by Tara Hart
“We’re all friends here.” He raises his arms in an attempt to give Leila a hug, but I grab hold of the hood of his jacket and pull him backwards.
“Don’t touch her,” I bite out harshly.
He lets out a low laugh before his eyes settle on the white bracelet on Leila’s wrist.
“How’d you get yourself in this little jam, sweetheart?”
Leila opens her mouth to answer, but I step in before she can speak.
“Get the bracelet off her and then leave. Don’t talk to her,” I warn.
I sound like a dick, but the last thing Leila needs is this piece of trash eyeballing her and making small talk.
I walk the three steps over to Leila and give her arm a reassuring squeeze.
“You okay?”
She nods her head up and down. “I’m fine.”
She settles on the sofa as Cruz opens his toolbox and sits on the coffee table before her.
“She’s in good hands.” He looks at me as his finger traces along her inner arm, the smirk on his face tells me he’s baiting me.
I stand with my hands on my hips. “Don’t touch her, Cruz. I mean it.”
He chuckles as his attention settles on the bracelet. “You don’t have any beverages do you? Whiskey, vodka, I’m not picky.”
“No.”
“Beer will be fine.”
I sigh. “Just get to work, man.”
I start to pace the length of the room, Cruz’s smart-ass mouth irritating me to no end.
Cruz studies the bracelet closely. “Easy,” he says.
“Disarming it?” I ask.
“Piece of cake.” He reaches for a blade. I instantly tense when I see him draw the blade near Leila, but he uses it to cut through the plastic of the bracelet.
“Just need to cut these wires here.” He gestures toward two delicate wires that are tangled around the rest. I’m surprised by his confidence. This guy may actually know what he’s doing.
The whole process takes little more than five minutes. The bracelet falls off Leila’s wrist and onto the floor.
We all stare at the bracelet as if it’s about to explode. Cruz picks it up and shows me the display.
“It’s still armed?” I ask.
“Yes, genius.” He eyeballs me.
“So it’s done? We’re done?”
It can’t be that easy. I rake my fingers through my hair as I wait for Cruz to confirm this is over. Leila is free.
“Cinderella is free to leave.” He snorts. “Feel free to follow me home, sweetheart.”
Leila looks toward me shyly. I roll my eyes suggesting she shouldn’t take him seriously. Cruz hands me the bracelet and then starts packing his tools to leave.
“We’re ready to head back?”
I turn to Cruz who is not so subtly looking at his watch. “Dude, thanks for your help.” I hold out my hand to him. He takes it.
“Why don’t you head out? You can leave the same way we came, through the woods. Once you reach the road, Eric will be waiting.”
He nods his head before turning to Leila. “It’s been a pleasure.” He ogles her one last time.
“Just leave. Eric will give you the money,” I tell him.
Cruz ascends the stairs noisily. I wonder if I should walk him out of the house to make sure he’s not tempted to grab a souvenir or two on the way out, but when I hear the front door close, I breathe a sigh of relief.
I look to Leila. “You wearing that?” I ask.
She wraps her arms around her middle and looks at me shyly. “It’s not appropriate?”
“You’ll need a coat. It’s cold out.”
She looks toward her wardrobe. “I have no winter coats.”
“It’s fine.” I rub my hand up and down her arm. “I’ll find you something.”
She rubs her fingers over the flesh of her wrist. “It feels weird,” she says.
I run my fingers along the skin. There’s a small indentation on her wrist from where the bracelet has been pressing all this time.
She clears her throat and then looks me in the eye. “Thank you,” she whispers.
I run my thumb along the bow of her lip. “You are so welcome.”
We share a moment where neither of us says anything, we just stare at one another and it’s as if no words are needed. It’s obvious we feel the same way.
“I’ll head upstairs and find you something to wear,” I say. “And then we can get the hell out of here.”
She smiles, her teeth peeking through her plump lips. The lips I want to kiss so badly.
My heart skips a beat when she inclines on her tippy toes and presses a gentle kiss to my cheek. “Thank you,” she says once more.
I don’t tell her the truth. That she’s the one who’s saved me and I’m the one who should be thanking her.
Chapter 23
Leila
The air is cold, cooler than I expected, but I breathe it in, welcoming it into my lungs. I am free. I repeat the word in my mind a few times just to make sure it’s not a dream.
Free. Free. Free.
This is real. The day I fantasized about since my arrival. My cheeks hurt from smiling so wide. This feels good. Freedom feels amazing with Callum by my side.
Callum finishes locking up the house, the same house that had been my prison for the past three years. I take one final look at the brick veneer before turning my back on it. I’m ready to leave.
“We’ll walk through the woods.” Callum is at my side. He presses his hand to the small of my back causing my body to tingle.
We make our way to the mass of overhanging trees and woodlands and start the trek toward Callum’s car. He holds my hand, both of our fingers are cold to touch, but the simple gesture warms my insides.
We walk hand in hand surrounded by the darkness of the night. It’s pitch black, the moon offering only a sliver of light through the canopy of trees.
“I can’t see a thing,” I whisper.
“Just follow behind me,” Callum says, tightening his grip on my hand.
