Page 37 of The Heir
Rushing to the bars, I try to poke my head through and look for an exit—or anything—but they're too close together. All I can see is concrete flooring and ancient, peeling paint flaking from the walls. The hall seems to extend down either side, but I can't tell how long it is. I don't know if I'm underground. I don't knowanything.
That much is exceedingly obvious. Am I that fucking stupid? Years? Years of Roman lying to my face? And I never suspected him, not for a second. The grief fades into a burning anger. I'm no longer sad for the loss of who I thought was my friend. No, I'm fuckingfuriousthat he lied to me. Not only did he lie—he directly put Melody in danger.
Repeatedly. He repeatedly put her in danger. Fuck, he probably knew where she was the whole time Ella had her locked away. They must have orchestrated theentire rescue mission. Feeding tips and information to The Eligos and her team. Timing the drive down to the second. He knew we wouldn't make it in time.
He knew. He knew everything. I only wish I could kill him again.
Time is strange in the prison. Without the sun, I have no idea when day or night is. I sleep based on how my body feels. I eat the scraps that Hannah drops for me. I gulp the water she brings. I pace around this tiny room, imagining their gruesome deaths. And I think of Melody. I have no doubt she's raising as much hell as possible.
But I can't see her. I can't hear her. And that scares the ever-loving shit out of me. Ella kept Melody trapped in her basement before, and it was a horrifying ordeal. She killed a man and watched him rot. That would scar anyone but being in the same situation? By the same woman? I can only hope Melody will emerge from this with all of her limbs, and hopefully, her sanity.
I hope the same for me. The silence is deafening, and I find myself muttering under my breath just to hearsomething. Every time I sit and stare down the hallway, I swear the shadows move. But that can't be true. There'snothing here. The only time I see actual movement is when Ella or Hannah comes to taunt me. I thought I saw a mouse once, but it was my imagination.
That can't be good. Hallucinations are worrying. I snort to myself—this whole situation is worrying. I've inspected every inch of this cell, and there's nothing I could use to escape. The shining metal bars of the door haunt me, even in sleep. I keep dreaming of Melody just out of reach, just on the other side. Her wide, honey-brown eyes look for me in terror. But I can't reach her. I can't help her.
I can't save her.
"Rise and shine, shithead!" Ella's voice rings out. I flinch, then curse myself for it. Fuck.
"We're going to have so much fun, Ro," Hannah adds.
Oh, god. Both of them? I force myself to stand straight with my head held high, glaring at the women as they appear in my doorway. Ella grins with malice in her eyes as she unlocks my cell door.
My heart leaps. Every muscle in my body tenses, and I try to mentally calculate my chances for escape. Ella enters first, and Hannah follows after with a rolling cart piled high with medical supplies. Adrenaline floods my veins, and I fuckingrun. I shove Ella out of the way, I kick the cart into Hannah's stomach, and I sprint down the hall.
Empty cells flank either side. All of them are in disrepair with rusted bars on the doors. My feet kick up paint chips and dust as I barrel down the hall. My heart pounds a frantic beat against my ribs, and my lungs burn with exertion. I don't know where I'm going. Maybe the electrical system leads outside? I follow the wires on the ceiling, eventually finding a stairwell.
A stairwell with averysolid metal door. I slam into it and grunt my frustration as I yank on the handle. It doesn't budge. It doesn't fucking budge.
"Melody!" I bellow. "Melody, can you hear me?"
Silence. I yank on the door again, cursing as the metal rattles but doesn't give. Fuck. Fuck this place.
Ella's laughter echoes down the hall. The adrenaline in my system surges again—I have to get away. I have to get out. I race down the stairs and duck into the darkened hall. They didn't bother to illuminate the entire floor, it seems. I can't see where I'm going, but I run like my life depends on it. Hell, I know it does.
Something snags on my foot, and I fall to the dirty floor with a loudoof. I scrabble against chipped concrete and god knows what else, stagger back to my feet, and try to keep running. Hannah's unhinged cackling gets louder—I gave myself away. I gave away my position. Fuck!
"Come on out, Dante," Hannah sings. "There's nowhere to go."
"Like fuck," I grunt under my breath. At the end of the hallway, I graze my fingertips against the crumbling wall and spy a tiny bit of light. A crack surrounding another door at the end of an identical stairway. Sucking in a breath, I thunder up the stairs and yank on the door—nearly throwing myself back when itopens.
It fucking opens. I have to tamp down my triumphant laugh when the metal hinges squeal. Light floods my eyes, and I squint, but I don't fucking stop. I can't stop.
My lungs burn as I race through another hallway lined with more decrepit cells. They're all empty, too, but I hear noise. I hearmovement.
"Melody!" I yell out, panting. "Are you there?"
"Dante!" Helena's voice greets me. "They took her up—I don't know which floor, but they took her."
My feet pound against the grimy floor as I search for Helena. "Keep talking, Helena, let me find you!"
"I'm here! You're close—you're getting closer!" Helena shrieks. "I can hear you; you're louder!"
Racing around another corner, I see Helena's hands sticking out between bars, waving frantically. Oh, thank god.
"Where is she?" I gasp, shuddering to a halt in front of her cell. "How can I get you out?"
"You don't have the keys?" She shrinks back with a grimace. "I thought you—how didyouget out?"
