LOGINAshley’s POV Jeff's words should have given me hope, but the expression on his face made it impossible to be hopeful. He looked … worried. I hoped to God that I was misinterpreting that look, but I had the sinking feeling that I wasn't.“So the police are coming?” I asked him in a neutral tone.“Um, well, they should be,” he replied unsurely, and my heart sank.The words hung heavily between us. They weren’t exactly encouraging, and a small, uneasy silence followed after he said them. Jeff busied himself with rubbing my hands comfortingly, his jaw tight, then he explained further."Going by the time that has passed, I would have thought the police would be here already. But then this place is so remote that I lost signal on my phone quite a while before we got here. So they're probably trying to use my last known location to comb the area and locate where we are. I just hope they will be quick enough.""Quick enough?" I asked. I didn't like the sound of that at all.Jeff's forehead c
Ashley’s POVGreat! Now, I was hallucinating. That had to be it, because what other explanation was there for the fact that I could see Jeff, of all people, standing in the doorway of my cell?For a second, I almost rushed to him to try to grab him, even though I knew he was nothing but a figment of my imagination.But then, I stopped myself just in time. No, this wasn't real ... it just couldn't be real. There was no point in getting excited over nothing. For one thing, I was already too weak to waste any more energy than was necessary.Besides, I had learned the bitter way that pretending to be asleep made these people leave me alone, at least sometimes, and right now, I wanted to be left the hell alone.So I closed my eyes and pretended that I was asleep. I could hear Will's voice, as he taunted the imaginary Jeff, talking about a reunion or something.And then, a few seconds later, someone was holding my hands. I stiffened and nearly jumped about a foot high, my heart pounding hea
Jeff’s POVI didn't think it was possible to feel any worse than I was already feeling, and neither did I think Will could reveal any more unbelievable thing he had done. But I was wrong.Apparently, he hadn't only made Ashley disappear by threatening her. He had held her right here in this dungeon and tortured her to within an inch of her life, simply because he wanted to get back at me, as well as please Claire.Being Will, he made sure to tell me everything he did to Ashley in graphic detail and, of course, he made sure I listened to every single word he said.By the time he was done talking, I was the most dejected I had ever been in my entire life. All I could think about was Ashley, broken and battered, and barely alive, which was exactly the way he described her. That image would remain with me for as long as I lived.Oh, God! Poor Ashley. She had been an unfortunate victim of something she had no idea about.The memory of the night she had a nightmare while we were on a busine
Jeff’s POVI didn't think I had it in me to hear any more devastating revelations, but Will obviously didn't care about what I could or couldn't handle, which was fine, because it was important to keep him talking.I needed to buy some time, so I feigned the right amount of disinterest, just enough to make him even more eager to spill the things he knew, because I needed his full confession for later.I adopted a martyred expression, as if I had given up all hope. "I don't see what the point of telling me all this is, Will. You've won. You're going to kill me, so what's the point?"Before he could respond, the door opened, and one of his men came in to meet him, whispering urgently. Will looked worried, and immediately, my heart began to beat faster."Well, then, you guys should hurry up with everything. Gather every valuable item into the vans. We're going to execute all the prisoners and dump their bodies somewhere no one would find them. But clear all the damning evidence first. Co
Jeff’s POVMy parents? What did this asshole have to say about my parents, who had died years ago? "What about them?" I asked, watching him warily. "What if I told you that they didn't die by ordinary means, or at least, your mother didn't. Your father, I believe, died of heartbreak," he drawled, watching me closely to see my reaction.I refused to give him one, and he shook his head in a way that told me he believed he would very soon get the reaction he was looking for.He continued talking. "Actually, I'll start with your father.""What about him?" "What if I told you that I know the person, or rather, the people who kidnapped and tortured him for years, depriving you of fatherly care and love for those years, and turning him into a shell of the man he once was? What if I told you that I know the reason why they did it?"I couldn't control a shocked gasp from escaping my throat, and Will grinned, clearly having the time of his life."Ah, yes. That was more like the reaction I wa
Jeff’s POV"Where the hell is she?" I asked Will through gritted teeth.He didn't answer. I desperately needed to know where she was exactly, but this cowardly asshole was so stubborn that he wouldn't answer, despite all the beating that he had received from me.He lay sprawled in an undignified position on the ground where I had flung him, blood seeping from the corner of his mouth and one eye already swelling shut.I would have thought that by now, he would be willing to tell me everything I wanted to know, but no. Instead, he did the last thing I expected him to do.He smiled at me. The smile was faint and crooked, and it was oh so infuriating.I grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and hauled him up, before slamming him down with a thud that caused him to groan, but didn't wipe the smile from his face.In fact, the smile had broadened into a grin. Damn, despite his cowardice, this guy had such a high pain threshold.“Where is Ashley?” I asked again.This time around, a low chuck
Ashley’s POVAh, great! This is the very last thing I need after the morning I’ve had ... an encounter with a crazy person.This guy has to be crazy, because what normal person hides behind a large cardboard cutout in a supermarket, and then proceeds to scare other customers, with the excuse that h
Jeff’s POVI shouldn’t have come here. I realize this the minute I set my eyes on Ashley.If I have any sense left, I would stay away from her, just as I've been doing ever since she started working here.But then, for how long would I keep running away from my own company on account of a traitorou
Ashley’s POVClaire’s heels click dramatically against the supermarket tiles as she stalks toward us angrily, like she’s just caught me committing a federal crime instead of just picking up her stupid yogurt.“What are you doing here?” She asks sharply, her gaze darkening when she gets a good look
Claire’s POVThe last thing I'm expecting as I head into the office this morning is for anybody to be here this early. I had purposely come in before sunrise for one reason.I wanted peace, quietness, and the chance to work without any distractions. I wanted no competition ... no Ashley ... no ling







