"I'll join her there after I handle some business here. By tomorrow evening, she'll be my wife. And by tomorrow night, this will all be over." He looked at me with something like pity. "You should have just accepted your fate, Aria. Fighting only makes it worse."
Hands grabbed me. Hauled me to my feet. Started dragging me toward the door.
"No! No, please! You can't do this!" I fought. Struggled. "Lia! Where's Lia? Don't hurt her, please!"
Through the doorway, I saw her. Lia being held by two guards. Tears streaming down her face. Mouth moving in words I couldn't hear over my own screaming.
I reached for her. Tried to break free.
The guards' grip only tightened. They dragged me down the hallway. Away from Lia. Away from any chance of rescue.
"I'm sorry!" Lia's voice finally reached me. Broken. Anguished. "I'm so sorry, Aria! Kai will come! He'll save you! Don't give up!"
Then she was gone. Out of sight. And I was being hauled toward the front entrance where a black SUV waited.
They threw me in the back seat. Two guards climbed in on either side of me. Boxed me in completely.
The car started. Pulled away from the estate.
I pressed my face against the window. Watched the only home I'd known for months disappear into the darkness.
Kai didn't know about the mountain compound. Had no idea where they were taking me. By the time he figured it out, it would be too late.
The wedding would be over. Salvatore would have claimed me. I'd be bound to him legally and physically.
Unless I found a way to escape. To fight. To delay long enough for rescue.
My hand went to my stomach. If I was pregnant, I had to protect this baby. Had to survive. Had to find a way out.
For me. For Kai. For our potential child, I wouldn't give up.Wouldn't let Salvatore win even if it meant fighting until my last breath.
The car drove north into the darkness. Taking me further from safety. Further from Kai. Further from any hope of rescue.
Two hours to the compound. Then tomorrow, the wedding, I had less than twenty-four hours to either escape or be saved.
The clock was ticking and I was running out of time.
CHAPTER TWENTY -SEVEN
KAI
People talk about death like it's the worst thing that can happen. Like it's something to fear above all else.
They're wrong.
Death is just an ending. Quick. Final. Certain.
What's terrifying is running out of time. Watching the clock tick down while someone you love is in danger and there's nothing you can do to stop it. That's worse than dying. That's torture that makes death look like mercy.
I knew what dying felt like. Had come close enough times to recognize the signs. The way time slowed down. The clarity that came when you realized these might be your last moments. The strange peace in accepting it.
And I'd accepted it. If dying meant Aria lived, I'd walk into that darkness without hesitation.
That was when the memory hit me without warning. Real enough to make my chest ache.
A week before my father returned. Aria and I in the garden at midnight. She'd been lying with her head in my lap, staring up at the stars like she could find answers written there.
"What if we don't get a happy ending?" Her voice had been small. Scared. "What if we try everything and it still doesn't work? What if we end up dyingfor this?"
