Total pages in book: 96
Estimated words: 91809 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 459(@200wpm)___ 367(@250wpm)___ 306(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 91809 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 459(@200wpm)___ 367(@250wpm)___ 306(@300wpm)
Victor knelt on the riverbank, shouting through his gag. Standing next to him was someone I was coming to know all too well.
“Evening, Sinclair,” Wolf chirped. “Lovely to see you again. May I say I’m loving you in ropes? Very sexy.”
Wolf apparently had a thing for Victor in ropes too. My love was tied and bound like me, but Wolf looped another length of rope around his wrists and held the end like a leash.
“What are you doing? Let him go!”
“That’s exactly what he’ll do,” Everleigh said. “You’re so off-the-charts stupid, Luna, that I almost feel bad for you. Did you really think you could sneak into my place and I wouldn’t know? I have hidden cameras all over the property, dumbass. I knew you broke in, but when you didn’t take or do anything, I figured you had something else planned. All I had to do was wait until you came back.”
I barely heard her. My gaze fixed on my Victor. “Just let Victor go, Everleigh. This is between me and you.”
“If it was, you wouldn’t have involved Wilson or the Rogues. We’re playing by new rules now, and you set the terms.” Everleigh shoved in my pocket and took my phone. “I’ll make this simple for you. You’re going to call Daddy, tell him I have you, and that if he doesn’t come back and face me, he’ll bury another daughter.”
I spat in her face. “Fuck you!”
Everleigh punched my broken nose, ringing agony through my skull. I choked on a sob.
“You didn’t let me finish.” Everleigh towered over me in a pink jumpsuit—ever the psychotic princess. “You call him now... or Wolf tosses your little fiancé into the river. We’ll see how long he lasts with his arms and legs tied.”
My jaw slackened. “Y-you— You wouldn’t!”
Everleigh laughed her ass off. “I wouldn’t? Are you serious? I tied you up in a burning building and left you for dead. All to make that coward face me. Do you really think I wouldn’t drown him to get what I want?” She got in my face. “He’s the only one you’ve got left. Your other boyfriends are looking forward to a life sentence because you dragged them into this. Don’t get Victor killed on top of it.”
She opened my phone and found Alistair’s number. I never deleted it. Deep down, I was looking forward to the day I called and asked him to come back home.
That day was not supposed to happen like this.
I panted—chest heaving as I strained against my bonds. What do I do? What do I do?!
“Everleigh, listen—”
“Listen to what? More bullshit about me having a little sister?” She snorted. “Yeah, I know you made all that up. Good job on distracting me to get to my phone, though. I bet you had loads of fun trolling the T.O.D. site again.”
Everleigh smirked at my look. “Don’t know what good you thought that would do you. So what, you got admin access to the site? Wolf shut that down the minute I realized why you took my phone. All that, and you didn’t know you were walking into a trap tonight. You had no idea this was the Rogues’ last day of freedom.
“You tried fighting back against me, and you lost. Now you have one chance and one chance only. Tell him to come here, or Victor dies.” Mania lit in her eyes, made scarier by the shadows. “I will not ask again.”
She hit call. The dial tone rang through the night.
“You can hang that up. I won’t let you hurt him. I won’t—”
“Wolfie, baby,” Everleigh sang.
Without a pause to breathe, Wolfgang kicked Victor in the chest.
“Hphhm!” Victor rolled down the bank and plunged into the water. His dense, muscled body sank like a stone.
“Nooo!” I thrashed harder, flinging my body to break free. Run to him. Save him.
“Want to try that again?” The call rang out, and she dialed again. “Better hope he picks up. Victor stays under until I get what I want.”
I sobbed, unhinged and messy. Wolf whistled, his whole vibe calm and collected, while on the other end of the rope, my love was thrown into his worst, most traumatic nightmare.
The call picked up. “Hello? Luna?”
“D-D—” I couldn’t speak for the stone in my throat. How could I do this? Trade the father I was beginning to know for the man I loved. “You’re a monster,” I shrieked. “You deserve everything that’s coming to you. I wish I could bring your fucking father back and kill him all over again!”
“Luna?” Alistair cried. “What’s going on?”
Everleigh smiled over my head. “Go ahead. Keep wasting time yelling at me. It’s not like Victor’s life depends on it or anything.”
I have no choice. Victor can’t die. He just can’t.
“Dad,” I sobbed. “Everleigh caught me. She has... me tied up in the woods and she’s going to kill Victor if you don’t face her. I’m sorry, Dad.” It’d be a miracle if he understood anything I said. I was crying so hard, every word was a racking wheeze. “I’m so sorry.”