Total pages in book: 58
Estimated words: 56507 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 283(@200wpm)___ 226(@250wpm)___ 188(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 56507 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 283(@200wpm)___ 226(@250wpm)___ 188(@300wpm)
“Fuck.”
CHAPTER 26
ANIA
“We really should head back soon,” Mom murmurs as we walk through the park.
It’s so peaceful this late at night. The air is so fresh. It reminds me of walking around the compound when everybody is asleep. Not when I’m in sleepwalking mode, but when I can’t sleep, I walk, think, and enjoy the nothingness.
“Just a little longer,” I say, sitting on a bench and leaning down to remove my shoes.
“What are you doing?” Mom asks anxiously.
“I want to feel the grass on my feet.”
“Anna.” Mom reaches down and touches my shoulder. “I agreed we’d take a short walk to clear your head. I agreed when you said you wanted it to be just us, but that was a mistake. We shouldn’t be out here alone without security. It’s dangerous.”
“Nobody’s even here.”
“Oh, Anna. Please listen to me.”
I look up at her, hating the tension in her voice, the pain evident in her expression.
“I want you to be happy,” she goes on. “I wish I could’ve been there for you since you were a baby. I wish I’d had the bravery, but please don’t hate me. We have to go home.”
I sigh, moving my hands away from my shoes. I still don’t see the issue with a quick walk across the cool grass, but I don’t want to cause an argument or anything. She’s probably right. What if something were to happen?
“Okay,” I say.
“Good.” Mom nods. “Now, I’m going to call Teddy so he knows where we are. Oh, crap. I forgot my cell phone! How stupid can one person be?”
“The apartment’s just around the corner. We can be home before they even know anything about it.”
“I’d feel much more comfortable with …”
“Hey, ladies.”
We both turn at the sound of a voice. A short, lean man wearing a leather jacket walks over, flashing an ugly smile. Behind him, two enormous men linger with a hand behind their backs. Suddenly, panic pulses through me. I’ve made a terrible mistake. I’m already thinking of going back in time to the silly girl who shook her mom awake and begged for a few minutes of freedom and slapping her in the face.
“Anna,” Mom whispers. “Stay behind me … whatever happens.”
“Relax,” the man with the leather jacket says with a mean chuckle. “We’re not going to hurt you. You’re valuable.”
“My husband can find me with the app on my phone,” Molly hisses. “You’re making a serious mistake.”
“But you haven’t got your phone on you, have you? I’ve been watching you both for a few minutes. Neither of you has checked a phone, and you, Mrs. Bigtime, seem very anxious. See? I pay attention. Anxious people check their phones.”
I stand up, walking to Mom’s side. “I guess you’re the big bad wolf who burned the lodge down.”
The man inclines his head. “The one and only.”
Fear tries to close my throat and make it impossible for me to speak, but instead, I snap, “Am I supposed to be impressed? Am I supposed to be scared?”
“I honestly don’t care, girly,” he snaps. “You and this old bitch are just currency to me. You’ve made my life a lot easier. Fellas …”
“Anna, run!”
I turn and start sprinting through the park, Mom at my side. Then she trips and takes a terrible fall on the concrete. I’ve fallen so many times in ballet that I know a bad one from a good one. I hear the crunch of the impact, and it makes me stop.
“Anna!” Mom yells.
But it’s too late. There’s a sweaty hand over my mouth. I kick my legs, try to scream, try to bite, but the man holds me like it’s nothing, like I’m nothing. No matter what I do, I can’t get away from him. Aiden! That’s what I try to yell. Not Dimitri or Mikhail, but Aiden. My man. I’ll have babies for you, Aiden, if that’s what it takes. I’ll give you anything you want. Just let me dance again as you watch me like nobody else exists. Let me watch you carve a ballerina out of wood like you’re sculpting our future, a future I didn’t even know I wanted until you took me.
Aiden, Aiden, please …
“Get them in the van,” the man snarls.
CHAPTER 27
AIDEN
“Why the fuck did the security let them go?” I roar, punching the refrigerator so hard that the metal caves in, and the unit makes a humming noise as it breaks. “Why the fuck?” I spin, grab the blender, and throw it at the wall. “Fuck, fuck!”
Dad stares at me with complete shock. I’ve never acted like this, not once in my entire life. Even as a kid, my anger never took hold of me like this.
“We’ve got the surveillance footage, son,” Dad says, his voice shivering in a way I’ve never heard before.
“They could be dead,” I snarl.