-out springs, and I inwardly wince.
It’s fine. She’s asleep. It’s fine. Hesitantly, I slip my right leg off the edge, the left one following.
When both feet hit the cement floor, I twist my torso, my hands bracing me as I slide fully onto the floor.
A draft nips at my bare skin, and I shiver.
Toni shifts on the bed, and my heart races as I stare at her, praying that she doesn’t wake up.
After a loaded minute, I continue, slithering around the perimeter of the mattress, holding my breath as I reach for the brass key.
Got it.
Swallowing, I move three more paces until I’m kneeling before the chain. Toni’s ankle pokes out from under the blanket.
Swift. This needs to happen swiftly. In one movement.
Grab. Chain. Lock.
No hesitations. No second thoughts.
She’s a small woman, but if I give her too much time to process what’s happening, I fear she may overpower me.
I close my eyes, inhaling a long breath of resolution.
Three…
Two...
One...
It’s incredible. A human’s instinct to survive. How even the most impossible tasks become attainable.
I’m not dying today.
As the cold, metal chain circles around Toni’s ankle, and I insert the key, the click almost deafening, I realize the power of my desire to live.
Toni’s eyes spring open. Her own survival instincts.
But it’s too late.
I stand up, staring down at her. Small. She looks so small. Is that how I looked to her? Small and weak and helpless? I understand now. Why she believed my sobs, my tears, my whimpers. From up here, I understand.
She couldn’t fathom that something so feeble and timid could possibly be full of fire.
A mistake. One I won’t make.
“Emery?” Toni props herself up, frantically glancing down at her foot, pulling on the restraint. “What… What are you doing? Why are you—”
I blink at her, tilting my head. “Who’s the dog, now, Toni?”
Her mouth gapes open. “I don’t…” She swallows, realization dawning on her. “I never said that about you. I never—”
I rest my index finger across my lips. “Shh… Toni. I think it would be best if you simply didn’t speak.
” I glance around for my clothes. With a sigh, I bend down and pick up the T-shirt, slipping my arms through the thin material as Toni’s gaze burns into my skin.
“I’m going to borrow your shoes, if you don’t mind.
” I stride toward the doorway, sinking my feet into the fur-lined boots.
I flick the jacket off the hook, slinging it over my body.
“Oh, and I’ll be taking these too.” Toni remains silent, perhaps in shock, as I walk over to her desk and pick up the phone, hesitating for a moment before I grab the gun, shoving it into the big jacket pockets.
I turn around and smile. “Well, I suppose this is it. Goodbye, Antonia.”
Toni’s ears burn, her eyes darkening. Maybe I shouldn’t have used her full name.
“You tricked me!” she screams, violently tugging on the chain.
“You fucking used me? Is that it, Emery Jones? This… This was all a trick?!” I cringe, averting my gaze.
Definitely shouldn’t have used her full name. “Look at me! Fucking look at me!”
Straightening my sore shoulders, I tip my head up and our eyes lock.
God, she’s furious. More livid than I assumed.
“You kidnapped me, Toni,” I say with a nonchalant shrug.
“What did you expect?” Her jaw ticks, and I narrow my eyes, and unfortunately, a little laugh slips past my lips.
“Oh, God. Did you… Did you think I was…?” I cover my mouth, the humor of her delusion nearly too much.
She glares at me, her hand shaking as I finish my sentence, truly amused by her irrational logic.
“You did, didn’t you? You thought I liked you?
” I cock my head, chuckling. “Honestly, that’s kind of cute. ”
Her eyes twitch, her chest rising and falling. I lick my lips, gaze flitting across her perfect breasts. I might miss her a little. She sure knows how to use that tongue.
“Everything…” she seethes, snapping me out of momentary weakness. “Everything you did was a lie. Everything you said…was a lie.” Her hands ball into fists as she stands up on the mattress. Uh-oh. “You fucking bitch!”
I take a couple of steps back as she attempts to charge at me, the chain yanking her backward. She falls. “Careful, Antonia,” I say, my tone low and flat. “You wouldn’t want to hurt yourself.” Slumped over, Toni’s shoulders rattle, and I lift a brow. “Are you…” I tilt my head. “Are you crying?”
Toni twists her neck in my direction, her curls cascading down her face, sticking to the tears rolling across her cheeks.
“You are a snake, Emery Jones. I-I thought—” Her words are cut off by the slamming of a door, and heavy footsteps sound above us.
Shit. A devious grin spreads across her face as she wipes under her eyes. “Simone is back.”
