Page 1 of Unfold
PROLOGUE
Hiding like a coward, I saw it all but I made no move to help. What could I do anyway? These were dangerous men, not boys. It was quite clear that they were not to be messed with. Besides, even if I could have done something, my legs weren’t working. So I sat there and watched.
“Where is it, Connor? Tell me now, and I’ll spare you. We’ll put this all behind us as if nothing happened.”
The lean, tattooed guy who was responsible for my broken ankles said to the man in the wheelchair before him.
Two other men stood apart from the tattooed guy, although they all had tattoos. One of them, short and stocky, kicked out his foot in frustration as his hand gripped the gun. “We are wasting precious time, Jason! This bastard doesn’t have it. Kill him and let’s end this once and for all.”
The third guy, who was the biggest of them all, brushed back his dark hair in frustration before turning to glance around the room frantically.
“Kaleb is the right man. We’ve been at it for far too long. We have to get out of here.”
The lean guy, Jason, screamed in frustration, his large hands connecting with the cheeks of the guy in the wheelchair, who was bloodied and bruised.
“Dammit Connor, where’s the fucking package?”
Connor’s mouth curled back in a mocking grin before spitting out blood onto Jason’s boots.
“Just kill me already, you bastards! You already ruined my life once. You are never getting anything out of me again.”
There were so much bitterness and hatred in his voice. Even though I didn’t know what he was referring to, I could almost feel his pain. I didn’t think I could stand seeing Connor murdered.
“Fine, if you are going to be so stubborn we no longer need you,” Jason said as he pointed his gun to Connor’s head, bracing to make the kill.
Quickly, I shoved my fist into my mouth, muffling the whimper that threatens to escape. Those guys beat me so hard I had fallen unconscious, and they probably thought I was dead. It was best to keep it that way if I wanted to stay alive.Hopefully, help will come soon,I think again, just as I did months ago when my best friend, Mason, was shot by a mad serial killer.
In the seconds that followed, I deeply regretted choosing to hide like a bloody coward rather than helping Cooper. When the sound of the gunshot pierced the air and the body in the wheelchair went limp, I felt like my heart leaped out of my body and shattered into a million pieces.
Someone screamed so loudly that I was surprised the glass windows didn’t break. Then I realized it was me who was screaming, forgetting all about staying silent and keeping safe.
They did it, they killed him,was all I could think. Connor was dead, and I had never felt so afraid in my entire life.
“Shit,” I heard Kaleb say when I was out of breath to scream. I could hear my own erratic breathing through the rush of blood pulsing in my ears. “I thought you killed her.”
Jason kicked the wheelchair, which rolled off, colliding with the wall. I watched as Connor’s limp body tumbled to the ground. “Fuck Randy! I told you to check. Now she’s seen everything.”
“It… it seemed like she was dead,” the big guy, Randy, stuttered.
Kaleb groaned as he gave Randy the stink eye. “I’ll take care of the girl,” he growled as he began walking toward me.
Oh shit, what have I done?
I began to drag my body as far away from him as I could, knowing deep down that I could not outrun the man silently stalking me. From his dangerous smile, I could tell he sensed my fear, and he enjoyed it, reveling in the power it gave him.
Whimpering, I struggled to go faster - urging my useless legs to work - but it was no use. I knew what would come next, but I wasn’t ready for it. What on earth had I been thinking following Connor when my instincts had warned me not to? Two attempts had been made to end my life already, and I had prevailed. But I wasn’t optimistic about my chances this time.
Kaleb was almost halfway to my body when a bang shook the building. He stopped abruptly, shock registering on his face and those of the other men.
“We need to get out of here. Now, Kaleb,” Jason shouted at his partner. I discreetly heaved a sigh of relief. Maybe I wasn’t meant to die today after all.
However, the moment was short-lived as Kaleb continued walking toward me, faster now.
“No, no…” I whispered, shaking my head pitifully as I begged for my life. “Please…”
He didn’t listen; he just kept coming as I continued to scamper away from him, dragging my injured legs. Another bang filled the room. Someone was coming, maybe to rescue me. I screamed for help at the top of my lungs, praying whoever was there would hear me.
“Shit Kaleb, let’s move,” a now apprehensive Jason called out just as the knob to the door rattled. When it was clear Kaleb had no intention of being swayed from his path, the other two ran straight out of the window without looking back.
