He grins confidently, knowing it as well, and I can tell he’s had a long time to think on this topic. “He was the perfect person to get in with a dead body quickly. After he shut off the power supply, he would have known exactly how long he had before the generator kicked in. You are the cause of his pain. His wife was killed because she was protecting you. His four sons turned on him for you. He also has a major grudge to settle with you because it was you that took over his club when he disappeared. And now he’s back for his revenge, making you suffer while he torments you in the process.”
All of what he’s saying is true. Syd hated me my entire life, but if he is alive and has been in hiding, why come after me now? “How am I supposed to believe you? This could all be some bullshit you’re making up so I start to trust you, when it’s really you hunting me down.”
His finger brushes the side of my face so gently I almost don’t feel it. “I don’t care if you trust me, Sloane. I already have you right where I want you, trust or not, but for your own piece of mind, you might want to start listening to me.”
I suck in a sharp breath, the weight of his latest revelation bearing down on me. Fuck. I know he’s right. He has me right where he wants me, in his fucking hands, because I’m trapped here on this damn island with him, no way out. He’s also making a lot of sense, and I can’t believe I didn’t see this earlier.
As the realization of this reality settles in, my pulse kicks up a beat. “If this is true, then my brothers could still be in danger,and the girls from my club as well. He could be after any of them next. And what about Onyx, Romeo, and Reef? I can’t just stay here with you, being some doll you dress up and force to play tea parties with, while Syd’s out there causing havoc on my town.”
His eyes narrow in on me, a flash of what I can only describe as an evil, deranged look flaring in them. “You’re not leaving this island until he’s dead!”
My head throbs as I meet his steely gaze with my own. “You have to tell them then, warn them. My brothers and the boys, they all need to know. Reef can use his resources on the force to track him down. Or even Malachi might be able to tap into his hiding place. Please, Orlando, please help them.”
His head drops a little, then his eyes rise back to mine. “I left them every bit of evidence I have against him. They should be hunting him down as we speak.”
I go to open my mouth to respond, but then I don’t know what to say, his last comment knocking me off guard. He wants their help? I blink back at him, trying to wrap my head around who he really is. What all this could possibly mean. If this is true then he really is trying to help me. “What about me? Do they know I’m safe?” I search his dark eyes for the truth, and I feel his fingers tighten on me just a little.
“They know you’re with me.” A fresh wave of panic takes off within me, because then they will be searching for me and not hunting down the man who’s trying to get his revenge on me.
Adrenaline courses through my veins, and without another thought, I shove him off me and take off back down the stairs.
“Sloane, where are you going?” he calls after me, but I’m not turning back to answer him. I have no idea how, but I have to get out of here.
With Orlando’s words echoing through my head, I move as fast as my feet will take me in the stupid heels I have on. I arrive at the same front door he dragged me through last night, thedesperate need to see my brothers and the boys with this new information driving me forward. The girls at the club are also a constant thought drilling into my head. I need to get back to the club to make sure Sally, Myriah, and the other girls are all safe. If I’m not there, I know Syd will lose his shit and start targeting them, it’s only a matter of time.
Now that we know who is after me, it’s simple. Reef can use his resources to track him down and lock him up, and if that fails, Onyx and Jagger will have no issues in killing him. That’s if I don’t get to him first. If I do, I will personally make sure he pays for the shit he’s put those poor women through.
The icy night air slaps me in the face as I throw open theunlockedfront door. A shiver slithers down my spine. Is this some kind of test? Why would he leave it unlocked? Fuck it, I don’t even care at this point. With salt licking at my skin from the waves crashing into the rocky shoreline, I keep running into the night.
I hear Orlando right behind me, his footsteps echoing ominously, but I don’t care; I have to get back to them all. A path carved in stone takes me around the back of the house, and I sprint into the closest line of trees, hiding behind one as I try and catch my breath. I have no fucking plan. I know how stupid this is. I can’t swim and have no clue how to operate a boat, and that is the only way off this island. But I have to try. I know Orlando isn’t going to let me go, and at this point, I’m pretty damn certain he’s not going to kill me either, so why not try and get the hell out of here? What’s the worst that can happen if he catches me? Yeah, I’m not going to dwell on that right now.