I swallow, a zap of fear coursing through my bones. But then I remember. I remember their relationship. I remember that Toni is chained to a mattress. Naked. Freshly fucked.
“I wonder how you’ll explain this to her,” I muse, quietly moving to the door. Toni’s triumphant expression falls, and now I’m the one grinning. “Relationships are so hard, aren’t they, Antonia?”
“You—”
“Shh,” I hush her as I press myself up against the wall.
I wrap my hand around the gun in my pocket, pulling it out. Toni’s eyes widen with fear, and I’m not surprised that she doesn’t utter a word.
An internal struggle churns in my belly, the gravity of taking a life.
I’ve only ever thought about my death. Never others.
Not by my hand. Never by mine. I saw nothing in the ‘after’ before.
But maybe that’s because I never truly died.
Maybe it was a waiting room and I never made it to my appointment.
But what happens when I do get greeted? When they call my name and I enter? Will there be consequences? Is there actually something beyond this life? Is there something waiting for all of us? Should I risk damnation, even in the name of self-defense?
The door creaks open, and I make a split-second decision—I won't jeopardize my soul.
Simone takes a step into the basement, unsuspecting and unguarded. With a surge of adrenaline, I swing the gun with all my strength, connecting with Simone's head. Her skull cracks from the impact and Simone staggers backward. For a moment, she teeters, and then she falls backward.
My stomach drops, both from the exertion and the realization that she’s still conscious. Shit. Simone looks up from the floor, her eyes narrowing as they land on Toni chained to the mattress.
"What the..."
Before she can finish, she jumps to her feet and charges at me, full force.
I barely have time to react before we’re fighting, limbs colliding in a chaotic struggle for dominance, for victory. Simone throws a sharp punch at my head, but I fight back with everything I have. Everything.
No. I won’t lose. I can’t lose. I’m so close. So fucking close to freedom.
Why did I ever think that death was a friend? That death was someone I wanted to know. To meet? How stupid. I don’t want to die. Not today.
Not ever.
And then it happens. Death. He finds a friend. He always does.
The gun discharges, a deafening blast that echoes through the basement.
Is it me? Did he finally win? Is death now my guardian? My keeper?
Panic tightens my chest and I gasp, expecting to feel the searing pain of a gunshot wound.
But the pain doesn't come.
I glance down at myself, realizing with a mixture of relief and horror that I'm unharmed. Simone, on the other hand, isn't so lucky. She clutches her side. A red stains blooms through her clothes.
No…
No!
The deadly weight of the gun in my hands becomes unbearable, and I scramble to my feet. Leave. I need to leave.
Without thinking, without breathing, I run up the stairs, my gaze hazy and frantic, hands shaking as I bulldoze through the house and burst onto the street. The rising sun paints the sky with pastel shades of pink and purple. And red. Red. Like blood. Like death.
I stumble forward, breathing ragged, sharp, my chest aching and heavy and hurt. I need to focus. I need to concentrate. Where am I? What the fuck do I do now?!
Cobblestone streets stretch in all directions, the street signs in Italian a blurry jumble.
My head spins with dizziness as I quickly glance around, tattooing the letters and numbers in my brain.
The salty scent of the ocean guides me down the street as I stagger forward, blindly following the distant sounds of crashing waves.
Distance. I need to get away.
Using the brick walls for support, I stumble down the road until I reach the edge of the street. The vast void of the ocean meets my tear-filled eyes. A fleeting moment of clarity hits me as I stare into the blue water—I have a phone.
How did I forget? Fumbling with numb fingers, I retrieve it from my pocket. The screen lights up, and through my blurred vision, I dial the only number stamped into my memory, praying they're together, praying they can find me.
Damon's voice on the other end is a goddamn lifeline. “Hello?”
“It’s me," I whimper, the words catching in my throat. “I’m in Italy. I-I need help, Damon. I’m by the water.
” My steps become erratic as I continue stumbling toward the marina.
"Boats, there are boats," I mutter, desperation lacing my voice.
"Find me." My legs wobble beneath me as I reach the pier.
“Emery!”
His voice fades as a wave of nausea crashes over me, the world tilting as the phone slips from my grip. The water below seems to whisper my name. Death calls to me. I can hear his voice. I can smell him. I can almost feel him.
My head pounds. My heart hurts. It’s beating with agony. I can’t stop it. I can’t make the pain go away.
Unable to stand any longer, I collapse off the pier, plunging into the cold embrace of the sea. Of death. The impact shocks me awake for a moment. Only a moment. And I want to fight, I really do but…but exhaustion wins.
"Please..." I whisper as the water swallows me whole.