Page 139 of Taste of Addiction

“Okay, story time is over,” Owen chuckles into my ear. “It is time to say buh-byes. Road trip time. Lucky you, The Prophet is excited to see you and make you pay for the destruction you have caused to his organization by your meddling.”

“The organization where he drugs helpless girls and uses them as test dummies?”

“You women are all the same,” Mark says unfazed. “You want the status recognition of being with someone powerful for money, but then can’t handle the consequences of how that power is obtained.”

“You’re a delusional asshole.”

He steps closer to me, grabbing my aching jaw to force me to stare up at him. I feel the spray of liquid before I can distinguish that it is coming from the back of his mouth. I close my eyes and try to turn away from his nastiness, only to have him wrench my chin back to face him.

“Too bad there’s not a drug that exists that we can slip to you that will erase the vileness from your body. Lucky me, I get off to nasty bitches.” Mark bends down to capture my lips in his mouth, making me thrash in Owen’s arms. He releases my lips, while licking his own. “I chew them up and spit them out.”

His words pierce me, freezing me into place.

“Save some for me,” Owen says, making his accomplice chuckle maniacally.

“Sickos,” I hiss under my breath.

With the nod of Mark’s head, Owen carries me toward the front door. I jerk and kick and fight with all my might not to make it outside. But it is the feel of fresh air on my face that lets me know that my current fate is inevitable. There is no one here to save me.

I am just a pawn in their game of chess.

From the corner of the house, I see a flash of movement. My eyes narrow as Paul reveals himself. What the hell is he doing here too? I don’t know whether to rejoice or fear for my life more. I go limp in Owen’s arms and try to be so cumbersome for him to hold that he cannot get me in his vehicle. My eyes catch Paul’s again, and he reaches for his ankle gun.

I flop to the ground as Owen struggles to keep hold of me. The dampness of the snow soaking into my pants sends shivers through my body.

“Quit stalling,” Mark grunts out, entering the driver’s side and slamming the door.

“Dammit,” Owen bellows. “Get the fuck up and walk.”

When he bends down to lift me, I push my fingers into his eyes, making him fall to the ground with me. I roll and am almost free, when I feel his hand grip my ankle. I kick as hard as I can and scramble away on my knees. I dash toward the house, just as Paul blocks my path.

I look up at him with confusion, not knowing what he plans to do. He frowns and mutters, “I’m sorry,” just as the handle of his gun connects with my forehead, knocking me—

I hear a rushing sound of water. I am going to drown. It is a sickening feeling knowing that my efforts are going to be hopeless.

That soon…

I’m going…

To—

24

“Oh good, you’re alive.”

My head hangs to the side as my eyes slowly open. I try to move my hands, but they are bound behind my back, with rope I am assuming from the bite I get when I move them. “Bryce?”

“Would be a shame if you died before I can wipe out Hoffman’s bank accounts. Who would have thought our previous connection from the car accident that killed your brother would make me a future billionaire? Life can be so unpredictable, can’t it?”

“Why are you doing this?”

“For funsies really.” He looks deranged. His eyes are bloodshot and his mood seems manic. Like he is one breath away from losing his cool and going complete unhinged. “You know how frustrating it is to chase you down? You’ve been walking around for months with a secret army protecting you. And all it took was Owen drugging you at Slay and the penthouse to push things forward with the plan. The planting pills in your pockets was an added bonus to put the seed of doubt in everyone’s head that you couldn’t stay clean. While I didn’t have a hand in executing that part, it was my idea.” He takes a bow, as if wanting a standing ovation.

“Noted.”Asshole.

“Then, bam!” He smacks his hands together in front of my face. “A little Narcan… Now, he looks like the hero, and your army dissipates. You made it so easy, you know? Allowing me to get you coffee each week. Low dosing you just to keep you craving more. Oh, let’s not forget me faking an injury that scored me the good drugs. I mean, they were constructed using our little drug cocktail methods, but still.”

“You've been drugging me from the day you introduced yourself to me in Human Behavior class? Pretended to be my friend. Called meTeach?”

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