Page 79 of Gemini
He tilted his head toward Simon, shoulders shaking with laughter. "Maybe we weren't joking about stuffing you somewhere."
I didn't try to hide my horrified and appalled expression. Simon had the nerve to wink at me.
"Make it better, whoever catches her first gets dibs on what they wanna do with her, dead or alive."
The blood drained from my face.
Trevor clapped his hands in satisfaction. "You're weird, Simon." He drained his glass and tossed it into the fireplace. "Go get your boys."
Simon left the room while two of Trevor's men appeared from the hallway. I clung to Trish as they attempted to separate us.
"Come on, you're wasting time," Trevor scolded. "She'll be safe and sound upstairs."
The men surrounded me, ripping me away from her. One of them swung me around forcefully while the other picked Trish up and swept her out of the room.
"Get off! Get off me! Trish!" I screamed, elbowing the guy who held me firmly. He twisted me toward Trevor who closed the distance between us.
"I'll give you a good head start." He lifted his hand, brushing his knuckles over my cheek. I jerked away in disgust. Inresponse, he took hold of my jaw in a painful grip, keeping me from moving. "For Trish's sake, I won't kill you. I'll just let the guys play with you a bit, okay? Might leave a few scars. Just so Trish knows not to fuck with me again and try to leave. She has to understand there are consequences. And you'll understand too." His gaze drifted over me. "You remind me of her…" His thumb caressed my bottom lip. I tried to pull away but his grip only tightened. He leaned in and kissed me, slipping his tongue between my teeth.
I struggled in his grip, trying to turn my head away. As his tongue left my mouth, I bit down on his lip hard. He released me, jerking back as he barked in pain. "Fuck. You cunt." He struck me, the punch knocking me back, my head hitting the other man's shoulder.
My vision went black for a mere second then returned, making me see stars. Pain seared up my cheek as my head rolled to one side, the taste of iron in my mouth.
"Put her on the couch in the back room and give her a minute," Trevor ordered. "After that, tell her she's got thirty seconds to run."
The man lifted me off my feet and hauled me out of the dining room.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
My vision swam, feeling too lightheaded, too disoriented to even open my mouth. My heart hammered in my throat as I sat on the couch where the man had dumped me, struggling to sit up. I shook off what little dizziness I could, trying to regain my footing. The man watched me in silence, no emotion on his face, no pity for me whatsoever.
He told me I had thirty seconds to hide or they were going to come for me and tear me apart like a pack of wild dogs. I didn’t know how true that was, but I was scared shitless. I dropped to the floor, gagging, the pain in my legs and now in my head making it hard to move.
“Twenty seconds…” the man counted.
I had to go. I had to get up.
Get the fuck up, Lena.
Gritting my teeth, I struggled to my feet, stumbling forward and catching the doorframe. I didn’t know this place at all, didn’t know the layout. But I figured my best chance wasn’t inside the house at all. I hated to leave Trish, but I didn’t want to get caught either. Pushing myself off the doorway, I stepped out in the hall. I could hear men nearby, talking and laughing, and tried to steer away from them, making my way toward what I hoped was away out. I passed a study then a bathroom. I was wasting time, and the voices were getting louder. Panicked, I picked a door and opened it, finding a set of stairs leading down.
A basement. Fucking great.
I started downward, closing the door behind me, using the wall as leverage to swiftly make my way to the bottom. There was a sliver of light below as I found a furnished room with a bar, the light coming from a small window looking out into the driveway. The sounds of boots overhead made me jump, heart pounding in my throat, as I crept past, looking for somewhere to hide. The window was too small and thick to get through, but there was a short passage. I made my way down it, eyes wide as I tried to see in the dark, wishing I had the twins' sight to see a single fucking thing.
I found the handle of a door and wrenched it open, stepping into a dark room and shutting the door behind me. Out of instinct, I searched for a switch just to give me an idea of where the hell I was. I found one on the side of the wall and flipped it on.
It was in a wine cellar. If I had taken another step, I would have fallen down a short set of stairs. There were rows of shelves and a couple of tanks in a corner, the smell of fermentation was pungent in the air.
I thought I heard someone moving down the basement stairs. Terrified, I flipped the switch off. I couldn't just stand frozen by the door, so I forced myself down the small steps, my hands out in front of me to grip one of the shelves. I moved carefully down one row, going for the back, hoping I could at least hide myself behind something. As I made it to the far wall, I placed my palms on the cool cement.
What do I do?
I was trapped. They were going to find me.
Placing my back against the wall, I stared into the dark. If I couldn't hide, I'd have to fight because I wouldn't let them take me easily. Not like last time.
I lunged for one of the shelves and grabbed a bottle of wine. Gripping the neck, I stretched out my arm then swung it against the wall. The bottle shattered, spilling wine and glass over my shoes, leaving me with one large, broken piece that I hoped was sharp enough to cut someone. I slid across the back wall, waiting for someone to come in and turn on the lights and charge me.