I hear his call, a sharp snap in the quiet, and I know he’s getting closer. My heart quickens in my chest because I know he’s no longer behind me. His voice sounds like it’s coming from the side, somewhere behind the line of trees, if that is even possible.
Ditching my heels, I move further into the forest. I run for what feels like forever, the wind whipping past my face as trees blur, their rough branches scratching up my bare arms like claws reaching out to grab at me. The cold, uneven ground jars my feet with every stride I take, mud squelching through my toes and splashing up onto my dress. I’m no longer the perfect princess for him.
When I get to a clearing in the trees, I find what looks like a weathered boat shed with a ramp attached. With my heart in my throat, I run faster toward it, hoping to God that there is a boat inside. As I move around the front of the dilapidated building, my heart sinks when I find it empty. There aren’t even old tools or equipment inside. The entire place looks like it’s been stripped of its former life in a storm and has never been repaired.
“Sloane,” Orlando calls my name again, and I know I need to keep moving. This was a dead end, but surely on this island somewhere is a boat I can use. There has to be. He couldn’t just lock us up here with no way of escaping. What if there is an emergency or a massive storm we can’t weather in his house?
My head spins as my thoughts start to derail. With every minute that passes, I feel myself slipping further into the version of me I tried so hard to bury long ago. The helpless girl I used to be, the one I swore never to be again. Being stuck on this island and away from my life, my routine, my meds, my grip on reality, I feel myself slipping further into a terrifying fog I can’t shake. And I’m not sure what I’m more afraid of… Orlando catching me and punishing me for running from him, or my own mind turning against me.
It’s fear that propels me forward, keeping my feet moving even though my mind is failing me. I sprint around the scrub twisted down the side of the old shed, and a knotted root snags my toe, sending me sprawling. I land on the damp ground with a heavythud, the scent of rich, dark earth instantly filling my nostrils. My golden dress gets splattered with thick mud all the way up to the bodice, sending a cold shiver over me.
Fuck. My heart races faster and my head spins, the trees in front of me blurring.
I rub my knees, blood trickling through the cut-up flesh. They sting like a bitch, but I can’t let a little pain hold me back. I have to escape him.
“Sloane,” my name rips through the silence of the night, and this time Orlando sounds more desperate and closer than ever.
His voice sends my pulse into overdrive. Frantically, I search my surroundings for the right way to go. A flicker of light streams through a small gap in the trees not too far from me. With shaky legs, I pull myself back up to my feet with a tree trunk and dust off my now ripped dress. He had me dress up for him, play some part I don’t fucking understand. A princess? What fucked-up fantasy is this? The confusion causes a dull throb to thump through my head. I try to shake it off as I move toward the light, pushing aside the dense, thorny shrubbery to step onto the beach, the damp sand cold and comforting under my bruised and sore feet.
Flicking my head from left to right, I try to take it all in. As far as the eye can see, it’s an endless expanse of blue water, the sound of the waves crashing at the beach is a constant whisper telling me I’m fucked. There is no way off this island.
Tears prickle in my eyes, hopelessness overwhelming me. I cover my face with my hands, gasping for air that seems to evade my lungs, each inhale a painful struggle. I can’t do this. I can’t stay here with him, and I can’t escape.
The snapping of a twig behind me has me spinning round to find Orlando slowly approaching, walking up the beach hands in his pockets, way too casually. He watches me, his dark eyes sparkling under the moonlight as they lock with mine. He sucksin a sharp breath, moving deliberately, like I’m a feral animal about to attack him, cautiously closing the gap between us one footstep at a time. “There is nowhere else to go.”
I back up, needing to get away. “Don’t come any closer,” I warn him, my voice shaky as all hell.
