“Okay, I’ll tell him you are busy leaving bruises on his plaything. It’s your funeral,” she scoffed, turning to leave.
“Wait, wait. I’m coming,” Maddie sighed before releasing her grip. “We’ll continue this later, Mila.”
“I won’t bother waiting up,” I responded, struggling to hold myself up against the wall, my arms still tied behind me.
Maddie shot a menacing glare my way before following Haven out of the room and slamming the door shut behind them.
I slid to the ground, letting out a defeated breath. I only wanted to see Archer come through that door and rescue me. But each time the door opened, my hopes were crushed. Why hadn’t he come for me yet? Was it because he couldn’t find me? No, he was too smart for that. He knew Alexander had taken me. What was he waiting for?
The door opened again, and my eyes shot up to see Haven approaching me, moving at an alarming pace. She wore a bright red dress that clung to her body and sparkled as she approached me. “Stand up,” she said urgently.
“What?”
“Stand up. We have to be quick before Maddie comes back.”
She pulled me to my feet and turned me around, holding onto the ropes binding my wrists as she loosened them. Once they fell free, I pulled my arms around to my front, my shoulders aching from the position they had been in. Rubbing my wrists, I watched as she ran her hands underneath Alex’s desk, smiling when her hands found what she was looking for.
A handgun.
“Wait, please don’t shoot me,” I pleaded, in panic, as she checked the magazine, sliding it back into place with a click.
“I’m not going to shoot you, you idiot. It’s just for protection,” she explained while waving it back and forth. “Stay behind me, and stay quiet. I move fast, and you need to move faster. We only have five minutes before the cameras reset and alert the entire compound that I helped you escape.”
“You’re helping me escape? But why?” I asked, confused. “You’re his sister. Why would you help me?”
“Kai told me you’d ask a lot of questions. It doesn’t matter right now,” she answered impatiently.
She grabbed my arm and yanked me toward the door before opening it cautiously and peering into the hallway. The sound of loud music reverberated through the dark halls as we moved stealthily, hiding in the shadows whenever guards passed by. We climbed some stairs and made our way to a red metal door.
“Hey!” Maddie’s voice shouted behind us. “Don’t fucking move, or I’ll shoot you.”
Shit.
Haven turned around first, and I followed suit. Maddie has her gun pointed directly at me.
“Maddie, put the gun down,” Haven said calmly.
“Haven, shut the fuck up,” Maddie responded angrily. “Wait until your brother discovers you tried to help his little pet escape.”
“It’s not what it looks like,” Haven insisted, positioning herself between Maddie and me.
“The way I see it, I get to knock out two birds with one stone,” she chuckled darkly. “I get to kill the bitch that took Archer from me, and I get to quiet the annoying cunt of a sister that is always getting special treatment from her brother.”
“Alex will kill you when he finds out.”
“Not when I tell him about this little escape plan of yours. I think he will reward me for murdering his traitorous little sister,” she sneered while keeping the gun pointed in our direction. “The real question is, who should I shoot first? Any volunteers?”
“Maddie, you don’t want to do this,” I pleaded with her.
“Oh, but I do, though,” she smiled at me, a glint of madness in her eyes.
The next thing I knew, gunshots were ringing out all around us, and Maddie fell to the ground with a pained yelp. Haven grabbed me and pushed me towards the door.
“Stay close to the fence until you reach the hill. Archer is waiting for you there.”
“Aren’t you coming with me?” I turned to look at her but saw that she was holding her side, blood seeping through her fingers. “You’re hurt. Come with me, and we’ll get you to a hospital.”
“I can’t go with you.”