I don’t know where Lee or Lochlan are, but I’m momentarily glad they are far from this.
We shouldn’t have come here.
We fell for this twisted trap like mice lured in with the promise of cheese.
We weren’t supposed to end up like this.
But I guess that’s what happens when you reach for the stars when you were only meant to admire them from afar.
They burn you.
Scald you.
Seared you into nothing but a flame of regret.
Much like the flame alight in the roaring fireplace before us.
Our captor walks back into the room with a duffel bag slung over his muscled shoulder.
Pierce’s mouth turns into a wicked smile as he takes the three of us in with his dark, amused eyes. The duffel bag drops to the ground with a loud thunk, and he winks at me as he kneels to open it. The sound of the zipper reverberates through the expansive study, making my insides quiver in fear. A fear like one I’ve never known before.
One by one, he takes three items and places them at our feet.
A dagger.
A butcher knife.
And a pair of metal handcuffs.
“Come on, Teagan,” Pierce says with a sneer. “Choose which one of your friends gets to live.” He sweeps his arm towards Lexi and Capri as if it’s some sort of game.
But this isn’t a game to any of us.
This isourlife. And possibly,ourdeath.
I look over at my two best friends in the entire world and, with my eyes, I tell them how sorry I am for dragging us into this. My mouth is gagged, and my body bound by tape to the plush velvet teal chair.
We wouldn’t be here if I hadn’t trusted Josh—if we all hadn’t trusted him.
Tears trail down their beautiful faces as they shake their heads at me. It’s like they know I’m not solely responsible for this. We all tried, and we all failed. But at least Josh is dead. He will never hurt another woman again. I take solace in that as I meet Capri’s and Lexi’s stares.
This is how we die—together until the very end.
We shouldn’t have come here.
Pierce slaps me hard across the face, then pulls the tape from my mouth. The sticky fibers tear at my skin, leaving a stinging afterburn that matches the burn on my cheek. “Tick, tock, Teagan. We don’t have all day for you to decide.”
“Go to hell,” I answer, looking into his eyes with as much defiance as I can muster.
He clicks his tongue and turns away from me, walking toward the stash of weapons he’s brought. He picks up each one, scrutinizing it.
“Bring in the others,” he commands.
Lochlan, Lee, and a young girl I’ve never seen before are escorted in by Henry. He’s sporting a confident smile as he kicks the men to their knees before he leaves through the door they entered.
Capri instantly starts screaming through her gag, fighting against the binds, like a woman possessed. The girl starts crying, and that’s when I realize who she is. She must be Capri’s daughter.
Lochlan and Lee are both gagged and bound like us, but Capri’s daughter is mercifully left free.
