Page 108 of Exile and Embrace

I spit blood onto the ground before glaring up at him.

“Good to see things haven’t changed, Declan. You’re always going to be a weak man who beats women, aren’t you?”

The answer is another slap that has stars dancing across my vision.

“You bitch. I’m going to teach you how to behave yourself one way or another.”

I chuckle and spit more blood onto the ground. “Finn is going to kill you for putting your hands on me.”

Declan shakes his head, his grin sinister as he leads me through a door hanging off its hinges. “You have no clue who my brother is. It’s going to be so nice to watch him kill the woman he loves. You really thought that you could run from me? Well, I hope you had your fun, because now you get to die.”

I snort, stumbling again when he shoves me toward a room on the right. “You’ve got to be kidding me. You think that your brother loves me? Being with him was just for show.”

Declan hauls me over to a pole in the middle of the room before jamming his fingers into my pressure point.

I drop to the ground, and he laughs, crouching to grab the rope beside me.

He kicks my leg, forcing me backward.

My spine hits a metal pole, and Declan takes his time securing me to it.

When he’s done, he crouches beside me, his face inches from mine. “You can’t possibly expect me to buy that load of shit.”

“You have for months. Finn doesn’t love me. Only you would be stupid enough to believe that. It was all pretend. Everything. He doesn’t give a shit about me.”

Declan stands and heads for the door. “You’re going to regret lying to me. Before Finn kills you, I’m going to have some fun with your punishment.”

Blood rushes in my ears as Declan leaves the room.

There is nothing but a broken window and a thin stream of sunlight to keep me company.

My breathing quickens as I struggle against the ropes. They are tied too tight to escape.

Nobody knows where I am right now.

Zoe thinks that I’m on a plane to Oregon, and Finn thinks that I’m with Zoe. Neither of them is going to come looking for me for hours.

If Finn comes looking for me at all.

I take a deep breath, trying to remain calm.

Is this why he made that call? To keep this from happening? Or was he serious and Declan having me is just a coincidence? A relief for Finn that he no longer needs to deal with me?

This morning, I would have said that Finn would come for me the moment he knew I was missing.

Now, I’m not so sure.

29

FINN

Becca glares at me as she clears away the bottles scattered across my kitchen. “You’re a mess. You told Ava that things were over yesterday, and it already looks like you’ve gone through half a liquor store.”

I groan and toss my arm over my eyes, trying to block out the sun.

Becca’s disappointed sigh follows. “Finn, get up and get yourself together. You have nobody to blame but yourself.”

I move my arm enough to glare at her. “You think I don’t know what I did? Believe me, I’m well aware of the things I had to say to protect her. It’s better this way.”

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