Beck’s jaw clenched. He wanted to say more—promise her he’d keep her safe, that Seth would save them, that everything would be okay.
But he wouldn’t lie to her.
Heavenly bit her lip to hold in a sob, but she felt as if her chest was caving in. What if this was the last time she ever saw him? The last time she looked into those dark, steady eyes that had made her feel both safe and dangerously desired?
Please don’t let this be goodbye.
She didn’t say the words. She couldn’t.
Because if she spoke, she’d fall apart.
With a last wrenching stare, Beck disappeared around the corner. Hudson followed suit, dragging Carl behind him.
Gene leaned around the corner to keep watch on the guys while still able to see the women.
Heavenly wasn’t sure what was happening, but the scrape of shoes against the hardwoods and the creak of Hudson opening the basement door were unmistakable.
The steep, uneven stairs groaned under the guys’ collective weight. A thump. A grunt of pain. Then Beck’s low rumble, unintelligible and strained.
Hudson’s whispered apologies followed. “I’m sorry. Really sorry.”
Another thump. Heavier this time. Carl being dragged down the steps.
Heavenly’s nails dug into her palms. She hated feeling helpless, hated that she could only sit here and listen as they endured what might be their final prison.
Suddenly, a sobbing Grace gripped her hand. The woman’s trembling fingers were ice-cold, her lips moving with more desperate, whispered prayers.
Gun still in hand, Gene stepped closer to the basement door—and took his eyes off her for just a moment. Heavenly glanced at the front door, mentally calculating. It was so close, maybe ten feet.
She could run…but would she make it?
No. Gene would shoot her before she got halfway there. And even if she escaped, Gene would kill Grace. Kill Hudson. Maybe Beck and Carl, too—if they weren’t already dead.
She couldn’t risk it.
A flash of metal caught her eye. Hudson’s phone still sat on the couch where he’d left it.
If she could just?—
“Don’t even think about it,” Gene growled, his glare landing on her. “Or I’ll shoot the kid.”
Heavenly froze. Her heart hammered. She held up both her hands.
Gene’s smile was vicious. “Smart girl.”
Minutes crawled by, each feeling like an eternity. She sat frozen, her heart racing while her brain screamed at her to do something.
But she had no idea what.
Finally, footsteps echoed back up the stairs. Hudson emerged, pale and shaken, a phone bulging from each of his front pockets. He grabbed a chair from the kitchen table, the scrape of it against the floor sounding final. Then he wedged it under the knob of the basement door.
Beck and Carl were locked in. The two men big enough to fight off Gene were neutralized.
Heavenly’s panic surged, clawing at her throat. Now, it was just her, Grace, and Hudson.
And Gene knew Seth was coming.
Hudson looked ready to explode as he crossed the room, yanked the two phones from his pockets, and dumped them on the coffee table with a clatter that made her start.
