Chapter 26
Hannah
I ’d been locked in the bedroom for over two hours when I heard someone in the hallway.
Carefully, I tiptoed to the door and pressed my ear against it to see if I could make out what they were saying.
It was muffled, but when I placed my hand over the other ear, I could make out most of the conversation.
“So, when am I supposed to bring them downstairs?” a man asked.
“Six o’clock and not a minute before,” someone else answered.
“What about the new one that just got here?”
“She’s for something else, so leave her locked in the room while . . .”
I couldn’t understand what else they said as their voices faded.
I assumed they were walking away, so I pressed my ear harder but heard nothing.
There was no way I was going to sit here, waiting for them to drag me downstairs into their madness.
I’d survived that once, and I refused to be compliant this time.
The man said he was my brother, but was he really? There were too many secrets, too many years, and too much bloodshed to know if he was being truthful. Either way, I didn’t intend to stick around and find out what this whole thing was about.
Needing to find a way out of here, I walked to the window and immediately saw it was too high to jump.
I walked away shaking my head before sitting on the edge of the bed.
There was no way I was leaving Pearl, or whoever else they’d taken, here alone, so I had to trust that the phone call earlier had given Rhys a starting point to look for me.
I couldn’t guarantee it, so it was time to devise my escape.
I reached into my boot, pulling the butter knife out and turning it over in my hand.
It wasn’t sharp enough to do any real damage, but maybe it could help get me out of this room.
The door was my only escape, but it was locked, and I thought back to the countless lessons Granny gave me over the years.
She taught me to be self-sufficient, and while I couldn’t fix everything, I was handy with basic tools, so I stood from the bed to inspect the door.
I tried to unscrew the handle with the knife, but the tip was too big, so I attempted to wiggle it into the space between the door and the frame to open the lock.
No matter how I tried to open the locked door, I couldn’t figure it out.
Exasperated, I closed my eyes and asked Granny to give me strength.
When I opened them, I saw the pin in the door hinge and a lightbulb went off.
Using the blunt tip, I wiggled and pushed it into the bottom of the pin that held the hinge together.
I could push up on the end of it and see it barely moving to separate.
The palm of my hand was already hurting from me pushing on it, so I slipped off my shoe and placed my hand inside.
Using the heel as leverage, I pushed the knife back into the miniscule opening and kept steady pressure as I watched the pin begin to open.
Once it seemed like it was far enough to grab, I did the same to the bottom hinge.
Slipping my shoe back on, I grabbed onto the pin and pulled until it popped out of the three holes holding it to the other half.
Listening through the door to make sure no one was coming, I turned back and, with great strength, pulled the other hinge pin until it came out, leaving the door holding on to the frame by pressure only.
I used the knife to pry the hinge apart and propped my foot against the bottom to hold it in place.
I hoped no one heard as I shimmied and wiggled the heavy door away from the frame.
Poking my head out, I didn’t see anyone, but I cautiously held the knife out in front as I approached the door across the hall from mine.
I didn’t hear anyone inside, and I tried the handle to see if it was locked.
Surprisingly, it opened, and I found it was a basic bedroom, much like the one I was in.
Closing the door, I listened carefully, and when I was sure no one heard me, I moved to the next door down the hall. The handle was locked, so I pressed my ear to the door and heard a faint cry from the other side.
“Pearl,” I whispered through the door, giving a barely audible tap against it.
“Hannah?” I heard the person whisper back, and I closed my eyes briefly, giving a silent thanks to good luck.
“Yes. I’m going to try to get you out of there,” I returned softly.
I heard her crying as I attempted to shove the tip of the knife into the lock opening to no avail. Next, I tried to force the tip between the lock and frame, only for it to slip out, leaving the lock engaged. This was infuriating, and if I wasn’t careful, someone was going to hear me.
“Pearl,” I whispered as I kneeled, “I’m going to push something under the door.
You need to use it to pry the pins from the hinges.
” I pushed the knife under the door and felt when she grabbed it and pulled it in.
“Push the tip in between the little cap at the top and the hinge, then use force to get it out.”
“I-I-I can’t,” she cried softly, and I felt my heart breaking for the innocent young girl.
“You can do this. You’re stronger than you know,” I returned softly, hoping to give her the confidence she needed to save herself.
“I’ll . . . I’ll try,” she said and cleared her throat.
I could hear her pressing the knife into the hinge and was so focused on listening to her actions that I didn’t hear someone walking up behind me until it was too late. Suddenly, someone grabbed my hair and yanked me to my ass before they dragged me away from the door.
I couldn’t see who it was as their back was turned to me as I yelled, “Let me go!”
They muttered something but didn’t turn around to look at me as they began walking down the stairs.
I held onto their hand firmly as I was yanked backward down the carpeted steps.
My tailbone dropped with each step, and no matter what I tried, I couldn’t spin around to get traction with my feet.
When we reached the bottom, my ass fell to the cold tile floor, and they released my hair, causing my head to bounce off the floor.
My vision grew spotty, and I instantly felt nauseous as my world ebbed in and out of blackness while I tried to focus.
“Waylon,” the man yelled, and I heard rapid footsteps approaching, “deal with that.” I was so out of it that I didn’t see who they were as they left me lying on the floor and walked out.
“Why did you try to escape?” Waylon asked quietly as he helped me from the floor. “They’re going to hurt you to make a point.”
I tried to say something, but the nausea was too much and I bolted from his hold, falling to my knees as vomit spewed from my mouth into the trash can.
When the first wave passed, I turned my head to see a worried Waylon standing next to me, looking back and forth between me and the closed door to the right of the stairs.
When I was able to focus a little clearer and the nausea wasn’t so bad, I sat and wiped my mouth with the back of my hand before asking, “Who is it I need to be worried about?”
