Page 79 of (Un)Rivaled

I paused, unsure how to proceed. Normally, I’d balk at the idea of violating Devyn’s privacy. However, it wasn’t like her to take off without saying something, and my protective instincts were surging with the need to find her.

ME

Yeah. Hopefully, she’s just out of service range, but I want to be sure.

TOMAS

On it.

As I waited for another response from him, I paced the attic, unable to focus on anything until I knew Devyn’s location. I couldn't even think about looking at the files, already feeling paranoid about my wife’s disappearing act. When my phone rang out and I saw Devyn’s name on the screen, I let out a long sigh of relief.

“Shit, Ace, you scared me. You okay?”

“No, I don’t think she is.”

The unfamiliar male voice made every one of my nerves stand on end. I stood, suddenly feeling like all the air hadbeen sucked out the room. My pulse thundered as I squeezed the phone in my hand. “Who the fuck is this? And where is my wife?”

“She’s safe,” he said. “And she’ll stay that way if you do exactly as I say.”

FORTY-FOUR

“Oww…” I groaned as my eyes reluctantly opened. My head throbbed, and my entire body ached with the need to stretch. But as I tried to move, my arms and legs wouldn’t budge.

My eyes started to focus, and I looked around the room. Nothing was familiar. I wasn’t home, wasn’t curled up with Gray at my side. No, instead, I was in an old cabin, one that had seen much better days. The dark wood was overgrown with moss and grime, and the windows were cracked, allowing the cold wind to creep inside. A small fire glowed in the fireplace in the corner, but it seemed to be the only source of heat. How in the hell had I ended up here?

I groaned as I looked down, finding myself in an equally grimy chair, one that looked as old as the house. The metal arms attached to a solid base, and I squirmed to get comfortable on the hard leather seat. It was hard to move, especially with my wrists and ankles bound to the chair with thick rolls of duct tape. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. I tried to pull my arms away, but the tape didn’t budge, just ripping my skin.

After attempting a few more times to wiggle out of my restraints, I groaned and dropped my head to the back of the chair.

“Breathe, Devyn,” I whispered to myself. “You can figure your way out of this.”

First, I needed to figure out where I was being held. I couldn't remember much from before my world went black, but I already knew I needed to get the fuck out of this place. Stretching to try and look out the windows, I didn’t recognize anything, only seeing a forest outside. That didn’t help. Thick forests surrounded Saint Stephen’s Lake—if I was even still in town…

I tried to take a deep breath and do anything to calm my erratic heartbeat, but every passing minute only increased my anxiety. My ears buzzed as I strained to listen for anyone in the house. Whoever tied me up must have left. The only sounds I heard were birds singing outside the windows, celebrating the end of the long winter.

My head sagged, exhausted by the fear coursing through my veins. This wasn’t how my life ended. It couldn’t be. I’d spent so long by myself, closed off from the people surrounding me. I was finally learning to let people in, to depend on others instead of just myself. Yes, I was still determined to get justice for the people David hurt, but I wanted more than just that. I wanted a life.

I wanted a life with Gray.

I wanted the ridiculous wedding where our families bickered about the unimportant details. I wanted nights on the couch, arguing about who has the worst taste in movies. I wanted a baby with his dark steel eyes and his pure heart. I wanted it all.

I yanked my hands as hard as possible, letting out aprimal scream from the pit of my soul. I didn’t care who was around; if I was going to die, it wouldn’t be quietly. I’d fight like fucking hell to get back to my husband.

My muscles ached and my throat burned, but I kept going, needing to get at least one of my hands freed. If I did that, then the rest would be easy.Right?But nothing seemed to work, even as the sun faded behind the trees outside.

The chair still held me captive hours later, offering no way out. Attempting to get out of the duct tape for God knows how many hours had depleted all my energy. My arms were red and blistered from trying to escape. My stomach rumbled, and my bladder ached, but mostly, I just wanted to go home. Hope was failing with every passing minute, but I tried to hold out, praying that somehow, Gray would find me.

I whispered another silent plea for him as a car pulled up to the house. I winced as the headlights shone through the dirty, cracked window pane.

“Shit, shit, shit,” I hissed, tugging and pulling my wrists, but nothing happened. Even though the tape had loosened a little, it was not nearly enough to pull my hands out. Why the hell did they always make it look so easy in the movies? I breathed out slowly, trying to calm myself when footsteps approached. At least now, I would know the face of the person responsible for my hellish afternoon, considering my memories were nothing but fuzzy black spaces in my mind.

At least, they were, until Jack Fischer pushed open the door with a wide grin.

“Oh good,” he said as he placed his brown paper bagson the table. “You’re awake. You were snoring so hard, I thought you’d be out all night and miss all the fun.”

“Jack?”

He ticked his tongue. “I thought this might happen. Sorry for dosing you, angel, but I knew you wouldn’t come with me otherwise.”

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