Chapter 27
Twenty-Seven
T here were only two things coursing through Gage’s body at that moment. Pain that felt overwhelming when he’d first woken up, now dulled by the second emotion. Rage.
Whoever that fucker was, they were about to be sorry that they came after Sloane again. Because it would be their fucking undoing, he’d guarantee that. Especially since they’d brought Sloane back to her own fucking house for whatever they had planned.
Gage had clocked it as soon as light filtered down the stairs. He’d been in Sloane’s basement once before, to show the guys where he wanted her security system installed. His eyes drifted to the far corner of the room and hope sparked in his chest.
Heavy boots stomped down the stairs, and Gage locked onto the body making its way down. Fuck. Whoever this was, they were bigger than Sloane. But not bigger than him. A lot of the bulk looked like it was from the loose-fitting clothes he was in. The asshole wore a mask exactly like the one that had been sent to Sloane, and Gage could hear her breath sawing in and out of her chest with each footfall.
“Breathe, Red.”
From the way her eyes widened, she was close to losing it. “He has Kimi.”
The statement forced Gage to move his eyes from Sloane back to the fucker walking across the space. Sloane was right. Hoisted over his shoulder in a fireman’s carry was a limp body. The FBI Agent fell to the ground with a sickening thud.
Their captor turned, and Gage tried to catalog every piece of information he could. But there wasn’t much. The asshole was covered head to toe in black. Black shirt, black pants. Black combat boots and even black gloves. Gage could only assume he was staring at them because the black mask with creepy fucking eyes covered his face completely. An eerie laughter, mechanical, just how Sloane had described it before, filled the basement.
“Is she breathing?” she whispered. Whether she was talking to Gage or not, he didn’t know.
“For now,” their captor responded. Then he turned to the stairs and walked back up them.
The lights flickered off and Gage immediately pulled at his chain. It killed him that he couldn’t haul her into his arms, but he would take the small victory of being able to hold her hand.
Sloane was shaking as he felt her body turn towards his. “Why are we in my basement?!”
“He’s fucked, Red. Bringing us here is going to be his downfall.”
“What do you mean?” His eyes hadn’t adjusted to being back in complete darkness, but he could hear the hope in her voice. Gage was just desperate to see it in her eyes too.
“Remember when the guys came over to install your security system?”
“Of course. But they didn’t finish, right? It’s not active yet.”
“It might not be active at the front door, but the main module is live and online. Over on the far wall, in the right corner. I can see the first two lights are on and that’s all we need. You have to listen to me, okay? I know how we’re going to get out of here.”
“How?”
“The lights mean different things. Right now, I can tell the system is up and transmitting a signal to the server. All we need to do is get over to that box and get one of the wires loose. Doesn’t matter which one. Power, internet… If we interrupt the service for even half a second, it will send an alarm to the team.”
“Won’t they just think it’s a glitch? A power outage in the neighborhood, or I don’t know, someone knocking down a telephone pole making the internet drop? They know you never finished installing the system here. If they ignore it, it might be too late…”
“No. They’ll be looking for us by now. Besides, it won’t just send a message to the guys. I set it up to send a message to the Clarence County emergency dispatch line. They’ll send the nearest sheriff’s deputy over when you don’t respond to their call. It’s not a request, either. They’ll have to investigate.”
“He’s going to come back down here for me, Gage. I don’t know if I’ll be strong enough to get away from him. What if I can’t do it? What if I can’t save us?”
He had a speech ready to go. One that told her how proud he was of her. That he knew she was strong enough to face what came next. Together, they were going to escape their nightmare. But the footsteps returned above them, and then the door opened, and he watched what little color she had in her face drain as the psychopath returned to the basement.
* * *
Breathe. Breathe. Don’t you dare let your body betray you right now. You are stronger than you were. You are ready for this.
“Breathe, Red.”
“I know,” she whispered. “I’m okay.”
Gage squeezed her hand. The monster closed the basement door behind him, flipping on the overhead lights. Two bulbs illuminated, casting an eerie glow on the space.
“You’re not playing by the rules, Sierra. It’s time to face the consequences.”
“Y-you haven’t asked anything of me yet. How do you know I won’t play by your rules?”
“Because you’re wearing his clothes. I didn’t leave you like that. And now, you’ll have to decide.”
“Decide what?”
“Which one of them dies? For now, anyway. We both know how this all ends.” His mechanical laughter made her gag.
“No. I’ll do whatever you want, but first you have to let them go.”
“Red!”
“So much for learning your lesson early.” He stormed over to her, kicking his boot directly into Gage’s stomach. She heard the sickening sound of Gage’s breath leaving his body in a whoosh. Before she could turn to help him, she was being yanked back, her hair ripping painfully from her scalp. “You will choose, Sierra. But if you can’t, the consequences will be quite upsetting for you.”
Her eyes flew back to the place where Gage was doubled over, trying to stand. He wouldn’t be able to help her now. The sound of metal clanging had Sloane spinning around. In a heartbeat, her chain was unlocked, the key slipped back into his pocket before she’d even had a chance to try and take it from him.
His fingers wrapped around the chain and he yanked, pulling her off balance. Then he stepped closer. So close in fact that Sloane had to fight every instinct inside of her to try and rip the mask off. Her body was still weak. Her legs were shaking so hard they were barely keeping her upright. In the end, it would always be a game of mental endurance. She could wait.
The silky, cold gloved hand of her captor came up and dusted along her cheek.
“Take out your contacts.”
Sloane shook her head, only to feel the immediate bite of a slap land across her face. The mechanical laughter that followed should have sent her spiraling. Except this time, she could hear Gage fighting against the restraint. She didn’t want him to hurt himself anymore than he already was.
“You seem to have forgotten how this works. Take. Out. Your. Contacts. I’ve waited fourteen years to see your eyes again. I’m not waiting another minute.”
Her mind went blank as her hands reached up to follow the command. Staring at the masked face in front of her, Sloane lifted her hand and plucked the cosmetic lenses from her eyes.
“Yes. There you are, Sierra. I can already see you being so eager to do right by me. You are the perfect replacement.”
She nodded, but inside, there was no doubt in her mind what the next step needed to be. The power dynamic needed to shift.
“Your decision.”
“I won’t pick.”
“Then I will. I might have spared him, given you something to stay compliant for. The hope of one day returning to him. But the truth is, you belong to me. You were always meant to be the answer, Sierra. So, now I’ll choose. And I choose him. You’ll take his life. I’ll let you make it quick. If you don’t, and I have to do it, I’ll make it so fucking slow you’ll never get the sound of his screams out of your mind.”
“Do it, Red.”
Her eyes locked in on his. “Gage, no!”
“How sweet.”
“Take the knife and come over here.”
Knife? What the hell was he talking about? And then she looked back at the monster beside her. In his hand was a blade. She tried to keep her face void of her reaction. There needed to be an element of surprise if she was going to overpower him.
“I can’t, Clark. I’m not you. I’m not strong enough. I can’t do it.”
“Take it, Sierra. Take it, and do as I’ve instructed. Or watch him suffer.”
Sloane reached out, making sure her fingers shook as she took the knife from his outstretched hand. She let it slip from her hand, crouching down the second it clattered against the concrete. Forcing herself to take one fortifying breath, she met Gage’s stare.
His eyes were filled with so much worry it almost caused her to falter, but the small nod he gave her righted her determination. Standing, she took one step towards the man she loved, gripped the handle of the blade as tight as she could, and closed her eyes.