We walk fast. The twigs and sticks cracking beneath our weight, the only noise other than our heavy breathing.
Callum picks up the pace eager to make progress. We’re almost at the same point where I was caught the last time I tried to escape. That night I was captured within minutes. The guard came out of nowhere and wrapped his arms around me. I struggled against him, my arms hitting him in the face, trying desperately to break free, but it didn’t work. I was captive once again.
We reach the narrow creek that lines the second fence line. I knew the creek existed, but I’ve never seen it before. The gentle movement of the water flows through to my ears.
“Watch out,” Callum tells me as he jumps over the water. I follow suit, less gracefully of course, but I manage not to fall down.
I watch Callum’s face turn into a smile, the moonlight offering the slightest glow between the branches of overgrown trees.
“What?” I ask, letting out a puff of air.
He squeezes my hand, his touch barely registering in my numb fingers.
His lip quirks up, his gaze studying my face. “Freedom looks good on you,” he says as he tugs on my arm for us to keep walking.
I can’t help it. I smile too.
I smile for how far I’ve come when I thought it was impossible. Life is waiting and this time I promise not to take it for granted.
“We’re almost half way,” I hear Callum say.
I take my eyes off the ground to look at my surroundings, but my foot gets caught on a stray branch. I fall to the ground, my hands and knees hit the debris of autumn along with the icy evidence of a cold winters night.
“Are you okay?” Callum bends down to help me to my feet.
I brush the dirt from my pants and shake my head. Luckily, in the darkness of the night he can’t see that my cheeks are glowing red.
“I’m sorry,” I say.
And that’s when I hear it, a pair of footsteps that are neither Callum’s nor my own.<
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Everything stops as still as the night itself. I can hear my heart whooshing in my ears. I want it to stop so I can listen for the footsteps, but it only intensifies.
I hear the crunch of leaves and Callum’s eyes shoot to mine. Despite the darkness I can see fear in their depths.
It could be an animal. It has to be an animal.
The fear doesn’t register until I hear Callum’s panicked voice fill my ears. “Ruuunnnn!”
I feel Callum’s hand on my back and then he’s pushing me forward. For the first time in years, I run.
I’m surprised that my legs hold me up. They keep moving even though my body is tired. My ankle gives way beneath me, my body lurching forward, but I don’t fall to the ground completely. I save myself and keep running, but it’s then I realize that there are no longer footsteps behind me. I whip my head around, peering over my shoulder as my feet continue to carry me.
Callum has fallen, his body is on the ground and I can see the figure of a man behind him.
“Rapido… Corre, corre,” I shout, my English failing me in my haste.
Callum doesn’t move, the man behind him sprawling forward and grabbing hold of his leg. I stop running as I stare at Callum’s motionless body on nature’s floor.
I feel the freedom slipping away from me, the fleeting moment being ripped from my grasp as easily as it found me. And once again, I’m trapped.
Chapter 24
Callum
She was free. This was the night she would reclaim her life. How did this go so horribly wrong?
We were running, the person behind us was making ground, but I was certain we could out run him. That was when he lunged forward and caught my foot with his hands. I struggled to stand again, but it was no use. He overpowered me. I don’t know who he is, I’m yet to see his face, but the force behind his movements tells me it’s not my father.
I lie on the ground and notice Leila has stopped moving.
“Leila, run!”
She looks at me, her eyes wide and her body motionless.
“Keep running.”
She doesn’t move. Why isn’t she moving?
She takes one step closer and then another. “Leila, damn it, keep running.”
The words don’t register. She just stares at me, the look on her face one of defeat. She’s given up.
The guy behind me presses a knee to the small of my back.
“Don’t even think about running, sweetheart,” he lets out. His voice is deep, gruff and definitely not my father’s.
“Who the fuck are you?” I ask.
He reaches forward and slams my head into the ground. Dirt and ice hit my face with such force that my cheek is instantly numb. Leila gasps, her breath causing clouds of smoke to come gushing from her lungs.
The man grabs me by the scruff of my neck and pushes my face into the ground once more. The taste of dirt registers in my brain together with the metallic tinge of blood. My blood.
He ties my hands together with something, rope perhaps, my shoulders pinned behind me, the coarse fibers digging into my skin. Even if I tried, I couldn’t run like this. I don’t have it in me, my mind is too groggy and my body too tired.
“Get up,” he instructs, keeping his hand wrapped around my upper arm. My own strength isn’t enough to match his. When I turn to look at him I understand why. This guy is a beast. The hulk himself would be intimidated. He’s well over six feet tall with the build of a freight train.
I hear Leila’s footsteps close in on us. The crunch of dead leaves announcing her.
She offers herself to the man, holding her hands out for him to tie her up.
“Leila, what the fuck are you doing?”
The hulk yanks on my arm, telling me to shut up.
“Do I need to tie you up, sweetheart?” he directs toward Leila.
She shakes her head no and he lets out a gruff laugh.
He takes hold of her sleeve and tugs on it hard. “Come on then, follow me.”
“Fuck, Leila, you should have kept running,” I say as we follow the hulk in the opposite direction of freedom.
