Page 30 of Savage Angels

“Stella!” I scream again. “Let me go, you crazy bitch!”

My heart pounds in my chest, and I can feel panic rising like bile in my throat.

What has she done to me?

What does she want?

“Please…” I whisper, tears streaming down my face. “My family needs me.”

But the room remains silent, save for the distant call of the ocean, and I know no one is coming to save me.

Gritting my teeth, I yank hard on the handcuffs, trying to free myself from their steel grip. My wrist screams in pain as the metal digs into my skin, drawing blood. With every futile attempt, I can feel my hope slipping away like sand through my fingers.

“Fuck!” I yell, the sound bouncing off the walls mocking me. A feeling of utter hopelessness settles over me. I am trapped.

The door creaks open, revealing Stella—her silhouette is framed by the dim light seeping in from the hallway. She steps inside, carrying a tray with food and a bottle of water. Her expression is calm, almost serene, a stark contrast to the chaos that rages within me.

“Thought you might be hungry,” she says casually, setting the tray on a nearby table. “You’re going to need your strength.”

“Go to hell!” I hiss. “Let me go, Stella. This isn’t you.”

“Isn’t it?” she asks, arching an eyebrow as she sits across from me. Gone are the wild eyes and manic energy I’d seen before. She seems more relaxed now, more in control of herself. It is unnerving as hell.

“Please,” I whisper, my voice cracking. “My family needs me. Don’t do this.”

She studies me for a moment, those eyes piercing through me like ice. Then she sighs and takes a sip of water.

“We’ll see,” she says, her voice devoid of emotion. “For now, eat something. You look like shit.”

As much as I hate to admit it, I am starving. But there is no way in hell I am giving her the satisfaction of seeing me break. So I just glare, defiance burning in my chest like a fire that refuses to be extinguished.

“Suit yourself,” Stella says with a shrug, standing up and heading for the door. “But it’s only going to get harder from here.”

With those chilling words, she leaves me alone once more. Clenching my jaw, the cold metal of the handcuffs bite into my wrist as I tug at them uselessly. My heart pounds relentlessly, my only thought is to escape and get back to my family.

“Stella, listen to me,” I say loudly, trying to keep my voice steady despite the fear constricting my throat. “You don’t understand what you’re doing here. Dane, my husband… he’s not going to stop until he finds me. And our kids… they need their mother. You remember Jesse and Kristen, right? You know how much they mean to me.”

The door opens a crack, then fully opens. Stella leans against the door frame, and I search her face for any sign of humanity, any glimmer of the person she used to be. But her eyes are cold and distant as if a part of her has been lost somewhere along the way.

“Then there are Blaze and Gunner,” I continue, desperation creeping into my voice. “Did you know I had twin boys? They’re only babies, Stella, and they won’t understand where their mother is. They’ll think I’ve abandoned them.”

Stella seems to waver for a moment, her icy gaze flickering with something that almost resembles compassion. But just as quickly, it disappears as her lips turn down, and she shrugs.

“Kat…” Stella whispers, her voice barely audible. “I know you care about them. I know you love your family with all your heart. But sometimes… sometimes we have to make sacrifices.”

“Is that what this is?” I ask as my anger flares within me. “Some twisted sacrifice? You’re tearing apart my family, Stella! Don’t you see?”

“Maybe one day you’ll understand,” she murmurs, her eyes locked onto mine with an intensity I can’t quite decipher. “Until then, just know I’m doing what I have to do.”

“Please,” I beg, my vision blurring with unshed tears. “Let me go. Let me get back to my family.”

Stella hesitates for a heartbeat, and in this moment, I dare to hope that maybe, just maybe, she will let me go. But the fleeting flicker of compassion vanishes once more, leaving only the cold, hard resolve of a woman who has been pushed too far.

“Sorry, Kat,” she whispers, turning away from me. “I can’t do that.”

“Think about my kids, Stella,” I choke out. “They’re going to be so scared without me. You wouldn’t want them to worry, would you?”

Her eyes flicker with uncertainty, but she doesn’t respond right away. My heart hammers in my chest as I watch her wrestle with her conscience, desperately hoping she’d find it within herself to let me go.

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