Chapter 10
"Why are you doing this to me? Why would you give up your freedom for me?
" I watched Aiden from beneath my eyelashes.
I had been married to him. I didn't know what I had ever seen in him.
I'd wondered about that for a long time, but not as much as I do now.
I wondered if he'd ever loved me. Or if I had been nothing more than a pawn in his game of control.
"You are my wife, Penelope. You go wherever I do." He held my gaze, and I refused to be the first to look away. I wanted to scream at him about the way he'd treated me over the years. But I knew that wouldn't be wise, especially given his mood. I also had yet to see Tallulah. That bothered me.
"You could have been far away by now," I said. "Instead, you came after me, which means Carlisle and Jessop will come after you."
Oh no!
That was the worst thing I could have pointed out. Aiden stood, his body coiled and ready to attack. His right eye twitched as he clenched his fists. His anger was palpable. "Jessop Hallen will never put his hands on you," he hissed. "He's had his eyes on you for years, but he'll never have you."
My heart thundered, and I had to fight the urge to reach out and press a hand to my stomach.
Tears clogged my vision, and Aiden went blurry.
The blurry figure moved closer, so I pulled my legs into my chest and wrapped my arms around them.
I sniffled loudly and tried to wipe my eyes on my knees.
I felt his fingers in my hair. Icicles of fear ran down my spine, and my breath caught in my throat.
"Ahhhh!" I cried out when he grabbed my hair and pulled my head back.
He shoved his face directly in front of mine. "He will never have you," he snarled.
"What are you doing?"
To my surprise, Aiden released my hair and rubbed my head to ease the pain. I glanced toward the voice and saw a woman in scrubs. I frowned, trying to figure out where I had seen her before. Then she turned her head, and I remembered seeing her at the hospital.
"Ah, my dear wife recognizes you." Aiden laughed.
"I told you to forget about her," she snapped. "We're all going to end up in prison because of your infatuation with her."
"Not everyone," Aiden snarled. He raised the gun and pressed the trigger.
A loud noise hit my ears, making me jump at the shock of it. The woman crumpled to the ground.
"I've had enough of her."
"You killed her," I whispered, horrified that I had witnessed how cold-blooded Aiden was. I had loved him once. At least, I thought I did. But now, I couldn't recognize the man standing in front of me.
"She had become a liability," he said, his voice cold and dead. "We need to leave."
He helped me up and led me to the door, never letting go of my hand.
I was bewildered by his sudden change in attitude.
One minute he was a brutal killer, and then the next, gentle.
Throughout our marriage, he'd alternate between being abusive and being kind, caring, and apologetic.
I knew this sudden change was just another manipulative tactic.
I also knew it would be better for me to go along with it.
My gut screamed at me to ask about Tallulah, but my head told me to stay quiet. I chewed my lip and slowed my pace because deep down, I knew I couldn't abandon my best friend. Aiden turned to look my way.
He sighed. "I'm tired of this shit." He tugged me along. "Tallulah is staying here, okay? I want to kill that interfering bitch, but I won't because you'll never forgive me."
I frowned. “You would let her go for me?” I asked tentatively. I turned my face up to him. "I thought you hated me."
Aiden's face screwed up. "I've never hated you. You're the one who left me." His voice tightened as he gripped my arm tighter. "We need to go."
My heart thundered with fear as he pulled me along behind him. The hallway was grimy and a mess. Scraps of paper were scattered across the floor, and the dim lighting added to the eeriness.
"Where are we going?" I asked, hoping to distract him while praying for rescue. Surely Jessop would already be looking for me. Carlisle, too. They would get to me before the sheriff could. They had more resources. And better connections.
Aiden didn't answer but continued pulling me out of the doorway and into the dark, dingy stairwell. I wanted to run back the way we had come, even though I knew the stairs led outside.
A noise from below caught my ear, but Aiden didn't seem to hear it.
On the last step, someone cleared their throat.
The moment I looked in the direction of the sound, a sharp thwack rang in my ears, and Aiden froze before dropping to the ground.
His weight pulled me down, trapping me under him.
I struggled to push him off. Hands grabbed me and pulled me free.
Hegarty crouched over me, calmly saying, "I wasn't here. " He offered a wry smile.
His voice came at me as though through a narrowing tunnel, and before everything went black, I caught sight of Jessop. At least I think I did because he was extremely fuzzy around the edges.