Page 54 of Vicious Vows

"What the fuck are you talking about? Speak plainly now, or they're going to have to get another hospital bed opened up for you.” I stood up to my full height and looked down at Yuri.

"It's Farrah, she's... She escaped."

What the fuck?

"No, she didn't. There's no fucking way that she'd be that dumb to leave the house and run away from me. She knows what will happen to her if she tries to do that. Are you sure? Have you checked the entire house thoroughly? The sunroom?" I asked, knowing that she liked to go in there and explore even after I told her that she needed to stay out of there.

"We checked every inch of the house. If she's hiding, I don't know where. I've got the rest of the guys scouring the grounds. She could be anywhere in the thick trees, but she's not coming out for us." Yuri continued to explain, and I squeezed my eyes shut.

It was just another problem that I didn't need. Another issue that I was going to have to take care of and another person who's supposed to be on my team that I could trust.

If Faye wanted to play these childish games, I was going to have to discipline her like a child.

I glanced at my brother one last time, nearly willing him to wake up. When his eyes didn't so much as flutter, I took a deep breath and walked out the door. Time for me to find my errant little wife and explain to her just what a dutiful wife is supposed to be doing.

One tear at a time.

CHAPTER 24

Faye

This may be the stupidest thing I've ever thought to do, but it's clear from how Dominic reacted after I told him the truth that I had no choice. If I wanted to ever get back to my old world, I was going to have to find a way out on my own.

He'd already left the room, probably to go figure out a way to create more havoc and chaos in the world. Instead of just lying there in bed, as I had been doing the past few days, I walked over to the closet and picked up a pair of sweatpants and a long-sleeved shirt – a hoodie I was sure Dominic wouldn't miss – and a pair of sneakers. Silently, I thanked the personal shopper for making sure I had a little bit of everything I'd ever need, even if most of it wasn't in my typical style. I was ready for what I had planned.

Waiting a few moments after Dominic left the room, I snuck to the door and looked out at the guards who were still prowling the area. Cole was there, and another guard I didn't know. I didn't see Yuri, and he was the one that I was most worried about. Out of all the guards, he was the most vigilant.

When I understood that none of them would be coming into the room to check on me, only making sure that I didn't leave the conventional way, I got to work leaving the unconventional way. I grabbed two of the large king-sized sheets and cut them into strips. Quickly, I tied them together in a braided fashion until it was long enough that I'd be able to shimmy out of the window without anyone noticing. It took a shorter period than I thought it would, but that could be because I knew if I did get caught, it would be hell to pay.

The window itself was another issue. I couldn't just open it up because it was wired to alarm if I did, but I didn't see anything on the actual window pane itself. I grabbed a towel from the bathroom, and using one of the small lamps, I did my best to silently bust out the windows at the bottom of the window. To my luck, only the lower pane broke, leaving me with ample space to crawl out of the window.

Victory coursed through my veins as the first gust of air whipped through the room and over my body. I was going to make it. I was going to get out of this place in one piece.

I took a chance and looked out the window but didn't see any of the guards on this side of the house. There may be a video feed somewhere; I'm almost sure of it, but I'm also betting they aren't doing their due diligence in making sure that the cameras are all being watched. Either way, I'd have to take my chances.

I rushed back to the door and peeked out once again just to make sure the guards hadn't moved from their post. If they were just waiting for me to get started with my plan before they pounced on me. When I saw Cole and the other guard in the same exact position looking bored as ever, I made a mad dash to the window.

I was moving too fast; I wasn't paying enough attention. I tied the braided sheet up on the frame of the large, heavy king-sized bed and tossed a leg out of the window. I didn't realize there was a piece of glass I'd missed when I was clearing the frame. It sliced right through the fabric of the sweats and into my skin.

"Damn it!" I ground out between my teeth, and fresh tears sprang to my eyes. I pressed my hand to my thigh and tried to stem the pain vibrating through my leg. When I pulled my hand away, fresh blood coated my palm and fingers. I peeked into the fabric just to gauge how deep the cut was, but it didn't seem that bad. Not bad enough for me to stop what I was doing.

I cleared the glass again, and this time much more slowly. I tossed my foot out of the window followed by the rest of my body. Slowly, I scaled down the fifteen or so feet to the ground and waited for a second for the guards to come running in my direction. Nothing happened. I was free.

Free in the middle of nowhere with no way of getting back to the city or my sister. I had to take the chance. Pumping my legs as hard as I could, I took off toward the tree line. If there was anywhere I'd be able to lose them, it'd be in there. I didn't know where the other end of the trees opened up to, but I was sure that there was no way Dominic and the rest of his crew could be watching that side as well. At least I hoped not.

Thirty minutes of running, most of the time in a flat-out sprint, and I wound up face-to-face with a small cabin. I could see people inside through the window, but I didn't know if they were friends of Dominic or just regular civilians. In this world, I couldn't take that chance.

There was a car there and a few bikes that looked like they belonged to teenagers. I didn't want to risk trying to steal the car simply because I'd never done anything like that, but also I knew it would make way too much noise. I'd be caught before I even had a chance to get out of the area.

"That's what I need!" I clapped my hands once and hustled toward the back of the cabin where there was another bike leaned against the side of the wood. This wasn't a regular bike but instead one of the electric bikes delivery workers used to make food deliveries. I didn't know how far it would take me or if it needed gas or anything like that, but I was hoping it would get me far enough into town that I'd be able to get to Farrah. She needed to help me. No matter what her fears were, what was going on right now was her fault, and I was going to force her to fix it one way or another.

I love my sister, but I don't want to die for her if I don't have to.

* * *

Hours. It took me hours to get back to a part of town I recognized. By then, I was already sweating with exertion and looking over my shoulder every fifteen seconds, expecting to see Dominic or one of his cronies hot on my tail. Luckily, none of them showed up, or they didn't even realize I was gone yet.

I know I should've taken an alternate route, but I didn't have time to play cat and mouse; I needed to get to my sister and fast.

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