Page 133 of Inception

“Where are we going?” I asked as I tried to carve more room for myself by way of my elbow.

“I have something special planned.”

“I’m sure you do, you sick son of—”

“Ah, ah, ah, angel. You don’t want that beautiful mouth of yours getting you into trouble again, now do you?” His hand came up as though he were going to caress my face.

“Don’t you dare touch me!” I warned, twisting away from his reach.

Curls of fog wafted in and out of view as the limousine veered down the throughway in a hurry. I didn’t know where we were going but I knew it wasn’t anywhere good.

“I swear to God, if you hurt one hair on her head, I will make it my life’s mission to kill you.Slowly.”

A quiet groan rumbled at the back of his throat. “I think I’m rather enjoying this new side of you. Very feisty.” He was discernibly enthralled. “Of course, I’ve never been one to desire the damsels in distress. I’ve never quite understood their appeal.”

“I don’t give a damn what you desire!” I snapped, already angry and on edge. “I care about my friend and keeping her away from sickos like you, so just spare me the details.”

His smile morphed into a full blown laugh. “I sure hope this one turns out to be worth it in the end.”

“And what’s that supposed to mean?”

His lips curled into a satisfied grin. “Well, you don’t seem to have very good taste in companions, now do you? Perhaps a little too trusting with your heart?”

“Better than having no heart at all.”

“That almost hurt,” he smirked, shifting in his seat. “You’d be surprised how liberating it is to only care for yourself.”

“How very progressive of you.” I couldn’t even fathom being that cold-hearted. That empty. “What about your family? Your friends? Don’t any of them matter to you?”

“I pay them no mind therefore none of them matter.”

“What a sad way to live.”

“Not it the least. Consider the alternative—you yourself are a prime example,” he said in a mocking tone. “How well has your heart served you thus far?”

I didn’t answer. Even if I had a good enough response, I wouldn’t share it with him. He didn’t deserve it. I would never share another part of myself with him again.

“Your silence speaks volumes.”

“So do your condescending assumptions.” I picked up my vibrating phone and stole a quick glance at the text message from Gabriel:

We lost Engel. Dominic is missing. Get home ASAP.

A day late and a dollar short. Story of my life.

Dominic snatched my phone from my hands. “I guess we’ll just have to see how far that heart of yours takes you—how much you can truly endure. I think you know as much as I do that this is only the beginning for you.”

A sickened feeling flooded my insides.

All I wanted to do was get away from Dominic Huntington and all of his thinly veiled threats and manipulations. But I had no way to escape, and nowhere to run to. I was stuck here, at the mercy of whatever vile thing he had planned for me, and all I could do was continue to trudge forwardknowingin the very pit of my soul that something horrible was about to come my way.

42. THE AWFUL TRUTH

The moonlight silvered the abandoned church, making it appear bigger than it was. From the limousine window, I noted the endless rows of boarded up windows peppering the front of the run-down structure as it cast its depraved shadow over us. It was a side of the Hollow Hills Cemetery I’d only heard of but never actually seen before, and didn’t look particularly safe for human occupation.

“Shall we, ladies?”

Taylor exited the limousine without even batting an eyelash. She was completely out of her mind and it was hardly her fault, but that didn’t stop me from wanting to wring her pretty little neck. And I totally intended to...if we ever got out of this thing alive.

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