17
I don’t know how long I lay on that cold, stark concrete, but I’m only awakened when the door opens, and I hear voices. Pushing up, my body screaming in pain, I glance at the door to see Caleb walking down, followed by one of the guards. His face is black and blue, and I feel a surge of pride knowing that I did that to him. At the very least, we got the chance to throw down those guards.
They deserved a whole lot more than that, but I’m glad we got something.
“Well, well, if it isn’t the little plotter. Did you really think your plan was going to work, Mera? Honestly? What were you going to do if you managed to get out of here? Kill everyone I have upstairs. These aren’t the only two guards I have, you silly girl.”
“Funny that,” I mutter, pushing to my feet. “I didn’t see any when I came in.”
He laughs. “That doesn’t mean they aren’t there.”
He’s lying, I know he is. It has been the same two men coming down since I’ve been here, and Nia told me she hasn’t seen any other people. He just wants me to be too afraid to try anything again. He’s sadly mistaken if he thinks I’m going to heed that warning. Hell, at the next chance I get, I’m going to try and escape this nightmare.
“Unfortunately for you, I don’t have time to keep running the risk that you might escape. So, your girl Nia dies today. I came down to get you, I thought you might want to watch.”
My heart skips a beat.
No.
I can’t let this happen.
I won’t.
Clicking his fingers, Caleb silently orders the guard to come and get me. He does, with a muttered curse as he hauls me up. He threatens in my ear that one day he will make me wish I was never born. I could spit on him, but I don’t want to risk any further injury. Not if this is my last chance for escape.
The moment we reach the top of the stairs, the stark light in the house burns my eyes, and I’m forced to clench them shut. That means I can’t see where I’m being led, not for a few minutes at least. It’s only when I hear the front door open, and the sound of birds chirping, that I know they have taken me outside.
The sunlight is blinding, and I have to rub frantically at my eyes to get them to adjust. The air is thick with tension, and my heart pounds in my chest. As my vision clears, the scene before me comes into focus, and my breath catches in my throat. My head spins and my knees wobble as I process what is in front of me.
Nia is on her knees, her hands bound tightly behind her back, her face pale and streaked with dirt. Her eyes, which were so incredibly defiant when she left, are now filled with a haunting mix of fear and resignation. The sight of her like this, so vulnerable and exposed, sends a jolt of raw emotion through me.
“Nia,” I cry out, my voice hoarse as pain rushes through me.
I can see the tremble in her shoulders, the way her body tenses with every breath, and it breaks something inside me. Rage simmers beneath the surface, a fiery desperation that is unstoppable. I want to scream, to lash out, to do anything to stop what’s about to happen, but I’m frozen, seemingly trapped in my own body, unable to act.
Every fiber of my being is screaming at me to act, to move, to do something . I can feel the tears burning in my eyes, and I grit my teeth, refusing to let them fall. I won’t go down without a fight, and I won’t let this be her last moment. I don’t care what it takes, I don’t care if it costs me my life. I will not give up.
As I stand there, watching Nia, I feel something shift deep within me. I am no longer just the daughter of a monster, a shadow of my father. I am my own person, and that person is strong, brave, and determined. Everyone, for my entire life, has labeled me in a certain way, and right now, I’m here to show them that I’m nothing like the labels they’ve given me.
I’m so much more.
Inhaling deeply, I let out a long, sharp shriek that is so ear-piercing the guard holding me actually releases me to press his hands over his ears. I move quickly, turning and kicking him in the chest with a force I didn’t even know I had in me. It sends him flying back through the brittle walls of the house and causes dust and debris to pollute the air.
Caleb, who was at the bottom of the stairs, spins quickly to face me, his eyes wide. I don’t hesitate, I leap off the balcony and crash into him, sending us both onto the ground. I use everything I have in me to fight him. Fists, legs, teeth, whatever it takes. We roll around in the dirt for long, long moments, as he tries to regain control. I’m unleashing all the hell I have had trapped in my life, and I’m not going to stop until I’m forced to.
Unfortunately, that moment comes sooner than I would have hoped.
A gunshot into the air has my head whipping up just in time to see the remaining guard pointing a gun at me.
The air gets trapped in my lungs as I stare up at him. Caleb's voice is cold and final as he orders, "Shoot her."
No.
This can’t be it.
It can’t be.
The guard takes a step forward, and Caleb moves, taking hold of me and hauling me to my knees, his fingers curled into my hair as he forces me to face the guard. My breath hitches and a tear rolls down my cheek as I realize there might be no way out from this. I did everything I could. Everything.
My eyes move to Nia, who is on her feet now, but the guard I kicked has come down the stairs and is holding her by his side, a gun pressed to her temple. She has tears rolling down her cheeks, but she gives me a smile, one that tells me she has accepted her fate. I offer her one in return, mouthing that I’m sorry .
Then, I close my eyes.
The world seems to slow, and I brace for the end.
The gunshot rings out, echoing through the air, but I feel nothing. No pain, no impact.
Confused, I open my eyes to see the guard collapsing to the ground, lifeless.
Caleb is still behind me, but his grip releases me, and when I turn, I see him staring into the tree line.
There, standing in all his masculine glory, gun still raised, expression fierce and determined, is Wolfe.
I yelp in relief, the kind of relief that is bone-deep, soul-crushing, and beautiful. Tears burst forth and roll down my cheeks, but my relief is short-lived when Caleb roars, “Make one more move, and he’ll blow her head off.”
I realize they’re talking about Nia, and I slowly turn to see her still standing, that gun pressed against her temple. Her eyes meet mine, filled with fear and a silent plea for help. Wolfe stands firm, his gun still raised, but I can see the conflict in his eyes. He wants to save us, but he clearly knows the kind of man Caleb is, and I can see in his expression that he knows he’ll go through with it.
