Page 209 of Chandelier Sin
The only evidence anyone had been in here were the handcuffs hanging from the St. Andrew’s Cross—that and a discarded whip.
Jesus, what the fuck had he done to Stella in here?
Jake was going to kill him. Atticus too, probably.
Rylee spun around to face us. “Where would he take her?”
I turned to Atticus. “Would he auction her?”
He shook his head. “He’s tried that, remember? Jake intervened.”
Atticus gave me a long look, seeming to sense where they might have gone.
“What?” said Rylee, looking at me and then Atticus.
“Stella knows about the sixth floor,” he said. “Lance asked her to find access to it.”
Rylee looked horrified. “They wouldn’t go up there. That would be suicide.”
“Unless she didn’t tell him that,” I reasoned.
“Call Jake.” Atticus squeezed his eyes shut and then reached for my arm. “Eve, I need you to go. I’ll handle this.”
We both knew we might not make that flight.
My heartbeat became unsteady thinking of all that was at risk. Not getting to Stella in time might result in tragedy.
But my daughter…
“If she went up there with Lance…” Rylee stared at me.
I shook my head. “They’ll kill Stella.”
Fury shone in Atticus’ eyes. “Fuck!”
I fought back tears, knowing we’d be delayed, but a life was at risk. “I’m coming with you.”
He reached into his jacket pocket and retrieved a pair of fine leather gloves, pulling them on. “Tell Jake to wait for us down here. Under no circumstances is he to access the sixth floor.”
“Oh, God,” said Rylee. “What if I can’t stop him?”
Atticus and I shared a look of raw understanding, a realization that we had no choice.
As the elevator rose, each passing second echoed with the discordant symphony of my racing pulse.
It was a cruel countdown to my dashed dream of reuniting with Eloise tomorrow. The dread in my gut was squeezing the air from my lungs.
Time had always been my tormentor.
With a deep breath, I focused on the rhythm of the ascent—each floor, a step closer to getting to Stella.
Atticus knelt and picked something up off the carpeted elevator floor. He held out the studded earring in his palm. “Stella’s?”
“She wanted us to know she was here.” I could almost sense her fear. “In case anything happened.”
“In case she disappeared,” he said gravely, slipping the earring into his pocket.
My throat tightened, but I tried to steady my nerves. “I should have done something sooner.”
