Total pages in book: 24
Estimated words: 22112 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 111(@200wpm)___ 88(@250wpm)___ 74(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 22112 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 111(@200wpm)___ 88(@250wpm)___ 74(@300wpm)
This is all my fucking fault.
When I get to the room where she was supposed to be, there’s not a trace of her left behind. I run through the hallway and back toward the way we came in, and my stomach drops when I see the doors are wide open. By the time I get outside, I see my car is gone, and there’s nothing and no one parked outside.
She’s gone, and either she left on her own or that fucker took her. It’s my worst nightmare come to life.
Chapter Thirteen
RUE
I’m impatient as I sit in this room alone and wonder what I should do. My fingers toy with the end of my dress because I need to keep my hands busy. I’m sure there’s a camera on me, but I don’t want to openly search for it. They might catch on to what I’m going to do next.
Who knows how many people are watching me? With each second that ticks by, my anxiety grows and my mind races with the different possibilities. None of them end well. I hate that Maxim left me here. He was so cold in his order for me to stay put like a trained dog. His mood shifts mess with my head more than anything else.
I’ve really gotten into a bind. I suppose even a cat only has nine lives. I’ve surely used up all of mine, and now my luck is coming to an end. Petty crime is easy, but this is a whole other level. I’m willing to admit I’m in over my head.
There was no sign on the building, and I don’t have a clue where I actually am.
Everything that Maxim told me could be a lie, but what would be the purpose of that? Then again, I didn’t understand why he took me in the first place. He wasn’t arresting me for something I did, so maybe there’s a piece I’m missing? I can flirt my way out of a lot of things or play ditzy long enough to slip away. But this time I think I might have been bested.
Has Maxim played me? What he did to me went past flirting, and it only goes to show that once again, I’m in the deep end of the pool, and I have no freaking clue how to swim. I’m barely treading water, and with each second that passes, I sink further.
After five minutes and more intrusive thoughts, I know I have to get out of this room. Even if it’s only to poke around the building or get myself outside of it. Being in this room alone is too much. I’m cornered, and that’s the last thing I should let happen. Outside would be safer. I could breathe and be able to think more clearly.
I’ll have to be quick. The camaras might only be there to record everything, but someone could be monitoring them. It wasn’t a long walk to this room from the exit. I jump up quickly before I lose my nerve and key in the code to the door. The lock disengages, and I let out a sigh of relief.
Slowly I start to open the door but pause when I hear voices. I can’t make out what they are saying but they keep walking and then the voices grow distant. When I can’t hear them any longer, I peek out into the hallway and glance both ways.
When I don’t see anyone, I look farther out and check the hallway. For some reason, it appears to be a million times longer than I remember. It's like Stephen King’s The Shining, but thankfully, no creepy twins are at either end.
This is my chance.
I know it, but my hand stays on the handle of the door, and it keeps me in limbo. If I leave, what will that mean? I don’t trust myself not to run when I get outside because it’s all I know. It’s normally my first instinct, but right now, all I can think is, what will it mean to Maxim if I run? Could I really leave him behind? The thought makes my chest ache, and it’s enough to force me back into the room. But as soon as I start to take a step it’s too late.
“Rue.” My heart drops at the sound of my name because I know that voice. Gavin. I swing my gaze to the other side of the hallway and see him standing there with blood splattered on his clothes. This might be worse than the twins from The Shining. “I finally got you, you little cunt!” Gavin shouts before barreling down the hallway toward me.
Scared to get cornered in the room, I dart down the hallway toward the exit door. I run as fast as I can, praying that the door opens without needing a code to get out. I know I won’t have the time to enter it with him hot on my heels.