CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
Anya
I am covered in blood and Paul’s lifeless body lies on my lap. I kick him off as best I can, my legs still bound together. Lana cries out, “Anya! Are you okay?!”
I try to catch my breath and piece together what just happened. “Anya!” Lana calls out again. I find my voice, “Yeah...yeah, I’m fine. What happened?” I manage to say between heavy breaths.
“I don’t know,” she starts to say before Adam appears in view.
“Oh my God, Adam! Thank God!” Lana says with relief in her tone.
He kneels down and checks me over, his concern evident. “Are you okay?” he asks.
I give him a small smile and nod, and he takes a rag from his pocket to wipe the blood off my face. “Are you sure?” he asks.
“Yes, thank you.”
“Good, I couldn’t let him touch you like that,” he says in a strange tone.
“Yeah, it’s fine...well, not really fine, but I couldn’t let him hurt Lana,” I say as I glance at her. “I’ve dealt with him before, it was nothing I couldn’t handle,” I state matter-of-factly.
“Adam! Thank God you came for us!” Lana exclaims, her voice a mix of relief and desperation. “Could you please untie us so we can leave?”
Adam’s expression darkens, and a sinister smirk creeps across his face. “Why would I do that?”
Lana and I exchange worried glances. “Adam, please untie us,” Lana says, her tone more forceful.
“Hmmm…” Adam taps his finger against his mouth, feigning contemplation. “No,” he replies, his glare now fixed solely on Lana.
“Why not?!” I shout, frustration and fear mingling in my voice.
“Because you’re exactly where I want you…with me,” he says menacingly, his eyes gleaming with a dark satisfaction.
“I don’t understand! What do you want from us?!” I ask, my voice trembling with confusion and dread.
Adam chuckles darkly. “You still haven’t figured it out, Anya? Tsk tsk tsk.” He paces around the room, his steps deliberate and mocking. “I thought you were smarter than this.”
Lana and I exchange a look of mutual confusion. My heart races faster with each passing second.
“ADAM! Stop playing games!” Lana demands, her voice cracking with frustration.
“Shut up, bitch! You’re only here because I didn’t want you going to the cops! But don’t think for a second that I won’t kill you!” Adam spits out viciously.
“Excuse me?! YOU—” Lana begins to protest, but he slaps her hard across the face, cutting her off.
“I said shut up!” Adam growls.
“Adam, why are you doing this? Paul is dead, it’s over!” I plead, trying to reason with him.
“Paul died because he thought he could have what’s mine,” Adam says coldly.
A horrifying realization hits me like a freight train. “It was you all along, wasn’t it? You’ve been following me?! Sending those disgusting notes and leaving dead animals?! YOU KILLED MY GRANDMOTHER AND JACOB’S MOM?!” I scream, my voice breaking with raw terror.
Adam’s face contorts with rage. “Your precious boyfriend had no idea what he was getting into, and neither do you. I’ve been in control all along.” His eyes gleam with a twisted satisfaction as if he’s finally revealed a long-held secret. “Your grandmother was a threat to my plans, and Jacob’s mother… well, she saw too much.” His voice is cold, each word dripping with a sickening certainty.
Lana, her face still stinging from the slap, writhes in her restraints. I see the fear in her eyes, but also a fierce resolve. “We’re not threats to you, Adam. We won’t say anything! Just let us go!.” She tries to reason with him, but her words are met with silence.
Adam’s gaze locks on Lana. He takes a menacing step towards her, his eyes filled with a cold, calculating fury. The air in the room thickens with tension as he draws closer, his intentions dark and inscrutable.
Adam’s shadow looms over Lana as he closes the distance between them. My heart pounds in my chest, a mixture of fear and anger surging through me. I struggle against my restraints, desperate to do something, anything, to help.
“Adam, please,” I beg, my voice barely above a whisper. “Whatever you’re planning, it doesn’t have to end like this. We can work something out.”
He doesn’t even glance my way. His focus is solely on Lana, whose eyes are wide with terror. “Shut your mouth, Anya. You’ll get your turn,” he snarls. “And as for you,” he says, turning his attention back to Lana, “I didn’t want to hurt you, but you’re in the way. And now, you’re going to pay for it.”
Lana’s breathing is rapid, her face a mask of fear and resolve. “Just get it over with,” she says, her voice trembling but defiant. “We both know now you’re not going to let us go.”
Adam smirks, his expression one of twisted satisfaction. “You’re absolutely right,” he says, leaning in closer to Lana. “But I’m not going to make it quick. I want you to feel every second of this.”
The room is shrouded in darkness, with only the faint, flickering bulb casting eerie shadows. In the dim light, I catch a glimpse of something—metal, sharp. My stomach lurches with dread. The glint of the knife in Adam’s hand sends a wave of nausea through me, but it’s the look in Lana’s eyes that breaks me. The brave face she tried to wear is gone, replaced with raw, wide-eyed terror.
“No!” I scream, my voice breaking as I strain against the ropes. “Adam, please! Stop this!”
He turns toward me, that cold, twisted smirk still etched on his face. “You’re not in any position to make demands, Anya,” he says, his voice dripping with condescension. His eyes shift back to Lana, and with every step he takes toward her, the knife gleams brighter under the flickering light. I can see Lana’s whole-body tense, bracing herself for what’s coming, for the pain.
Desperation surges inside me. I yank harder at the binds, feeling the ropes tear into my skin. “Jacob will find us!” I yell, my voice shaking. “He’ll come for us! He’ll make you pay!”
