Chapter 9 – Scarlett
They told me he was dangerous.
They were wrong. He was the devil himself—an evil entity who preyed on the innocent. The monster had a bone to pick with my father, but in that wicked mind of his, he thought it was best to involve me. I had nothing to do with whatever he and my father had going on.
I wasn’t there when they had their falling out; I had no idea what exactly caused his hatred of Mercer. Yet somehow, here I was, stuck in the middle of their madness. Why should I have to pay for Mercer’s crimes?
My father was sick and bedridden, but even in that state, he still managed to add to my sorrow. I regretted being his daughter because nothing good had ever come out of it. Being a Carter had only caused me pain and heartbreak, and now it had landed me in trouble.
How the hell did Mercer even get mixed up with this monster? What business did they have with each other? What did he do to make this man hate him so much that he thought hurting me was the best way to get to him?
This man had never been a part of my life; he’d never brought me joy or any sort of happiness. Not once. Not ever. But his enemy believed I was the center of his world.
What a joke!
How was I the center of his world when he never gave a shit about me?
My hatred for him had doubled by now because I blamed him for my predicament. And why the hell would my captor even think Mercer cared so much for me? What the actual fuck was going on here?
I hadn’t seen the man in years, and the first time he called for me, I was kidnapped only a few days later.
Right now, I couldn’t help thinking that my father was the weapon fashioned against me.
Every pain and heartbreak I’d ever felt was caused by him.
And it pissed me off that he was the reason I was in this situation today.
Hadn’t he done enough already?
My captor thought my father cared for me; he was wrong. Mercer only cared about himself. I still didn’t understand why he asked to see me the other day, but I was certain it wasn’t because he cared.
If he did, he would’ve at least attempted to answer my questions, but he never did. I believed in my heart that his reason for reaching out was selfish. I couldn’t prove it yet, but I knew it was true.
The fact that I still had a million and one unanswered questions only fanned the flames of my fury.
I paced back and forth in the room that held me prisoner—a space more sophisticated than my apartment. The hanging chandelier alone looked expensive enough to cover my rent for two years in a row.
This room reeked of wealth and luxury—the kind that made one feel like royalty. The furniture was state-of-the-art, designed for comfort and convenience. The bed was twice the size of mine back at my place. The pillows were fluffy, and so was the mattress.
A massive flat-screen TV was mounted on the wall across the bed. The air smelled of lavender and peppermint tea, and the polished marble floor was spotless. Even the food was great, although I hated myself for admitting it.
I’d been here for two days now and was only allowed to roam the mansion. I often spent my afternoons wandering the halls, drinking in the majesty of the building and the artworks that adorned its walls.
The place was gorgeous, every detail oozing grandeur and sophistication. Yet, despite all the luxury the space exuded, it still felt like a prison.
I didn’t know what my captor wanted from me or what he meant when he said I would pay for my father’s crimes. He didn’t strike me as a man who spoke empty words. If he said I was going to suffer, he must already have planned how to carry it out.
My jailer clearly had no heart, no conscience at all, and I wasn’t going to stick around to find out what he had in store for me. I had to get out of here before it was too late.
Even though I’d been here for only two days, I’d already begun memorizing the guards’ rotations and the layout of the entire building. The security here was airtight, and the mean-faced men guarding this fortress were all twice my size.
I noticed a loophole in their patrol pattern between 12:00 a.m. and 12:20 a.m. It was a small window, but if I moved fast enough to grab that chance, it might just be my way out of here.
There was a hidden gate near the manicured gardens at the back. Although I wasn’t sure where it led, I was certain it would take me beyond the fence of this cursed compound.
I didn’t need a key to unlock it. From a distance, I’d noticed that the gap between the base and the ground was wide enough for my petite frame to slip through. I could easily crawl to the other side.
This was an opportunity that I couldn’t miss out on.
As I paced back and forth, absently chewing my nails, my eyes kept darting to the wall clock above the TV. My heart was racing in my chest, fear slithering into my mind.
A part of me thought this was a horrible idea that could land me in deeper trouble if I got caught. The other part of me, however—the one pushing me into making this bold move—was of the opinion that everything in life was about taking risks.
If I didn’t do this now, I might not get another chance. This was uncharted territory for me, and my chances of making it out of here without getting caught were slim. Yet I was determined to try rather than sit back on my ass and accept my fate.
At the stroke of 12:00 a.m., my heart skipped a beat, and a bell rang in my head. I rushed to the door, grabbed the handle, and turned it slowly. It creaked open, revealing the dimly lit corridor. I stuck my head out, looking both ways to be sure that no guards were coming from either direction.
A soft sigh escaped my lips. “Here goes nothing.”
