Chapter 35 Sydney
THIRTY-FIVE
SYDNEY
“What the fuck do we do now? Just take her to the warehouse and wait?” A muffled voice says, barely audible over the pounding in my head.
My body aches, my eyelids so heavy that every time I attempt to open them, they just fall closed again.
I try to make sense of it, but I can’t seem to remember anything that happened after I fed Angus.
I listen to the two men converse, trying to grab any clues I can about who they are and how I ended up in their vehicle with my wrists and ankles bound tightly. The ropes bite into my skin, and I try to quietly shift around, but I’m too weak to even budge them.
“Delano said to chain her up and make sure she doesn’t escape. He’s going to call us when the transfer is complete, then he’ll tell us what to do from there.”
“You don’t think he’ll make us kill her, do you? I didn’t sign up for this shit. Who even is she?”
“I don’t know. She’s connected to Styles somehow, so I’m sure this is a money thing. I’m so fucking tired of being indebted to this asshole and doing all his dirty work while he lives the high life in Miami.”
Styles. That’s Steele’s twin brother. I know he’s gotten himself into trouble with his gambling addiction, but what does that have to do with me? We’ve never even met, and Steele hasn’t spoken to him in months.
They go on about some guy named Delano, but my head hurts so bad from whatever they drugged me with that I’m struggling to focus. I’m terrified—confused—and the thought of them taking me further and further away from the city has my stomach churning with anxiety.
I try again to clear the fog, small details from the day slowly beginning to take shape.
I remember being late to the game, taking care of Angus, and texting my dad and Livvy before heading out the door.
Then, there were the two strange men in masks who didn’t say a word, overpowering me before knocking me out.
And now this—waking up half-slumped over in a strange vehicle with absolutely no idea what’s going to happen next.
With my eyes finally open, I survey my surroundings. The van is windowless, with fast food wrappers and empty drink containers littering the floor at my feet. Both men have removed their ski masks, but aside from one having brown hair and the other being blonde, I can’t tell what they look like.
Sun bleeds through the front windshield, indicating that I haven’t been out for too long.
But as we make a left-hand turn down a side road before disappearing into an underground garage, everything goes dark again.
My heart pounds and adrenaline courses through my veins, making my entire body tremble with uncertainty.
The van stops, and both men exit, their doors slamming in unison before silence fills the empty space. My breathing accelerates, my pulse thumping like a bass drum between my ears and making it impossible to hear what they’re saying as they talk amongst themselves.
I’m terrified of what happens next. What are these men going to do to me? Will they let me go after their boss gets what he wants, or will I die out here in the middle of nowhere?
I can’t let that be my fate—not when I just made it to the good part.
Footsteps approach, and I close my eyes, pretending to be asleep as I’m lifted from the vehicle and tossed over one man’s shoulder like a rag doll.
The movement makes me lightheaded, aftereffects from whatever was on that cloth still making their way through my blood.
I do my best to focus on the number of footsteps I hear and how many turns we make, aware that those things may come in handy if I can somehow manage to get away from my captors.
“Right through here,” the one who isn’t carrying me says, letting the heavy door slam shut as soon as we’re inside. Seconds later, I’m being lowered into a cold metal chair, every bone in my body aching from the way I’m tied up.
Unable to keep up the ruse, I open my eyes, taking in their unmasked faces for the first time.
The dark-haired man—who’s now untying the rope around my ankles so that he can shackle them to the chair—doesn’t look up, focusing on the task at hand.
I try to pull my legs out of his grasp as soon as they’re unrestrained, but I’m easily subdued with how feeble my muscles still are.
Next, he unties my wrists and makes quick work of cuffing them behind my back uncomfortably.
My shoulders burn, my elbows pushing awkwardly against the metal as I attempt to find a position that doesn’t hurt so bad.
My attention wanders to the other man, with his light hair and bright blue eyes. He can’t be more than twenty-five, the fear in his gaze mirroring my own and telling me that kidnapping unsuspecting women isn’t something he does regularly.
“Who are you?” I ask. “Where are we?”
“Doesn’t matter,” dark hair says as he stands to his full height. “Just keep your mouth shut, and we won’t have to hurt you.”
I swallow roughly, following his demand because I truly don’t know what they’re capable of. Between their size and the fact that I’m outnumbered two-to-one, I’m terrified of what could happen if I don’t comply.
They both take a seat at the round table in the corner and pull out their phones, ignoring the shaky breaths that fall from my lips as visions of my family play like a slideshow in my mind.
My dad’s proud smile. My mother’s tinkling laughter every time I make a sarcastic joke.
My sister’s warm hugs, and how she always knows when I’m in desperate need of one.
My eyes fall closed for a moment, and Steele’s face flashes behind them, causing my chest to ache.
I have no idea if he even knows I’m gone yet, or if he’ll ever be made aware of the fact that I was taken by someone who has ties to Styles.
I’d give anything to see him for real right now—to feel his strong arms wrapped around me as he tells me that everything is going to be okay.
“Alright,” the man with dark hair says, setting his phone down. “I let him know we’re here. Now we wait.”
Blondie looks up, his lips pulling to one side. “I hope this doesn’t take long. I’m hungry. Maybe we should order something for dinner.”
Dark hair lifts a dubious brow. “And have it delivered to the warehouse we’re hiding in with a hostage? The one our van, which was definitely captured on at least one surveillance camera, is parked? Use your fucking head, Kyle.”
Kyle.
I file that info away, adding it to the other details I was able to gather.
I know that we’re forty-three steps and two right turns away from where we parked, and I’m almost positive that I saw a lighthouse out the windshield of the van right before we entered the garage.
If so, we’re definitely by the lake, although I have no idea where.
“Sorry,” Kyle says, rolling his eyes. “I could take the van and go get something. We can’t sit here and starve all night.”
“You really are a fucking idiot,” his partner replies.
“We can’t take the van. Harlow is going to check his security cameras sooner or later.
If he tries to pull a fast one and call the cops, they’ll be looking for that license plate.
” He sighs, clearly annoyed by Kyle’s persistence.
“My rental car is in the garage. If the boss doesn’t text back within the next hour or so, I’ll run to the gas station and grab some food. ”
Kyle slumps back in his chair, arms crossed over his chest like a petulant child. “Fine. I want real food, though. If you bring me corn chips again, I’m dumping the entire bag over your head. Nobody eats those, especially without dip.”
“Jesus Christ,” dark hair huffs, shaking his head. “I’m requesting a new partner after this. You’re too much of a diva for me. If I’m stuck working off my debts, I’m doing it with someone who doesn’t whine like a bitch every time he doesn’t get the snack he wants.”
“Suck a dick, Beau. I’d like to see you munch on a piece of cardboard, since that’s exactly what a fucking corn chip tastes like.”
Beau. Noted.
The two continue their argument, causing my headache to resurface.
I inhale a slow, deep breath, blowing it out through pursed lips as my lids flutter shut.
Steele’s hypnotizing brown eyes are the first thing I see, and for a moment, I’m no longer scared.
I know that as soon as he realizes I’m gone, he’ll tear this entire city apart to find me.
And when he does, I won’t let a second go by without finally telling him how I feel.