Leila shakes her head. “I won’t go without you.”
The hulk chuckles again, his gruff laugh echoing in the woods. “Smart girl. You wouldn’t have made it much further, trust me.”
I can’t wrap my head around what went wrong. How our plan could have failed. I saw the bracelet. It was still live, as if it was still attached to Leila’s wrist. And yet, here we are, straight back to square one. Only this time, I am captive too and no one is coming to save us.
Chapter 25
Leila
Fist meets flesh, again and again. The sound of Callum’s face being beaten by a man twice his size causes me to flinch with every blow.
“Stop. Please, stop,” I shout, tugging at the sleeve of the giant man.
In one fluid movement, he elbows me in the stomach, propelling me backwards. I fall to the floor. My ass hits the cold concrete as pain reverberates up my spine.
I don’t let the pain stop me. I stand almost instantly.
“Please, stop,” I yell again, this time a safe distance away.
Callum raises his face and locks his gaze with mine before the giant lays another punch into his stomach. Callum falls forward, the sound of his body slapping against the concrete echoing throughout the basement.
His skin is stained red. Both fresh and dry blood cover his face and his skin is swollen beyond recognition. It breaks my heart to think this is happening because of me.
He remains still. I fear he’s dead, his body lifeless, his eyes closed. That’s when I hear his voice, a familiar voice that I hoped I would never hear again. “Enough.”
The giant turns to face Osborne. He rubs his knuckles, the flesh bloodied from meeting Callum’s face so many times.
“Go upstairs,” Osborne instructs. “Now.”
The man does as he’s told and that’s when Osborne’s attention turns to me.
“You’ve been a bad girl, Emmy.” He closes the distance between us, his hands hanging in his pockets casually as if this were any other day.
“Look what you’ve made me do.” He gestures toward Callum’s body. “To my own son too.”
His lips turn up at the sides, his face fighting the smirk that wins in the end.
“What I’ve got in store for the two of you,” he says, showing me his teeth, the air whistling as he draws in a breath. “You have no idea.”
He walks over to Callum’s form that remains unmoving on the floor. He kicks his stomach once. I let out a gasp, but Callum doesn’t react. He has passed out.
“You disobeyed me my child.” He stands with his hands on his hips, looking down at his son, his words dripping with contempt. “And for that you will pay.”
He takes one final look at me and I don’t dare move. “You better get some sleep, Emmy.” He turns on his heel. “You’re going to need it.”
Moments later the door slams shut and I know it’s safe to breathe again. I rush to Callum’s side, propping his head up on my knee as I dry some of the blood away from his face.
“Tudo certo,” I say. “You’re all right.”
I run my fingers over his forehead as I silently pray for him to wake up.
Chapter 26
Callum
The moist liquid trickling down my face causes me to stir in my sleep. It takes me a moment to remember where I am. I try to open my eyes, but only one of them offers a sliver of sight. My left eye is bordered closed, my heavy lid not opening no matter how hard I try.
I shuffle my body to a more comfortable position, but realize my arms are tied behind me to the post of Leila’s bed. The feel of rope against skin registers in my brain and I remember being caught.
When I move again a groan escapes from the back of my throat, causing someone to stir in the room.
I open my one good eye and Leila hovers over me like an angel. The light hits her face, making her glow in a sea of darkness. Angel, I repe
at the word in my mind.
“Am I dead?” I mutter.
“Dead, no.” She furrows her brow. “I’m so glad you’re finally awake,” she says, her fingers trailing over my cheek. They feel numb against my skin and I flinch away from her touch.
“Oh Callum.” She brings her hand to her mouth to suppress a cry.
I want to tell her to be strong, but when I attempt to speak, nothing comes out.
She rushes around the room and returns with a glass of water. “Here, drink.” She holds the rim of the glass against my lips and I tilt my head, welcoming the lukewarm liquid into my mouth. It’s like heaven against the rawness of my throat.
I try to speak again. “Leila,” I murmur, my cracked voice doesn’t sound like my own. “Leila,” I say again.
She’s beautiful as always. Not a mark on her face. Her hair is messed up a little, doing wild things on top and her eyes have black streaks underneath them from where her mascara has run. Other than that she looks perfect.
“I’m so sorry,” I finish.
She shakes her head. “This is not your fault,” she murmurs, her hand resting on my knee. Surprisingly, it’s the one part of my body that isn’t aching.
I don’t remember the beating, but the look on Leila’s face tells me she witnessed it all.
“How long have I been out?”
“An hour, maybe two.”
Her thumb gently rubs my knee in a round circular motion. “I was so worried, Callum.”
“Hey, I’m okay.”
I try to move my body, but the pressure on my ribs is too much. It feels like a dagger sticking into my side. I cough, which makes the pain worse.
“Has he been here?” I croak out the question.
She nods her head.
“Did he…” I pause. “Did he touch you?”
“No.” She shakes her head. “He didn’t touch me.”
“Good.”
She settles on the ground next to me, her hand still resting on my knee. She studies my face before speaking again. “He’s going to kill us,” she states simply.