Chapter Fifteen
Audrey
“ W hy do you always have to stick your nose where it doesn’t belong?”
I groan, trying to lift my hand to my pounding head, but I can’t seem to move it. Turning my head, I realize my hands are bound to the chair I’m sitting in.
What the hell?
Blinking, I try to focus on the figure before me, but everything is blurry.
“You’ve always been a pain in the ass, Audrey. We’ve been planning it for too long, and there’s no way I will allow you to ruin it for me—for us.”
Unable to see the face of the person speaking, I focus on their voice instead. A part of me recognizes the voice, but I just can’t seem to place it.
“This complicates things, but it’s fixable. You just won’t be around to see what comes next.”
The voice is cold and calculating, almost devoid of emotion. A shiver runs down my spine at the implications of the words.
“Time for a nap, Audrey. I don’t have time to deal with you right now, but when I get back? I’ll have so much fun taking care of you.”
I cry out at the jab of a needle to my neck, my eyes feeling heavy almost immediately.
As darkness threatens to overwhelm me, I only have one thought—Wren.
Wren. Wren. Wren. Wren.
Waking slowly, I groan. My head is pounding, and I have no idea why.
Blinking my eyes open, I wince against the bright lights. It takes a few moments for me to focus on my surroundings, and all it does is confuse me more. Why am I in my basement? It takes much more time than it should to realize I’m tied to the chair I’m sitting in.
I jerk against the bindings, my mind racing as I attempt to recall how I ended up in this predicament.
The memories come back slowly in flashes.
Going to Wren’s house to surprise her. The photoshoot I had scheduled was canceled because one of the models was sick, leaving me with a free day. Wren’s husband, Michael, is a bit of an asshole and more than a little controlling, so my twin isn’t allowed to have a job. She doesn’t have many friends because of him, but there’s no way he can keep me and my mom away. Not that he hasn’t tried.
I figured he would be at work since it was the middle of the week during lunchtime. I’d let myself into the house with the key my sister gave me, calling out to her with no response. I’d dipped my head into the garage to find her car gone and was surprised to find Michael’s car there. I figured it was probably best to get out of there before he saw me, but when I heard multiple voices coming toward me, I knew there was little chance of that.
Instead of running, I set myself up in the kitchen and poured myself a cup of coffee. There were four male voices besides Michael’s, some of them sounding familiar, but without seeing their faces, I couldn’t place them. I remember their words shocking me and causing me to jump to my feet, but as I attempt to remember the exact conversation, it slips away from me.
I tried to duck out of the kitchen, but Michael spotted me. I tried to run away from his angry voice, but something bashed into my head. I fell to the floor and the next hit to the head knocked me out.
“Finally,” Michael sighs, stepping into my line of sight. “I was beginning to think you were never going to wake up.”
“What is going on, Michael? Where am I? Why am I tied up?”
He snorts. “Because you couldn’t keep your nose out of business that wasn’t yours. I know what you heard.”
“That’s cool because I certainly don’t remember.”
Anger changes Michael’s handsome face into something terrifying and fear courses through me. I know he’s a controlling asshole, but never once have I been afraid of him before now.
“Don’t lie to me, Audrey.” He storms over, his foot coming up to kick over my chair.
Screaming, I try to halt my fall in any way I can, but I’m bound to the chair too tightly. My head bounces off the hard floor, my vision going hazy as Michael screams at me. I can’t make sense of his words around the pounding in my head.
I must have a concussion, I think to myself, trying to clear my vision.
“Now, I’m going to have to kill you. It’s your fault that I need to do this. Fuck knows how I’m going to cover this up with Wren. She’s already getting suspicious. Stupid fucking women.” It takes a moment for Michael’s words to sink in.
“No. Why? I don’t understand...” I trail off, staring up at him in confusion. Why would he want to kill me? Need to kill me? I don’t know if it’s the concussion or what, but I can’t seem to get my mind wrapped around what the hell is going on right now.
I yank my arms, surprised when they give a little. The chair must have broken some when he knocked it over. Keeping my eyes on his face as he throws his head back, laughing, I wiggle my hand free. I might not know what the hell is going on right now, but Michael is about to be in for the surprise of a lifetime when I burn his ass to a crisp.
“Does it really matter?” He shakes his head. “You’re going to be dead, after all.”
“That’s what you think.” Lifting my arm, I attempt to calm my fire.
All Michael does is laugh. “Oh, that’s cute. Do you really think I wouldn’t give you something to suppress your powers? Your fire is locked so deep inside you, it won’t do you any good before you die.”
Reaching down, he grabs my arms and yanks me to my feet, bits of the chair still clinging to the ropes around my body. My balance is off from all the hits to the head, and if it wasn’t for his hand keeping me upright, I would’ve face planted.
“Stupid bitch,” he hisses as he drags me across the room. My eyes go wide when they land on the chains hanging from the wall. Where did those come from? I’d definitely remember if I’d added chains and shackles to my basement—even with all the blows to my head, right? What are they for?
