Total pages in book: 102
Estimated words: 103413 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 517(@200wpm)___ 414(@250wpm)___ 345(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 103413 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 517(@200wpm)___ 414(@250wpm)___ 345(@300wpm)
“What is it? Is Liam okay? My brothers?”
Nico shook his head at her. “Okay, yeah. Where do I go? Got it. Yeah, I will. Right.”
He ended the call and looked at her, eyes wide.
“What is it?” she asked, feeling herself starting to crumble. “What is it?”
“Calm down.”
“I can’t calm down until you tell me what’s going on.”
Calm down? Was he serious? Did he want her to remove his balls from his body?
“We need to leave.”
“Leave? What do you mean, leave?”
She couldn’t leave. Her breath grew faster.
“Okay, pretty girl. Listen.”
“I can’t leave.”
“Lottie—”
“I can’t.”
“Charlotte,” he said sternly, making her jump. She’d only heard that tone from him a few times, but it quickly got her attention. “We are leaving. There is about to be a raid on this house. And neither you nor I can be here. I want you to go and pull on some clothes. Grab anything that is small and irreplaceable. Leave everything else. I have to rush and do a couple of things for your brother.”
“Nico,” she said.
“No. You are not going to think. You are just going to do what you are told. No thinking. Just obey. Understand?”
“I . . . I . . .”
“Understand?” he said sternly.
“Yes.”
“Yes, Nico.”
“Yes, Nico,” she repeated.
“Good. Go.” He turned her, giving her a smack to the ass.
She raced upstairs. When the panic started to hit her, she held onto his words.
Don’t think. Just obey.
Don’t think. Just obey.
She changed, pulling on dark clothes and tying back her hair. She grabbed a bag and rapidly picked up her jewelry box, her phone and charger and Hero, her teddy bear that she’d had since she was a baby.
She had to leave. Panic clawed at her.
Don’t think. Just obey.
Her phone buzzed and she looked down at it. Regent.
“Reggie?” she asked.
“Are you ready to leave?”
“Y-yes.”
“You’re going to be fine. Understand me? But I need you to do something.”
“What?”
“Go into the safe and grab everything in it. There’s not much, but I need you to take it.”
“Yes, okay. I can do that. Regent,” she cried.
“It’s okay, darling. It will all be all right.”
Her breath sobbed out of her as she raced downstairs. She found Nico already in the office, grabbing a laptop and putting it in a backpack. He had dark clothes on too.
With a shaky hand, she opened the hidden safe and grabbed everything out, dumping it in her bag. It wouldn’t all fit and she let out a sob.
“It’s all right, darling,” Regent said in her ear. “You only need to leave for a short time. I promise.”
“Here, I’ll help.” Nico took the rest of the stuff. “Tell him we have everything.”
“I heard,” Regent said. “Lock it back up and then you and Nico need to use the tunnels.”
“Regent,” she cried.
“You can do this, darling. You can’t take a car out. They’re at the gate. Okay? Go to the tunnels.”
“What is it?” Nico asked her. “What’s wrong?”
“We have to go through the tunnels.” She grabbed his hand and dragged him toward the back of the house where the kitchen was. None of the staff were around, most of them lived off-site except for Gerald, who waited in the kitchen with the trap door open.
“I’ll close it off when you go in,” he explained to them both. “You need to go now.”
“I can’t!” she cried.
“You have to,” Regent implored.
“Give the phone to me,” Liam said in the background.
“Fuck!” Regent swore.
“Baby girl, can you hear me?”
“Y-yes. Liam, I don’t want to. I’ll stay. Nico can go.”
“No,” Liam said firmly. “You’re going with him. Take his hand.”
“I have it.”
“Let him lead you in. You trust him, don’t you?”
“Yes.”
“And you trust me?”
“Yes.”
“Then you’re going to do as you are told. Follow Nico into the tunnel.”
“Yes, Liam.”
“Let me talk to Nico.” She handed the phone over and Nico spoke quickly before ending the call. Then he gave her a determined look. “Let’s go, pretty girl.”
Nico led her down the stairs. She’d always hated the tunnels. When she was a small child, she and Maxim would play in them. They weren’t supposed to, but that just made it more exciting. But then she’d gotten lost in them, and it had been hours until she’d been found.
Her breath came in harsh pants as they made it to the bottom of the stairs. And then the door above them closed, sending them into darkness.
A sob escaped her. She couldn’t do this. She had to get out. The darkness. She was going to suffocate.
“Lottie, Lottie, you’re fine. I’m here. You’re not going to die. I have you. Hush, pretty girl. You’re killing me here.”
The worry in Nico’s voice broke through her panic. “Sorry. Sorry.”
He turned on the flashlight Gerald had handed him.
“Listen to me. I need you to breathe with me. That’s it. Slow it down. Big breaths. Good girl. I’m sorry, but we have to move. Okay? I need you to walk with me. We can’t risk staying here.”