Chapter 28 - Willow
WILLOW
My throat is dry, and my palms are sweaty, but I don’t let my fear show. The only thing I can do is buy us some time to try to get out of here. Or at least get Tyler out of here.
“What if I don’t want to leave.” I force myself to smile at Mani.
In my peripheral vision, I see the man approaching the car. He does a slow walk around, inspecting the bodywork and making sure it’s in one piece.
“We both know Tyler’s the weak link,” I say. “Cut him loose, and I’ll do whatever you ask of me.”
“No,” Tyler whimpers next to me, but I force myself to keep my gaze on Mani.
Mani’s gaze racks over me, and I force myself to keep still and keep smiling. “Anything I ask?”
I’d rather die than let a man like Mani touch me, but I just need to buy enough time to get Tyler out of here safely.
“Let him go and find out,” I purr.
The man by the car leans in to retrieve the keys. I’ve got seconds before he pops the trunk.
Mani licks his lips, and I try not to be sick. His gaze rests on my breasts for a moment, and then he nods to the thug by the car. “Cut him loose.”
I let out a long breath as the man leaves the car and heads toward Tyler. He pulls out a knife and cuts the tie that’s holding Tyler in place.
“Get him out of here,” Mani growls.
The thug grabs Tyler’s arm and jerks him to his feet.
Tyler struggles against him, but the man is too big. “No. Willow. This is my mess. I’ll deal with it.”
I force myself to look at my brother. All I can see is him as a boy with tears in his eyes, calling for his momma to come home. I couldn’t protect him from that heartache. But I can protect him from this.
“Let me say goodbye,” I beg.
Mani nods to the thug, who then hauls Tyler in my direction. I pull him into a hug and whisper in his ear. “Find Bedrock Security. Hudson will help you.”
Hudson will help him get a new life. He’ll help him move on from me and not get caught up in another situation like this. Hudson will keep him on a straight path, unlike what I failed to do.
“Don’t do it, Willow,” Tyler pleads, but the man jerks him away.
I can’t watch as they lead my brother through a side door. The man comes back a moment later, and I know Tyler’s free.
At least I can give him that.
I’ve bought freedom for my brother. Now, I must pay the price.
As Mani paces toward me, I force myself to remain still. He trails a hand down my shoulder and over my arm. “Well, what a prize. I wasn’t expecting this.”
I force myself not to be sick as I count in my head. If Tyler has any sense, he’ll have run as soon as he was released. If I can cause enough chaos here, he might have a chance of getting away. For me, there’s no hope.
I should’ve let Hudson help me. I should’ve trusted him to do the right thing.
Now, I’ll never get the chance to see if we can work in the real world.
I’ll never get the chance to prove to him that I can keep my things tidy, that I can be on time for him.
I’ll never get the chance to tell him how I feel about him.
Regret for all the things that might’ve been threatens to overwhelm me. I force it down and stay focused.
Mani circles me, his gaze roving over me as if he’s assessing a new cattle purchase. When he stops behind me and takes a step closer, I hold my breath, trying to calm my instinct to flee. His men are grinning; the tension of a moment ago has dissipated. I’m one woman; how much trouble can I cause?
They’re about to find out.
Mani brushes up against me, and I wait until his body presses against mine. I suppress a shiver and focus on the prize. I can’t escape, but I won’t go down easily.
His hand snakes down my hip, and he lets out a strangled groan.
I slide my hand down the side of his hip, waiting for my moment.
He groans again, and that’s when I strike.
My elbow shoves with all my strength into his balls, while my other hand grabs the gun from his holster.
I take off running toward the crates with my heart in my throat.
“Bitch!” Mani bellows behind me. “Get her.”
There are heavy footsteps behind me, one of his thugs, I’m guessing, but I don’t turn around to check. I dive between the crates and turn into a gap. I keep running, darting in and out of the crates.
I turn the safety off on the gun and spin around as I point it in front of me. My hands shake as the man thunders toward me.
They shake so much I can’t pull the trigger as the man gets closer, and I squeeze my eyes shut just as the place erupts around me.