Chapter 26

I open my eyes to find myself in the living room, my hands tied to the back a chair.

“Ahh, you’re awake. I was wondering how long it would take you to wake up, after all, I prefer having my victims conscious when I kill them” the man’s voice sends chills down my spine.

He rounds the corner and I get to see him. At least parts of him since he had his face covered. He was a big and burly man. His arms alone, looked like they can crush a person’s head. He screamed danger and not because I was currently his victim. There was just something menacing about him.

He takes a seat in front of me, with a glass of wine in his hand. My glass and my wine. He looked so comfortable, like this was his house.

I try to get free, but the ropes are tight.

“You can try all you want but you’re not getting away from me this time” he chuckles. “You’ve caused me enough trouble and I don’t like trouble”

“Who are you and what do you want from me?” I ask him.

Maybe if I can get him to talk I can get something from him and buy myself some time. There is no way no one noticed someone breaking into my house, right?

“Let’s just say I’m someone who really wants you dead”

The urge to roll my eyes is strong. I mean, it’s kind of obvious he wants me dead. That’s why I’m currently tied to a chair in my own house.

“Are you one of the goons that are after my family? You got the wrong person if you think that killing me will mean anything to them”

He laughs loudly. Full on belly laugh. As if I said the funniest thing in the world.

Fuck! I was hoping he would be part of the criminal gang that killed father. It would be so much easier to reason with him. To make him see that I don’t mean a thing to Rowan or my family. If I’m wrong and it’s not the gang after me, then it means I am totally screwed.

“No darling, I’m not part of any gang, but someone promised me a very good pay if I delivered the news of your untimely death” he tells me gruffly.

I stare at him with shock. “Someone is paying you to have me killed?”

“I won’t get paid till I get the job done and that’s why I need you dead, you understand that right, darling”

“Stop calling me darling!” I ground out.

My heart is beating wildly. I can’t wrap my head around the fact that someone wants me dead so badly that he or she is offering payment if the job is done.

I mean, I’m not anyone important, so who the hell would want me dead? I have no enemies, well except for Emma, but Emma wouldn’t go to that extent just to get me out of the way, right?

We’re related by blood. Despite everything that has happened between us, she wouldn’t want me dead. (2)

“Are you sure about that? People do crazy things in the name of love” my mind whispers.

Damn it! I was now beginning to doubt my own sister. How F***ed up was that?

I’m pulled back to my thoughts when the sound of glass shattering hits my ears. I turn to the intruder.

“Oops, sorry” he mocks with a devious smirk on his face.

The bastard had broken my glass intentionally. He stands up and starts pacing but not nervously.

“Now, how to do it. There is so many ways to kill you” he turns to face me. “Do you have any preference on how you would like to die?”

I cringe inside. I needed to leave. The man was clearly a psycho and I wasn’t going to wait here hoping for Calvary to arrive. Besides, if my neighbors had seen anything, wouldn’t the police already be here?

“No preference? I guess I’ll just have to slit your throat. There is nothing more satisfying like watching the life of your victim leave their eyes” he says with an evil glint in his eyes.

He takes out a knife and starts flicking it up and down. I had only one chance to escape, so I better use it well.

I push myself backwards as hard as I can. I crash, my head hitting the floor hard. Pain radiates

through my skull. Making the throb even worse.

I breathe in through the pain. Shit, the movies made this seem so easy. It wasn’t.

“What the F***?!” he growls in shock.

With the chair broken, I’m free. I don’t give myself or him time to react. I get up quickly and start running towards the door while untying my hands.

I don’t get far because he crashes into me. Making me collide with the wooden floor. He turns me so that I am facing him.

“Did you honestly think it will be that easy to escape me?” he taunts.

Bringing my legs up, I knee him in the balls, making him release a shout. I take off again not caring where I’m going. I just wanted to be away from him.

He recovers quickly, because soon after I feel a hand wrap around my ankle. He tugs and I fall with a thud again, hitting my chin against the floor. He’s on me before I can recover.

“You bitch!” he shouts before slapping me hard across the face.

For a moment, I see stars and my vision blurs. Being hit by a man F***ing hurts.

“Just because of making things hard for me, I’ll have my fun with you before killing you” he says evilly.

I didn’t need an interpreter to tell me what he meant. I feel his hands on my hips as he tries to drag my pajama pants down. Fear encases my bones. Is this how I was going to die? Raped then murdered in my own home.

I fight him, but he pins my hands to my side. I still don’t stop.

“Please stop. If money is what you want then I can give it to you” I plead.

His hand was now inside my pants. His touch on my skin made me feel like retching. It felt like slimy warms were crawling on me.

He chuckles. “I don’t know who you’re trying to fool but I know you don’t have money. Not the kind of money I’m being offered, anyway”

He goes back to his ministrations. Just when I think all hope is lost, I see the lamp I had dropped when he hit me on the head. I reach for it and smash it against his skull.

He lets out a roar and falls back. The knife he had planned to use to kill me falls from his pocket.

Not wasting any time, I take it and strike, plunging it in his thick thighs, right as my front door busts open.

We both freeze in shock. With a curse, he recovers, quickly stands up and runs. Leaving through my back door

Drake comes rushing through my kitchen door with two other men, I don’t recognize.

He’s bleeding from the head and looks like he’s about to collapse.

“You two get him. I want him caught at all cost” he tells them and they rush outside where the man escaped through.

Drake comes and helps me up just as we hear sirens. He leads me to the living room where he helps me take a seat,

The police rush in, followed closely behind by Rowan and Ethan.

“Search the place” the chief officer commands and the police scramble to do his bidding, all except Ethan.

My head was killing me. My chin was throbbing and I could already tell that my face was beginning to swell.

“How the hell did you let this happen, Drake?” Rowan snarls coming to my side, while Ethan takes the other.

“I’m sorry boss, he ambushed me and hit me on the back of the head.” he answers looking down. He was disappointed in himself, you could tell.

“What’s going on?” I ask softly, rubbing my temples.

“Drake was supposed to be protecting you!” Rowan answers through clenched teeth.

“What?”

“He was supposed to watch over you, make sure you weren’t harmed and he failed.” Rowan was angry and I just didn’t have time to deal with him.

If I hadn’t been attacked and I was more myself, I would have questioned why he had Drake tailing me and why he didn’t consult me first before making the decision. I was too tired though and I just wanted to sleep.

“Are you okay?” Ethan asks, his hand softly touching mine. Concern in his voice.

His question and actions draws Rowan’s attention to us. His jaw clenches even harder when he

“My head hurts” I whisper softly and tiredly. Fighting back the emotions that threatened to consume me.

I was almost raped and killed. I still couldn’t wrap my head around that.

I just wanted comfort. To lay my head on someone’s shoulder but I didn’t know whose it should be.

Rowan, the man I’ve known and loved all my life or Ethan the man that is slowly starting to mean something to me.

Instead of choosing either, I decide to lay my head on the back of the couch and close my eyes for a minute. It was now just starting to sink in that someone actually wanted me dead. That they had promised a huge amount of money if the man succeeded.

Question is, who the hell wanted me dead so badly?