Total pages in book: 12
Estimated words: 11601 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 58(@200wpm)___ 46(@250wpm)___ 39(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 11601 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 58(@200wpm)___ 46(@250wpm)___ 39(@300wpm)
“I had to, Riley. He’s a dangerous man.”
“How dangerous? I need to know.” She lowers her gaze, breaking eye contact and going back to the ropes. I can feel the knots loosening, slowly. Little by little.
“Harrison has done devastating, horrible things. Drug and illegal firearm deals. Human, organ and sex trafficking. He’s got a whole network and too many connections with even more dangerous men across the country.”
In fact, his network runs all the way to Russia, China, Japan, Italy, and probably other countries.
“Detective Mallik has been shadowing him for almost five years, but Harrison is good at going off the grid. Because of how solid his connections are, he can disappear easily. And he’s fucking good at hiding. When my father approached me for the first time, Detective Mallik realized that I’m the key to breaking Harrison’s network. I just needed to gain his trust, to get in and find out who he’s working with. The last time we were with each other, Harrison was there. In my apartment. He was watching us, while we were together.”
“He saw us…? You mean, while we were intimate—”
My chest rattles with a miserable exhale. I know my answer is going to cause Riley more distress. “Yes.”
She sucks in a shaky breath, and her fingers pause on the ropes. “What happened then?”
“That was the day Harrison trusted me enough to deliver cargo for him. And do you know what that cargo was, Riley? Bodies. Seven young girls and two boys. None of whom were older than fifteen. They were alive and I had been tasked with delivering them to their buyers.”
“Oh God,” she whispers with sickening outrage. “Grayson, that’s terrible. Please tell me you didn’t.”
The ropes come undone. And I rub my wrists, trying to get some feeling back into them. “I had to,” I tell her quietly, before turning around to see the absolute horror in her expression.
“Grayson—”
I shake my head. “But Detective Mallik knew about the delivery and was able to get his team on it. As a result of me being a plant, they were able to get to the location and catch the buyers. Other details are classified, so I can’t tell you more than this. But Harrison started getting suspicious after three of my deliveries were successfully intercepted by the FBI.”
“Did he catch on?”
“Not until a year later. When I thought I finally had him, he had already figured out that I had never been on his side in the first place. So he went off the grid before we could do anything. Harrison disappeared as if he never existed.” I take Riley’s hands in mine. Her fingers look like they have been scratched raw. Red and chafed. Some of her nails are chipped and bleeding from her efforts to untie me. “And he’s been underground for almost two years. Until now. How’s your legs? Still numb?”
Riley moves slowly, testing out her limbs. “I can feel them now, but I don’t think I can run.”
“We’ll make it out of here, I promise you.” I bring my hand up, hesitantly. When she doesn’t pull away from me, I cup her tear-stained cheek. Her skin is cold and clammy.
Her chin wobbles, almost like my touch has somehow given her the strength to break down. She sniffles back a sob and fresh tears fill her eyes, but she doesn’t let them spill. Her fingers wrap around my wrist. “I’m so scared, Grayson.”
Jesus Christ, I’m never going to forgive myself for this.
“I should have fucking stayed away, but I didn’t. And now you have to pay the price. I put you at risk—”
The sound of a metal door creaking open makes me pause. Riley’s breath catches in her throat, and her eyes widen with terror. Her grip on my wrist tightens, desperately holding on.
“Grayson.” She whimpers as heavy footsteps approach us.
“Shh, it’s okay. It’s okay, Goldilocks.” I give her the ropes and then turn around, putting myself in front of her. “Hurry, put the ropes loosely around my wrists. Make it look like I’m still tied up, but make sure I can get out of the ropes easily. Understand?”
Her breath hitches. “O-okay.”
My mind races as I try to make out Harrison’s figure through the darkness. His footsteps grow closer and closer, coming toward us. A horrible sinking feeling forms in the pit of my stomach. He’s right in front of me; I can feel him.
And then I’m suddenly blinded with a bright light. I squeeze my eyes shut. For a minute, I had forgotten about the pain in the back of my head, but the light triggered it. Agony blasts through my skull and my body sways with dizziness. Vomit swirls in the pit of my stomach and I fight the urge to wretch. Shit.
Riley lets out a terrified gasp from behind me.