Page 57 of Love Under Siege

“Because you’re exactly where I want you…with me,” he says menacingly, his eyes gleaming with a dark satisfaction.

“I don’t understand! What do you want from us?!” I ask, my voice trembling with confusion and dread.

Adam chuckles darkly. “You still haven’t figured it out, Anya? Tsk tsk tsk.” He paces around the room, his steps deliberate and mocking. “I thought you were smarter than this.”

Lana and I exchange a look of mutual confusion. My heart races faster with each passing second.

“ADAM! Stop playing games!” Lana demands, her voice cracking with frustration.

“Shut up, bitch! You’re only here because I didn’t want you going to the cops! But don’t think for a second that I won’t kill you!” Adam spits out viciously.

“Excuse me?! YOU—” Lana begins to protest, but he slaps her hard across the face, cutting her off.

“I said shut up!” Adam growls.

“Adam, why are you doing this? Paul is dead, it’s over!” I plead, trying to reason with him.

“Paul died because he thought he could have what’s mine,” Adam says coldly.

A horrifying realization hits me like a freight train. “It was you all along, wasn’t it? You’ve been following me?! Sending those disgusting notes and leaving dead animals?! YOU KILLED MY GRANDMOTHER AND JACOB’S MOM?!” I scream, my voice breaking with raw terror.

Adam’s face contorts with rage. “Your precious boyfriend had no idea what he was getting into, and neither do you. I’ve been in control all along.” His eyes gleam with a twisted satisfaction as if he’s finally revealed a long-held secret. “Your grandmother was a threat to my plans, and Jacob’s mother… well, she saw too much.” His voice is cold, each word dripping with a sickening certainty.

Lana, her face still stinging from the slap, writhes in her restraints. I see the fear in her eyes, but also a fierce resolve. “We’re not threats to you, Adam. We won’t say anything! Just let us go!.” She tries to reason with him, but her words are met with silence.

Adam’s gaze locks on Lana. He takes a menacing step towards her, his eyes filled with a cold, calculating fury. The air in the room thickens with tension as he draws closer, his intentions dark and inscrutable.

Adam’s shadow looms over Lana as he closes the distance between them. My heart pounds in my chest, a mixture of fear and anger surging through me. I struggle against my restraints, desperate to do something, anything, to help.

“Adam, please,” I beg, my voice barely above a whisper. “Whatever you’re planning, it doesn’t have to end like this. We can work something out.”

He doesn’t even glance my way. His focus is solely on Lana, whose eyes are wide with terror. “Shut your mouth, Anya. You’ll get your turn,” he snarls. “And as for you,” he says, turning his attention back to Lana, “I didn’t want to hurt you, but you’re in the way. And now, you’re going to pay for it.”

Lana’s breathing is rapid, her face a mask of fear and resolve. “Just get it over with,” she says, her voice trembling but defiant. “We both know now you’re not going to let us go.”

Adam smirks, his expression one of twisted satisfaction. “You’re absolutely right,” he says, leaning in closer to Lana. “But I’m not going to make it quick. I want you to feel every second of this.”

The room is shrouded in darkness, with only the faint, flickering bulb casting eerie shadows. In the dim light, I catch a glimpse of something—metal, sharp. My stomach lurches with dread. The glint of the knife in Adam’s hand sends a wave of nausea through me, but it’s the look in Lana’s eyes that breaks me. The brave face she tried to wear is gone, replaced with raw, wide-eyed terror.

“No!” I scream, my voice breaking as I strain against the ropes. “Adam, please! Stop this!”

He turns toward me, that cold, twisted smirk still etched on his face. “You’re not in any position to make demands, Anya,” he says, his voice dripping with condescension. His eyes shift back to Lana, and with every step he takes toward her, the knife gleams brighter under the flickering light. I can see Lana’s whole-body tense, bracing herself for what’s coming, for the pain.

Desperation surges inside me. I yank harder at the binds, feeling the ropes tear into my skin. “Jacob will find us!” I yell, my voice shaking. “He’ll come for us! He’ll make you pay!”

For a moment, Adam’s smug expression falters, annoyance flashing in his eyes. “Jacob?” he scoffs, the name coming out like a curse. He laughs, but it’s colder now. “He won’t reach us in time.” His gaze darkens as he looks down at Lana. “By the time he gets here, Lana will be dead. And we’ll be long gone.”

I stare at him, confused and terrified. “What are you talking about?” I ask, my voice barely above a whisper.

Adam’s grin spreads again, but this time it’s filled with cruel satisfaction. “You really think Caleb confessed out of the goodness of his heart? No, no. He didn’t act alone,” he says, pausing to savor the moment. “Detective Collins—he’s been helping me the whole time.”

Lana’s face contorts with rage. “Collins?!” she snaps, her voice filled with disgust. “He was working with you and Paul?!”

Adam chuckles, “I lied to Paul, made him think he could have you, Anya. But Collins… he was mine to control.”

I can’t breathe. Detective Collins? He’d been with us, pretending to care, pretending to help us. My heart pounds as I piece it all together—the false promises, the dead ends in the investigation. “Collins…?” I whisper, my voice trembling. “How could he do this?”

Adam’s eyes gleam with twisted glee. “Blackmail, sweetheart. It’s a powerful tool. Once I had something on Collins, he did whatever I wanted. He helped manipulate Paul, but ultimately, he served me.”

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