Chapter 80

Chapter 80: Meeting Reaper

“Wake up!”

I groan, but I don’t open my eyes. The voice sounded so far away, and I thought that I was dreaming because how else would the voice sound so familiar?

“Ava, wake the fuck up!”

This time I open my eyes. The voice sounded too real to be a dream. Also, why the hell would I dream of her?

My vision is blurry as my eyes try to adjust. As the seconds go by, the memories of earlier come back to me.

Shit! I’ve been kidnapped again.

My brain was still fuzzy from what I assume is the chloroform I inhaled. I take a quick note of things, hoping that the chemical won’t affect my baby.

I was seated on a chair with my hands tied behind my back. Trying to move proves to be a moot point. The ropes were tight and they cut into my skin. Whoever took me probably didn’t want to risk me escaping.

“Are you done?” she asks.

I thought it was just my imagination, but it’s not. I sharply turn to my left to find Emma also tied to a chair. She looked more alert, meaning she was here longer than I was.

“What the hell are you doing here?” I ask her dumbly.

I survey the area. It was one big room with absolutely nothing. No chair or furniture except the ones Emma and I were sitting on. There was nothing to give a clue of where we were or who this house belonged to.

“Isn’t it obvious? We were both kidnapped,” she answers sarcastically.

I roll my eyes at her. “Of course, I know that! What I meant to ask is why whoever it is would take both of us?”

I don’t know who took us, but I have my suspicions. The only threat that was remaining was from someone who considered Emma more important to the Sharps and Rowan than I was.

“I don’t know.”

“How long have you been here?” I tried calming my breaths. It wouldn’t do me any good to panic.

The more I try, the more I’m taken back to the night Ethan betrayed me. Didn’t things happen almost in the exact same way? With the difference being Letty was the one kidnapped alongside me instead of Emma.

Fear grips me as I think of that day. Fear that the same thing would happen again. That I was about to find out that someone close to me had betrayed me again.

“I’m not sure. I gained consciousness just as they carried you in,” Emma’s voice pulls me back from the painful memories.

“And how long have I been out?”

“Maybe fifteen or twenty minutes or so.”

I’m quiet after that, trying to do the math. It doesn’t help though. Because I’m not sure how far out they drove from the ice cream shop.

I start to panic again when I think of Noah. Oh my god, who was going to pick him up? School ends at three-thirty, and when I got to the ice cream shop, it was already around noon. What if they decided to take him too?

‘Calm down,’ I tell myself. ‘You know the school will call Rowan if you’re unable to pick him up. He’ll be safe.’

I keep telling myself that until I calm down and my breathing stops being so erratic. Noah is going to be fine. Right now, I just needed to concentrate on myself.

“So it is true, you’re pregnant,” Emma speaks, making me turn to her. She was looking at my baby bump.

Even when she was being held hostage, she still looked damn beautiful. How the hell is that even possible? Maybe she was a goddess in her previous life or something.

Instead of answering, I ignore her and face forward. My pregnancy was none of her fucking business.

I start to struggle against the ropes, trying to loosen them. The ropes cut into my skin, but I keep trying. There was no way I was going to stay here with her the entire time.

“Can you just shut the fuck up and let me think?” I snap at her.

“Why do you have to be so rude?” she frowns at me. “That’s not going to fix anything.”

“Why don’t you just shut your mouth and let me think?” I retort.

She can’t seem to stop talking. The sound of her voice grates on my nerves. She always annoyed me, but right now it was unbearable.

“Why don’t you untie me, and when I’m done with her, I’ll be coming for you next,” I snarl at the man who just walked in.

The guy just laughs. He finds it funny because he knows fighting me would be akin to fighting a child.

“I’d like to see you try,” he scoffs at me. “Is this what you do during your spare time? Kidnap helpless, defenseless women? Does it make you feel more like a man drugging a woman into unconsciousness?”

“Shut up,” he shouts at me, his face contorting into something ugly.

He approaches me. His steps and movement are menacing, like a tiger about to pounce on its prey.

“Or what?”

“What the hell are you doing? Stop it,” Emma whisper-yells, her voice fearful. “Stop taunting him.”

I ignore her and smirk, looking directly at the huge man. “They should cut off your dick. Any man that drugs two women is nothing but a pussy and isn’t worthy of being called a man.”

To be honest, I don’t even know why I was pushing his buttons. I didn’t

I remain quiet as Ronny continues to talk, my heart beating wildly against my chest.

“You see, your ex-husband did something that pissed off a lot of people,” Ronny says, pacing back and forth in front of us. “And unfortunately for you two, you’re caught in the crossfire.”

Emma looks terrified, but she keeps her composure. I, on the other hand, am trying to figure out how to get us out of this situation.

“What did he do?” I ask, trying to keep my voice steady.

Ronny stops pacing and looks at me, a smirk forming on his lips. “He betrayed someone very powerful. Someone who doesn’t take betrayal lightly.”

“And what does that have to do with us?” I retort, trying to sound braver than I feel.

“You’re leverage,” Ronny says simply. “If we can’t get to him, we’ll get to him through you.”

My heart sinks. This was bad. Very bad.

“We have nothing to do with his actions,” Emma says, her voice trembling slightly. “Why punish us for something he did?”

Ronny laughs. “Because, my dear, that’s how the world works. Sometimes, the innocent suffer for the sins of others.”

I clench my fists, feeling a surge of anger. “And you think that makes it right?”

“It doesn’t matter if it’s right or wrong,” Ronny says, leaning in closer. “What matters is that it gets results.”

The door behind Ronny opens, and another man walks in. He looks just as intimidating, with a similar build and a stern expression.

“Boss, we have a problem,” the man says, looking at Ronny.

Ronny turns to face him, a frown forming on his face. “What kind of problem?”

“It’s Rowan. He’s here,” the man says.

Ronny’s eyes widen slightly, and then he grins. “Perfect. Bring him in.”

I feel a mix of relief and fear. Rowan is here, but I have no idea what that means for us.

The door opens again, and Rowan steps inside. He looks furious, his eyes blazing with anger as he takes in the scene.

“Ava, Emma,” he says, his voice low and dangerous. “Are you okay?”

“We’re fine,” I say quickly, though I’m not sure how true that is.

Rowan turns his attention to Ronny. “Let them go.”

Ronny laughs. “Or what? You’ll kill me?”

“If I have to,” Rowan says, his voice deadly calm.

Ronny’s grin fades. “You’re in no position to make demands, Rowan.”

“Try me,” Rowan says, taking a step forward.

Before I can react, the man next to Ronny lunges at Rowan. They grapple for a moment, but Rowan quickly overpowers him, knocking him to the ground.

Ronny looks furious, but he doesn’t move. “This isn’t over, Rowan. You’ll pay for what you did.”

Rowan doesn’t respond. Instead, he moves to untie me and Emma. “We’re getting out of here,” he says, his voice softening as he looks at me.

I nod, feeling a wave of relief wash over me as he frees my hands. Emma and I stand up, and Rowan leads us out of the room.

As we make our way to safety, I can’t help but feel a glimmer of hope. Maybe, just maybe, things will be okay.