His eyes grew wide, and he looked back to the closed door before shaking his head at me. I could see the fear in his eyes as I pushed up from the floor and steadied myself. Stepping closer to him, I whispered, “Whoever is making you do this, you don’t have to be afraid of them.”
He took me by the forearm and started to maneuver me toward the stairs when he returned softly, “You don’t know what they’re capable of.”
I gave him a confused look, and he lifted his shaggy hair and turned his head to show me something. A jagged scar ran from the corner of his right eye, up his forehead, and into his hairline. “This is what happened the last time I tried to help someone.”
My eyes grew glassy, and I could only say, “I’m sorry.”
He shrugged as he walked beside me, reaching out a hand to steady me as we approached the staircase. Going back upstairs meant I was giving up and accepting whatever fate they had chosen for me. Just as we got in front of the steps, I yanked my arm from Waylon’s hold and looked over at him.
“I’m sick of this. Whoever is behind that door owes me some fucking answers,” I proclaimed, and Waylon tried to stop me, only for me to move away from this hold.
The door was closed, and he was shaking his head with glassy eyes as I reached out and turned the knob, expecting it to be locked.
Imagine how surprised I was when the knob turned and the door opened to reveal a huge office.
I could see the back of a leather chair behind a desk, and just as Waylon went to step into the office to stop me, the chair turned and I let out an audible gasp.
The sick smile on the woman’s face was enough to send me back to childhood, when I was afraid of making her angry, terrified there wasn’t enough food to eat, and worried when the utilities would be disconnected.
When she linked her hands together and rested them on the top of the desk with her blood red fingernails showing, I swallowed down the vomit that pushed back into my throat.
“I was wondering how long you were going to follow directions before you became a pain in the ass,” my mother, Kelly, said as she extended one hand toward the chair in front of the desk.
She looked over my shoulder and shook her head.
“I should’ve known you’d fuck something up. God, you’re worthless.”
I glanced at Waylon, who had his head lowered and his shoulders hunched forward, and I could tell from the slight shake in his shoulders that he was crying. Looking back at Kelly, I kept my eyes locked on hers as I took a seat.
“Why are you here, Mother?” I asked, and she cracked a sick smile as she leaned back in the chair. “And what’s with all the bullshit? You’ve resorted to kidnapping and sexual assault now? Why?”
“All this bullshit, as you call it, is my kingdom, and I won’t have you or that man you’re fucking mess anything else up,” she reasoned, then she yelled at Waylon behind me. “Close the damn door, you dumb ass.” The door closed and she sighed deeply. “I swear, I should’ve swallowed with that one.”
“Who is he?” I asked, and she shook her head.
“Him? He’s not important.” She flittered her hand. “What’s important is that you play your part tonight.” Pausing briefly, she added with a sinister smile, “For the family.”
“Family?” I screeched. “What the hell do you know about family? You left me alone when I was six years old, and I haven’t heard from you since.
And now, you kidnap me and expect me to play along with whatever demented game you’re playing.
” Crossing my arms, I shook my head. “No. Fuck that and fuck you.”
“Hannah, if you don’t follow the rules tonight, then there’s no need to keep you around,” she calmly replied.
“Fine. Let me go and you’ll never have to see me again,” I spat, and she shook her head.
“I’m not letting you go anywhere. You’d probably call your boyfriend and ruin all my plans before they come to fruition.”
“Your plans? What plans could you possibly have?” I inquired, hoping she would tell me what this was all about.
There was a knock on the door, and she ignored me to respond, “Enter.”
I turned in my seat and saw it was Sergey entering the room, and when he saw me, his eyes narrowed and he rapidly approached the desk, separating me from her. His hard gaze almost made me wither in my seat, but I somehow found the strength to maintain my attitude as he looked at Kelly.
“What’s she doing here, Mother?” he asked, and she stood and softly placed her hand on his cheek.
“She’s deciding if she wants to be useful to us or if we need to handle her like we did Martina,” she remarked, and I felt sick when Sergey placed his hand over hers and his eyes softened.
I’m sure the look I gave them was crazy, but they were off their damn rockers.
The way they were looking at each other, and the tender way they were touching, sent chills down my spine.
I knew beyond a doubt that Sergey wasn’t Kelly’s child, and my gut was telling me something was extremely wrong with this situation.
“Can one of you explain all this to me?” I asked, and they turned from looking at each other to focus on me.
Sergey responded, and I watched Kelly beam proudly at him. “This is me, claiming my birthright. My rightful place was taken from me, and Mother’s found a way for me to have what should’ve been mine all along.”
“And what is your birthright?” I cautiously asked, nearly falling from my chair at his response.
“As the second son of Sergey Lenkov, I have the right to claim his empire and rightful place in the Syndicate.” He turned back to look at Kelly. “And Mother was the one who made it all happen.”
My mouth dropped, and I was stunned silent for a minute until I asked, “The second son?”
“The eldest son was a pussy and disappeared when things got tough. Father was planning so much, but he was killed, so that left me as the head of the family. I wasn’t old enough by the rules of the family, but with the first-born walking away, he gave up his rightful place, so now, it’s my time to shine. ”
I didn’t have the heart to tell him he wasn’t the second son and his asinine plan was going to blow up in his face.
Devlin was the second son, even though he didn’t want whatever throne these two assholes were trying to build.
I was guessing from everything I’d learned that Sergey wrote Devlin off when he sold him away and probably never mentioned him to Kelly.
If my call earlier was effective, this stupid asshole and the bitch who birthed me were going to have to deal with more than they ever imagined.
They were in for a rude awakening when they discovered there were two Lenkov children who would have an issue with all this. And they, along with Rhys and whatever army they’d bring with them, were going to rip them limb from limb, and I was going to enjoy it.
If they found me in time.