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I wasn’t sure what was worse. Alone with the four-legged rats I could hear scurrying in the walls, or worried about what the masked, two-legged variety might do when the door opened. I pretended to be asleep when they came in, so they didn’t bother me. Usually, unless it was to make me say something on camera or take one of their stupid photos, they left me alone. The only time I had been hurt was when I tried to get away from them and fell in the struggle, landing on my face, and again on my knees when I tripped. Bentley had lost it when he saw the marks. His tirade about a blanket was frightening, and one of the men had knocked over the camera which stopped the recording.Still, it had worked, and shortly after, one of them had tossed an old, dirty blanket at me. I unfolded it and sat on it as protection from the cold, stone floor, and pulled it over my shoulders to try to ward off the never-ending chill. I had buried my head in my hands and tried not to cry. It was a little later w
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She let out a long, shuddering breath, and leaned back, meeting my anxious gaze.“I’m okay,” she murmured, her voice raspy.Clearing my throat, I reached for a bottle of water, lifting it to her chapped lips. “Slow, Emmy. Sip it slowly.”She sipped the liquid, her eyes fluttering shut as she drank. She drained the bottle with a small huff.“More?” My eyes never left her face, hating the sight of the scrapes and dark bruise marring her skin.She shook her head.“What do you need?” I asked. “Tell me what to do.”She lifted her trembling hand, cupping my cheek. “You. I need you.”I covered her hand with mine, pressing it into my skin. Turning my face, I kissed the bruise forming on her wrist. “You have me.” I inhaled. “Emmy, I’m so—”A knock at the door interrupted me, and Maddox stepped into the room, Aiden behind him. Emmy dropped her hand, but kept it cradled inside of mine.“Our guests are aware and anxious.”Emmy tensed in my arms. “Guests?”“It’s okay. Cami and Dee are here.”“Here
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“I feel shaky, but I’d like to go downstairs.”I stood, sliding my arms under her legs, picking her up. “I’ll take you.”She trembled in my arms, her head falling to my shoulder. “Are you cold?”“No. I’m . . . tired.”“You can eat, and we’ll go to bed. We all will. Everyone needs to sleep.”“Can I stay with you?”I hated hearing her sound vulnerable. She was always so strong.“Always.”We descended the stairs and joined our friends. I sat beside her, encouraging her to eat the scrambled eggs and toast Andrew had made. The rest of us ate the sandwiches. For the first time since everything started, I was hungry and wolfed down the food in front of me. I noticed it was the same for Maddox and Aiden. We cleared the enormous pile in minutes.I tensed when Cami looked up and asked Emmy. “Did you fight?”I started to object, but Emmy placed her hand on my arm. “I tried.” She sighed. “When I realized what was going on, I prepared myself. I knew the car would stop and they would have to open t
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BentleyEmmy cried out, her hand flailing, pushing herself into me. I cupped the back of her head, whispering soothing words into her ear.“It’s okay, Freddy. I got you. You’re safe.”She calmed, and gradually her body relaxed back into the sleep she so desperately needed. Despite the exhaustion she felt, and the pill she had taken, her mind wasn’t letting her rest. I had hoped she would sleep, knowing she was safe, but nightmares had plagued her, no matter what I tried. I left the light on, I held her close, I murmured her name, but still, she only slept for short periods before the fear gripped her and she started crying.Every time it did, my anger toward Greg grew a little more. When her hand reached out, and the bruise on her wrist caught my eye, the need for retribution became sharper. Still, I kept my voice soft and tried not to show my emotions when her eyes fluttered open, scared and anxious. I met her gaze; assuring her everything was okay and lulled her back into sleep.At
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“He’s waiting for you.”Aiden scoffed, the sound low in his throat. “I bet the asshole is,” he muttered, following me into Greg’s office.Greg was at his desk, his usual self. Not a hair out of place, suit pressed, white shirt starched, and tie perfectly knotted. His face was clear, with no worry lines or frown. For the first time, I noticed his eyes. Emmy’s brown eyes were warm and lit from within, whereas his were flat, dark, cold—void of expression. How had I not noticed that until now?He wasn’t even remotely concerned about the woman he thought was still chained up in a deserted warehouse. He’d lost no sleep over her welfare. All he cared about was the piece of land he was so desperate to get his hands on. I wanted to grab the tie and tighten it around his neck until he couldn’t breathe, but Aiden’s presence kept me calm.“Ah, Bentley. You’re later than I expected.”I sat across from him, and Aiden stood close.I had to force the words out of my throat. “Rough night. Late start.
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Greg sneered, focusing his attention on me. “You never listened to me. You always put their opinions first. What Aiden thought, how Maddox felt. No matter how many times I showed you how valuable I was to you—I was just the fucking lawyer—the joke. I was so damn sick of it. It was fun to watch you squirm when you lost those pieces of land. I simply planned to sell them on to you and make a tidy profit. Seeing how indignant you were . . .” He laughed, the sound cruel. “I enjoyed it and decided to screw you over completely. I was going to buy the land and make you pay through the fucking nose for it. At least I’d get a piece of your company monetarily.”I stared at him, feeling ill. How had I not seen what he was doing? The kind of man he really was under his expensive attire?He waved his hand in anger. “Then your stupid, precious Emmy, a woman you barely know, suggests an inane notion about some ridiculous building project, and instead of telling her to mind her own business, you actu
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BentleyThere were so many voices around me. Police, paramedics, Aiden—all of them talking, gesturing, the movement constant. My head ached, my swollen hand throbbed, and I was still in shock from what happened. After Greg shot himself, his office door flew open, and it was the sound of Mrs. Johnson’s screams that brought me back to reality. Aiden had taken charge of the situation, immediately calling 911 for an ambulance, pushing her out of the office, and returning to shove me out of the way and into a chair across the room.Disoriented, I looked up at him, running a hand through my hair, then staring in confusion at the smear of blood I could see on my palm.“Bent,” he urged. “Look at me.”I met his gaze. “I need you to calm down. The police are on their way up, and there is going to be a lot of questions we are going to have to answer. I need you to relax.”It took me a minute to realize the odd noise I could hear was my gasps for air. Images swam through my head. Greg holding the
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“Okay.”I brushed a kiss across her cheek. “Okay.”I dressed and went downstairs, once I made sure Emmy headed to the sunroom. Maddox and Aiden were waiting for me in my den, and I sat down with a sigh.Maddox studied my face, looking concerned. “You okay, Bent?”“As okay as I can be after watching a man shoot himself in front of me.”He frowned. “You know it wasn’t your fault, right?”I stroked my chin, thinking out loud. “I keep telling myself it isn’t, but part of me says I am responsible. I should have seen it. Looked closer. Done more.”“What do you think you could have done?” Aiden questioned. “None of us saw Greg’s true colors. He hid everything. His hatred for us. His distaste for everything we did. All of us—yet, none of us even suspected as much. He was simply looking for someone to blame, Bent. You ended up being his scapegoat.”I leaned forward, clasping my hands between my knees, hoping they wouldn’t notice the slight tremor that had been there since it happened. A tick I
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