For a moment, Adam’s smug expression falters, annoyance flashing in his eyes. “Jacob?” he scoffs, the name coming out like a curse. He laughs, but it’s colder now. “He won’t reach us in time.” His gaze darkens as he looks down at Lana. “By the time he gets here, Lana will be dead. And we’ll be long gone.”
I stare at him, confused and terrified. “What are you talking about?” I ask, my voice barely above a whisper.
Adam’s grin spreads again, but this time it’s filled with cruel satisfaction. “You really think Caleb confessed out of the goodness of his heart? No, no. He didn’t act alone,” he says, pausing to savor the moment. “Detective Collins—he’s been helping me the whole time.”
Lana’s face contorts with rage. “Collins?!” she snaps, her voice filled with disgust. “He was working with you and Paul?!”
Adam chuckles, “I lied to Paul, made him think he could have you, Anya. But Collins… he was mine to control.”
I can’t breathe. Detective Collins? He’d been with us, pretending to care, pretending to help us. My heart pounds as I piece it all together—the false promises, the dead ends in the investigation. “Collins…?” I whisper, my voice trembling. “How could he do this?”
Adam’s eyes gleam with twisted glee. “Blackmail, sweetheart. It’s a powerful tool. Once I had something on Collins, he did whatever I wanted. He helped manipulate Paul, but ultimately, he served me.”
Lana’s fists clench, her whole body shaking with anger as she glares at Adam. “You’ve ruined so many lives, all because of your sick obsession with Anya!?” she growls through clenched teeth.
Adam leans in close to Lana, his voice low and full of malice. “Ruined?” he says, sneering. “I’m not ruining anything. I’m reclaiming what’s mine.”
Bile rises in my throat, and I fight the urge to vomit. I feel the crushing weight of fear, the hopelessness of our situation. But something inside me refuses to give in. “You won’t get away with this,” I spit, my voice unsteady but filled with defiance. “Jacob will find us, and when he does—”
Adam cuts me off with a sharp, derisive laugh. “Collins is out there making sure Jacob never finds you,” he says, his voice laced with venom. “Jacob will be chasing ghosts while we disappear.” His words are like daggers, and I can feel my heart sinking deeper into despair.
Adam leans back, savoring the power he holds over us. His smirk is sickening, his eyes filled with twisted pleasure as he watches the fear settle in. He steps closer, his presence overwhelming the small room.
“You really think this is a game you can win?” he taunts, his voice low and menacing. “I’ve been two steps ahead of all of you from the very beginning. You were never in control, Anya. Every move you made, I anticipated. Every time you thought you were safe, I was right there, watching.”
I glare at him, my hands clenching into fists behind my back. I want to scream, fight, do anything, but the ropes are too tight, and the terror too real. Lana’s breathing is shaky, and I can hear her panic rising again.
Adam takes a slow, deliberate step toward me. He leans down, his face inches from mine. “You’re not getting out of this,” he whispers, his breath hot against my skin. “Not before I get what I want.”
My body locks up, every muscle tense as I meet his cold, calculating eyes. He’s savoring the fear, relishing the control he holds over us.
“And what is it you want?” I ask, my voice sharper than I feel.
“You,” he replies, the word slipping from his lips like a twisted promise.
I try to keep a brave face. “Why?” I demand, though my stomach is in knots.
He leans in slightly, his eyes darkening. “I told you, because you’re mine.”
The words make my skin crawl. “I’m not yours! I don’t even know you!” My voice rises, but inside I’m cracking. Who is this man?
“Oh, but you do, Anya. You do.” His voice is low, almost mocking.
Confusion flashes across my face, and he seizes the opportunity, leaning in closer. “You promised me your virginity. You—”
It hits me like a punch to the gut. “You’re the one I was supposed to meet with?” I cut him off, the words tumbling out in disbelief.
His hand snaps up, grabbing my face with his fingers digging painfully into my skin. “Yes! You promised me I would be the one to deflower you! But then you gave it away to Paul!” His words are venomous, dripping with anger as he squeezes harder, my teeth scraping the inside of my cheeks.
“I—”
He cuts me off with a vicious backhand, the metal from his rings tearing at my skin. Pain explodes across my face, but I refuse to crumble. I hold my head high, despite the sting. “Then why now?” I spit out, tasting blood in my mouth, my voice steady despite the pounding in my skull.
He scoffs, clearly irritated. “I couldn’t get to you when you were with your parents. They hovered over you, and Paul and Marcus always had their guys watching you. I needed time to plan.”
The realization crashes down on me, harsh and unforgiving. My parents’ constant hovering, their need to know where I was at every moment—it wasn’t just annoying. It protected me. And the second I left their home for Nana and Pops, I opened the door to this nightmare. All because I wanted independence. I thought I was breaking free, but instead, I had walked right into danger.
And now, I might not get out of it alive.
Then, he stands up straight, turning away like he’s lost interest in talking more. “You should enjoy your last hours together,” he says with a mocking smile, his voice echoing in the dimly lit room.
He starts walking toward the door, his footsteps slow and deliberate, dragging out the moment. Just before he reaches the doorway, he turns back one last time, his smile sharp and cruel. “Sweet dreams, Anya. I’ll be seeing you real soon.”
The door creaks as he pulls it shut behind him, the lock clicking into place with a finality that makes my stomach drop. The silence that follows is suffocating, thick with fear and uncertainty. Lana and I are left alone in the dark, our hearts pounding, the weight of Adam’s threat hanging over us like a noose.
For the first time, I don’t know how we’ll get out of this.