Even as the thought runs through my mind, I already know. They’re for me.
Fighting against his hold, I yank my arm from his grasp and turn to run, except instead, I tip forward and bash my face into the floor.
“Fuck,” I hiss. I don’t think that’s going to help the concussion.
Michael just laughs, grabbing my ankle and dragging me the rest of the way across the floor. My face throbs and when I lift my head, I find that I’ve left a trail of blood with my face.
Metal closes around one ankle and then the other as I attempt to wiggle away from Michael, but I don’t stand a chance. I’m just too injured.
When he jerks me into a sitting position and closes the metal bands around my wrists, there’s nothing I can do to stop him.
“Fucking finally.” Michael shoves my head into the wall, a cry escaping my lips as the throbbing pain worsens. I’m not sure how many more hits to the head I can take. “You’ve been nothing but a pain in my ass since I started seeing Wren. It’ll be much easier without you in the way. And thank you for the idea on how I should kill you. It’ll also take care of the evidence. There’s just something ironic about you dying by fire—the very element you control.”
Blinking, I try to comprehend what he’s saying but it’s going right over my head. Looking around, I frown when I realize he’s gone. Where did he go?
My eyes feel heavy as I blink against the throbbing pain in my head.
Blinking again, I find Michael carrying a red canister around the basement, splashing liquid along the floors, walls, boxes, and anything else he can find.
I must be losing time, going unconscious. I don’t think I need to worry about him killing me. I think I might be close to death already.
Blinking again, I find Michael standing at the bottom of the stairs. It’s not until I see the match in his hand that his words finally sink in. He’s going to burn me alive, and for the first time in my life, I won’t be immune to the flames.
“You don’t have to do this, Michael. Think of Wren—the woman you love. She’ll be devastated at losing me.”
Michael laughs. “The fact that you think I love your sister is hilarious. I’ve only loved one woman in my life, and she was taken from me. It’s what set this whole thing in motion. I can’t wait until I can rid myself of your sister and move onto the next part of the plan Goodbye, Audrey. I’d say I would miss you, but there’s no reason to lie to you.”
Without another word, he drops the match in a puddle of gasoline before hurrying up the stairs. The gasoline immediately lights up, the flames catch on some boxes and quickly become an inferno, and there’s not a damn thing I can do about it.
Blink.
The fire is rising along the walls and floor, destroying anything and everything in its path.
Blink.
Heat sears at my exposed skin but the fire still hasn’t quite reached me. Smoke is heavy in the air, catching in my lungs and making me cough.
Blink.
This is it. This is how I die.
Please let my mom and Wren be okay.
Blink.
Screams wrench from me, cut off only by coughing as fire laps at my legs.
My eyes fall shut, darkness calling to me as I succumb to the pain and smoke.
Now, I welcome death.
Jerking awake, my hand goes to my chest as my breath rattles in and out.
I just remembered how I died.
Fucking Michael.
I have to find out what happened after I died. I need to make sure that my twin is safe—or at least as safe as she can be while married to a raging lunatic.
“Audrey?” Brenden’s voice is heavy with sleep as he reaches for me. “Are you okay?”
Forcing myself to take a deep breath, I wipe away all thought of my twin, brother-in-law, and how I died as I turn to face him. My smile is forced, but I doubt he’ll be able to tell in the dark room. “I’m okay. I just had a bad dream.”
It’s not a complete lie. It was a very bad dream. I’m not ready to talk about it, and I know that’s what he’ll want to do when I tell him I’ve remembered how I died. I’ll tell him just as soon as I’m ready to talk about it. Until then, I’ll keep it to myself.
“Do you want to talk about it?” he asks, blinking.
See? Called it.
Shaking my head, I lie back down. “No, I just want to go back to sleep.”
He hums, pulling me back into his arms until my head rests on his chest. “Then sleep, firecracker. I’ll keep you safe.”
If only this was something he could keep me safe from.
Closing my eyes, I force myself to relax and will sleep to find its way to me once more.
Unlike Brenden, who’s out almost instantly, sleep seems to have slipped from my grasp. Even being in Brenden’s arms isn’t enough, which is saying something since for the last week, we’ve shared a bed every night, and it’s been the best sleep of my life. I lie there for as long as I can before carefully extracting myself from his arms. I don’t want to wake him up again.
A glance at the clock tells me there are still another couple of hours before the alarm will go off. Knowing sleep will continue to elude me, I head for the bathroom, figuring a shower might help me clear my mind. If not, it should at least help soothe my sore muscles.
With a sigh, I stare longingly at Brenden in his bed, wishing I could enjoy it with him for a little bit longer. Spinning on my heel, I head into his bathroom and turn the shower up to the highest temperature I can stand and strip before climbing in.
Losing myself to the heat and steam, my mind wanders back to the remembered memory of my death.
What the hell am I supposed to do with that?