Page 48 of Broken Promises
“One cc, like you said.” The voice sounded like Waylon, but nothing made sense.
The man holding me jostled to the side and stumbled as the other man said, “I told you two, you dumbass. You can’t even get that right.”
The arms holding me grew tighter as someone approached us from my side, and instantly, I felt the same stinging pinch and burning sensation in my neck as earlier. Starbursts of light streaked behind my eyes as a warm sensation spread throughout my body and my mind began to tumble. What little recollection I had seemingly disappeared as, once again, I was dragged into darkness.
WHEREVER I WAS, ITwas freezing, and my thin shirt and pants did little to protect me from the chill. Lying as still as I could, I cautiously wiggled my wrists and feet, seeing if I was tied up. I had no idea if anyone was watching me, so as slowly as I could, I lifted my eyelids and peeked through my lashes to see if I was alone.
I didn’t see anyone, so I rolled to my back and, with great effort, pushed myself up to a sitting position. There was a soft mattress under me, and as I began to look around, I realized I was in what appeared to be a small bedroom. The floors were clean, the walls were painted a soft beige, and the furniture appeared new, but there wasn’t anything else in the room. No decorations, no art, and nothing personal, so it was hard to know where I was.
Gently, I pushed off the side of the bed, and when my boots hit the floor, I took a minute to steady myself. Whatever they gave me was strong, and waves of dizziness and nausea kept washing over me. I took deep breaths, trying to clear my head, and when I was feeling a little more stable, I began to quietly walk to the only window in the room.
The sky was dark, and all I could see were trees and forest outside the window. Pressing my head against the cool pane, I closed my eyes and fought to keep the panic pressed down. One thing I’d learned over the last few weeks of being with Rhys was if you want to escape, you have to use your head and keep panic at bay.
He’d said, “You can panic once you’re free, but never stop thinking or working out a way to escape. And never hesitate to kill whoever is keeping you from your freedom.”
I hoped it wouldn’t come to that, but if these demented fuckers were stupid enough to take me again, I had a feeling it was only through blood that I would survive.
Footsteps sounded through the door, and with urgency, I moved back to the bed and sat down, hoping to appear as though I had just woken up. The door jiggled as the sound of a key entering a lock echoed around me, and I felt my heart beating faster and harder in my chest as the door pushed open.
The person filling the doorway was shadowed by the bright light behind them, so I couldn’t see who they were, but just from the body shape, I knew it wasn’t Waylon. I could question why he took me later, because this giant man was taking slow steps into the room, purposely keeping himself shadowed from my eyes.
“I see you’re finally awake,” the man said. I tried to place his voice, only to draw a blank.
“Where am I?” I asked through a scratchy voice, and he tossed something onto the bed.
The bottle of water rolled against my feet, and I carefully reached down and grabbed it. I took a tentative sip and didn’t taste anything funny, but how would I actually know? For now, I had to trust I wasn’t being drugged since I desperately needed fluids. My mouth was dry and my head pounding from whatever they’d injected me with, but with each sip, the pain eased.
“Where you are isn’t important. What is important is what’s expected of you. If you fight, I promise you will not like the response,” the nameless, faceless man said, and his deep tone sent shivers down my spine.
“Why did you take me? Who are you?” I asked, and he chuckled.
The man took one step closer to me, and I pushed away as he explained, “I am your worst nightmare, Hannah. And if you don’t do as I say, I’ll cut you up and mail you back to that little boyfriend of yours.” Tears rolled down my eyes as he asked, “Are we clear?”
“Y-y-yes,” I said, the tears flowing freely down my face.
“Good. Someone will bring you something to eat in a while. Don’t try to run or think anyone here will help you.” He took three steps back, continuing to keep himself shadowed as he added, “And if anyone tries to fuck this up by rescuing you, I swear I’ll kill you before they have a chance.”
With that threat, he stepped out of the room and pulled the door closed as he went. The sound of the lock engaging echoed through the room and, instantly, I broke down. Tucking my face against my raised knees, I cried at the injustice of everything.
What had I done in a previous life to deserve this not once but twice?
Were these the same people as last time, or is this some kind of new hell?
I worried about Rhys and my newfound family when they discovered I was gone and would probably never return. Itwasn’t fair, but I refused to go quietly or just give in. I would fight with everything I had inside me, and if it cost me my life, then so be it.
I was the illegitimate daughter of a monster, and if pushed, I feared the darkness would come out, forcing me closer to the ledge as I fought to survive.
Chapter 21
Rhys
Landing in the small dirt runway airport in north Texas, I looked at the pilot before getting off the plane. “I’ll be back in one hour. Make sure we’re fueled up and ready to go when I get back.”
He gave me a two-finger salute and walked away toward the hangar as I walked the opposite direction to the waiting car. The keys were left under the mat for me, and once I was behind the wheel and on my way to the coroner’s office, I called James.
The phone rang twice before he answered. “Hey. Have you landed yet?”
“I just did. I’m on my way to the coroner’s office now. Have you checked in on Hannah since I left?” I inquired.