With that, I stepped out into the open, closed the door behind me, and rushed through the hallway with quiet footsteps. Every now and then, I’d glance over my shoulder while my brain calculated how much I had left.
I raced down the curved staircase, the red rug fluffy beneath my bare feet. My heart was pounding like a drum, my pulse quickening as I descended the steps. I expected to run into a few guards along the way and was already prepared to hide as many times as possible.
I passed through the living room and didn’t spot a single guard—not even one. The glass door leading to the garden was unlocked, slightly ajar. Desperation clouded my judgment, and I didn’t see the need to question anything yet.
Without a moment of hesitation, I pushed through the door and ran out into the open. The moon’s ethereal glow enveloped me, the cool breeze brushing against my skin as I sprinted through the garden.
Hold a second, a voice whispered in my head. Do you hear that?
I slowed, my eyes squinting as I listened more closely. Yet I couldn’t hear anything.
Exactly, the voice said. It’s too quiet.
I stopped in my tracks, my brain putting the pieces together. I’d been running for almost ten minutes now, and I still hadn’t spotted any guards. Not even one. This place was supposed to be crawling with them—yet it felt like a ghost town. Empty.
Just because there weren’t as many guards at this particular time of night didn’t mean they were all off duty.
Where the hell was everyone? Plus, I didn’t expect the door leading out here to be open the way it was because I was ready to pick the lock.
Even though I planned my escape well, I knew this was way too easy. Something wasn’t right.
At that instant, a sharp metallic clang came from behind me, accompanied by the hum of electricity. In a split second, the lights in the garden burst on, pinning me in a harsh spotlight. My arms rose to shield my face from the brightness that almost blinded me, and my heart sank.
Shit!
My pulse spiked, and my chest was heaving with ragged breaths. I’d been caught, and only God knew what punishment awaited me.
I squinted as I watched a tall figure emerge from the shadows, the brightness behind it casting a halo around its imposing frame. I didn’t have to see its face to recognize who it was. It was my jailer.
My heart was about to jump out of my chest at that moment, as fear gripped me. My palms were greasy, and I was starting to sweat in awkward places.
With slow, menacing steps, he walked over to me in silence, a hand buried deep in his pocket. When he halted in front of me, his imposing frame towered over me, making me feel small in his presence.
He didn’t say anything at first. He just bent over, picked up a rock, and then hurled it forward. I flinched in terror when a gunshot rang out, shattering the stone midair.
My eyes widened, shocked and terrified.
He dusted his hands and faced me again. “Motion sensors,” he said. “You were walking into a trap that would’ve ended your life in a heartbeat.”
What the hell?
I swallowed hard, struggling to mask my fear as I thanked my lucky stars that I had stopped when I did. Who the hell set booby traps in their compound, anyway?
“Would you like to keep going?” he asked. “The gate is right over there.”
Silence.
A self-satisfied grin tugged at the corners of his lips, and he stepped closer. “You’re not going anywhere. The sooner you understand that, the better.”
“You’re a monster,” I growled, my eyes blazing with fury.
“I am,” he answered. “And you’re trapped with me forever.”
His words struck me in the heart like a dagger.
“No, I’m not.” I shook my head, glaring right at him. “Every cage has a key, and you aren’t as powerful as you think.”
His smirk deepened. “Challenge accepted.”
The air between us cackled with a kind of tension I wasn’t ready to acknowledge. The intoxicating scent of his cologne invaded my senses, and the longer I stared into his eyes, the weaker my knees became. Not from fear but from the dangerous pull of the wicked man holding me prisoner.
He stirred something inside me—something I couldn’t quite name. It was both intriguing and disturbing.
“You can imprison me,” I said, my voice low and laced with disdain. “But you will never break me.” My face twisted into a frown.
He hesitated for a moment, then, without another word, turned around and walked away.
“Did you hear me?!” I called out, my voice echoing through the garden. “You’ll never break me!”
He ignored me, heading back into the house because he knew I wasn’t stupid enough to try anything irrational.
Furious, I scanned the surroundings, searching for other ways to get out of here. However, deep down, I knew it was dumb to even take another step. I had no idea where else that maniac had rigged booby traps.
I was obviously going to be here much longer than expected. But I wasn’t going to stop looking for ways to escape this cursed place. He might have imprisoned my body, but my spirit, mind, and soul weren’t up for grabs.
As long as my mind wasn’t caged and I still had air in my lungs, I wasn’t going to stop until I found a way out.
I let out a soft sigh, reveling in the idea that I’d stood my ground against him despite being caught in the act of trying to escape. My actions might have seemed insignificant, but to me this was a small, stubborn victory.