“This is between you and me,” Wolfe growls, not moving forward, but keeping his gun in its unwavering position.
“You’re right, it is between you and I, but know this, I won’t go down without bringing her down, too. He needs to pay for what he did to me, and so do you. She is the only thing you both clearly love.”
He’s wrong. Wolfe doesn’t love me.
My heart skips a beat as I glance back at Nia, praying the guard doesn’t pull that trigger.
Suddenly, a rustling sound comes from the bushes, and before anyone can react, Talon bursts out, moving with the speed and precision of a predator. His eyes are locked on the guard holding Nia, and in one swift motion, his body slams into his, sending them both to the ground.
The echoing sound of the gun going off has me gasping and rushing towards Nia, but I see that she isn’t hurt. The shot missed her. Talon fights the guard with a brutality that has my eyes widening. His fists are like weapons as he drives them into the guard's face, over and over, until he lays like a bloody pulp on the ground.
Nia stumbles back, her eyes wide with shock and relief. Talon kicks the guard once more before turning and staring at Nia. Something intense passes through them, and I know in that moment, she sees him as her savior. I don’t blame her. He just rolled in and rescued her, like some kind of hero in leather.
Caleb, realizing he's lost his leverage, roars in frustration before backing up slowly as Wolfe makes his way closer to us. "It's over, Caleb. This is finished.”
Caleb’s eyes dart between Wolfe and the trees, and I know he’s wondering if he can make an escape.
He can’t.
This is the end of the road for him.
Finally.
WITHIN A MATTER OF minutes, the entire club is surrounding the old house, and Wolfe has Caleb backed against the railing, a gun aimed in his direction. One guard is dead, the other is badly injured, but somehow, by some small miracle, Nia and I are both alive. I haven’t left her side, keeping my arms wrapped around her, so grateful she is here.
“You ladies good?” Kael asks, stopping in front of us.
“No thanks to the terminator over there,” I smile, nodding in Talon’s direction.
He’s still standing beside the guard, not willing to take a single step away in case he moves. I’ve never seen anybody take someone down like that before. He attacked him with such brutal force, it was almost as if he knew exactly what he was doing. Talon has a dangerous past, I’ve already guessed that much and watching him bring that guard down only solidified that.
“He’s scary when he’s fighting,” Kael nods, his eyes flashing.
“That’s one way of putting it,” Nia whispers, unable to take her eyes off Talon.
I can’t blame her. He’s gorgeous and rugged, not to mention terrifying.
“We’re goin’ to finish up this situation here,” Knox murmurs, walking up to us. “Take them back to the club. Get them sorted out.”
Kael nods. “You two ready to get out of here?”
I glance at Wolfe, and I so desperately want to go to him, but right now, I know I can’t. Nodding, we follow Kael to the truck the club has driven in. Once we’re inside, I stare out the window at the standoff between Caleb and Wolfe, and I can’t help but wonder how he’s going to deal with him. I can’t see Wolfe hurting Caleb, but I also know he doesn’t want to leave him to cause even more chaos.
Their past is fractured and dark, but once...they were like brothers.
It’s sad it ended this way.
As the trees disappear, and we make it to the main road, I turn to Nia. She’s staring out the window too, her face blank, and I can’t help but wonder what she’s thinking. What she has just been through, it’s a lot, but the expression on her face now almost looks more terrified than the one she had when I first met her.
Nia doesn’t want to go home.
“You don’t look as relieved as I thought you would be,” I say to her.
She turns to face me, her eyes welling with tears. “Don’t get me wrong, I am so glad to be alive. The relief is incredible. I just...I don’t want to go home, Mera. My family, they’re... I don’t know... they’re not good people.”
I don’t know exactly what she means by that, but I’m curious to find out more.
“How so?”
She bites her lip, glancing at Kael in the rearview. He’s listening, and when he catches her eyes, he offers her a smile. “Don’t worry about me, darlin’. Nothin’ you can say would ever shock me, nor will it leave this truck.”
I trust him.
I know he means that.
“My family are very religious,” she tells me, her voice soft. “But not in the normal way. No, they’re part of a group called The Sacrificed Order . They believe that the end times are coming, and that they are some of only very few who will survive. It’s twisted and dangerous. They scare me, Mera, and I don’t want to go back.”
Oh my gosh. That sounds horrible.
I glance at Kael in the mirror, and his eyes widen with shock.
“I haven’t heard of this cult,” I say. “Is it local?”
“They don’t tend to make themselves known. People know they exist, of course, but they live on a huge acreage about an hour out of town. They farm their own food, and to the outside world, they just look like a religious group. But behind those walls...it’s hell on earth, and my father is the leader.”
Jesus. This poor girl.
“The cult is a nightmare. They preach about salvation, but it's all control and manipulation. My father has insanely strict rules, punishing anyone who dares to question him. We’re isolated, cut off from the outside world, and forced to follow rituals that make no sense. They claim it's for our protection, but it's just a way to keep us trapped. Fear is their weapon, and they use it to maintain power. I’ve seen people broken, their spirits crushed, and I know if I go back, I’ll lose myself completely. I can’t live like that anymore.”
“We’ll take you to the club,” Kael interjects. “We can work out what to do from there. Until then, we won’t tell anyone you have returned.”
Nia presses her hand to her chest. “Thank you.”
Kael nods.
I reach over, taking her hand. I can’t imagine what growing up in that world would be like. We’ve all heard of cults, and how scary and controlling they can be, but I’ve never had the experience of knowing anyone from one. Nia is sweet and kind, but she is an adult, and the fact that she’s so afraid of these people tells me more than her words ever can.
I won’t let her go back there.
I promised her we would be free together, and that includes every aspect of her life.
All of them.