Page 79 of Safe and Sound

Tonight found me once again in Dare’s penthouse. After three glorious orgasms from Dare, I was lulled into a deep sleep. The shrill sound of a phone ringing swept me from my dreams. With a grumble, I protested Dare untangling himself from me before reaching over on the nightstand.

“Yeah?” he croaked. A few seconds passed before he groaned. “It’s three in the fucking morning. Can’t this wait?”

When he threw a glance at me over his shoulder, I did my best at playing being asleep. “Fine. I’ll be right down.”

After tossing back the covers, he grabbed his discarded shirt off the floor. He didn’t even bother throwing pants over his boxers. When he left the bedroom, he eased the door shut behind him.

Glancing at the nightstand, I saw where he’d taken his phone. As I nibbled on my bottom lip, I tried driving the voices of doubt out of my head and rationalizing his behavior. Something could’ve gone wrong atBandia, and they needed his help. Not sure why he would’ve gone off half naked to do that, or why he didn’t wake me up to tell me where he was going.

Considering what had happened with Preston, it wasn’t too surprising I couldn’t let things go. Instead, I crept out of the bed. Once I got downstairs, I searched the apartment for Dare. When there was no sign of him, I went over to the front door.

“Fuck,” I muttered at the armed alarm keypad.

There was no way of getting out without alerting Dare. Since I was thirsty, I went to the kitchen for some water. Just as I reached into the fridge for a bottle, something caught my eye to my left. The backdoor was slightly ajar and light was coming from underneath.

After closing the fridge back, I hurried over to the door. Cracking it open, I saw a set of stairs. Wondering where they led, I didn’t stop to think. I immediately started down them.

When I reached the bottom, a long hallway stretched out before me. The concrete was cold under my bare feet as I started down the hall. I got halfway across it when I started rethinking my actions.

What the hell would I say to Dare if he caught me? That I thought he was cheating on me, so I decided to sneak around in the middle of the night hoping to catch him? “Epic fail, Ava,” I muttered.

Resigned to give up my search, I started back to the stairs when a long groan caused me to freeze. Whirling around, I called, “Dare?”

Silence echoed back to me. When the sound came again, I realized it was coming from a room behind the metal staircase. As the moaning continued, a mixture of fear and anger swirled through me. Had I been right about Dare? If I looked inside the room, would I discover Dare and some new piece of ass?

Unable to wait any longer, I flung open the door, sending light pouring into the dimly lit room. I gasped in horror. It wasn’t Dare and another woman I saw. Instead, a middle-aged man was tied to a chair. His head lolled to one side while bloodpooled on the floor. Even though I should’ve waited for Dare, I knew I needed to help him.

Rushing forward, I started across the floor. Just when I reached him, a door in the back of the room opened. A relieved breath whooshed from me at the sight of Dare and Quinn.

Adrenaline thrummed wildly through me as I began to babble. “Oh thank God you two are here. Do you have a knife? We need to cut his binds.” I motioned wildly to the rope binding the man to the chair. “We should call 911. I would, but I left my phone back in the bedroom. Can one of you call 911?”

When they didn’t respond, I glanced back up at them. “Come on! We have to hurry before the person who did this to him comes back.”

“Ava,” Dare said, his voice weirdly calm considering the situation we currently found ourselves in.

Throwing my hands up in exasperation, I gestured frantically at the man. “Why aren’t you helping him? Can’t you see he’s hurt? Some piece of shit has been torturing him right under our nose. I never would’ve believed it could happen in such an expensive building. But I guess you never know what crazies are lurking about.”

When I looked at Dare and Quinn again, they stood stock still, staring at me like I was a bomb about to go off. My gaze dipped from their faces to their bare arms.

Red paint splattered along their skin. They’d even gotten some on their chests. Their hands were stained so red they must’ve dipped them in the paint cans.

I must’ve interrupted their painting. A maniacal laugh tumbled from my lips. Why would they be painting in the middle of the night, not to mention a red room. Well, I guess it could’ve been a sex dungeon. I’d seen pictures of a lot of those painted in red.

It’s not paint!A voice shouted in my head.

A shudder rocketed through my body when I made the horrifying realization.

It wasn’t paint.

It was blood.

Their hands are dipped in….blood.

My frantic gaze bounced back and forth between the two of them. “No,”I whispered.

“Ava, I need you to take some deep breaths, and don’t lock your knees.”

“Youdid this?” I choked out.

---