Page 142 of Arturo's Temptation

“Here’s hoping,” I joked, as he disappeared.

“Mi princesa, I’m puttin’you to the test today… by takin’ away your sight. You’ll have to sense us with your hearin’ and take each one of us out in the way you think is best. Understand?” he spoke calmly as he slid the blindfold through his fingers, my heart hammered violently in my chest.

Oh god…

“Arturo, are you sure about this? Is it safe?” I asked. But of course it would be. He wouldn’t have suggested it if it wasn’t.

“I’ve had the guys out all mornin’ patrollin’ the perimeter. It’s safe.” he cupped my face, making me relax.

“Okay, let’s do it.” Nodding, he slid the soft material around my face. I held back my instinct to panic as the world around me went dark. As he finished tightening the knot at the back of my head, his lips brushed against my ear, sending ripples of excitement across my skin. “Put these guys on their arses. Show ‘em what I know you’re capable of.” A gentle kiss at the base of my ear made me shudder. “By the way, the earring looks perfect.” And with that he was gone.

I took a breath as I cocked my ear to the rustle of his long stride moving further away into the forest. Standing still, I took a moment to get a feel for my surroundings. My ears picked up the delicate sounds of birds darting through the trees. Leaves rustling in the afternoon breeze. The sharp snap of a twig beneath someone’s feet. My head snapped to the side, focusing on the direction of the sound. He was coming head on, getting closer to me with each passing second. I clenched my fists, letting my nails dig into my palms, but the person I could hear closing in was no longer the only one approaching.

Two at once… Brave.

I felt one arm swipe through the air as I ducked, crouching to the moss below. This wasn’t so bad, I thought, until my legs were swiped up from beneath me. I yelped as my head collided off a rock.

“Guys, what the fuck?!” I grunted. As I pushed myself up, a steel capped boot dug into my ribs. Wincing, I reached up, needing to rip the blindfold off before I tore them a new arsehole, but to my surprise I was stopped. The very same boot crushed my fingers to the damp earth below, instantly making pain surge up my arm.

There were hushed whispers from all around, but no matter how hard I tried to listen, I couldn’t. Blood thundered too quickly in my ears as the adrenaline kicked in.

“Guys, if this is some fucked up prank, I’m going to kill the pair of you.” I seethed, crying out as my fingers were ground down harder.

“Looks like lover boy isn’t around to save you this time, girl. Aren’t we lucky.” My body cooled in horror. I recognised that voice. It was the same one from the wedding.

Fuck.

Whoever was behind me chuckled then smashed my head back once again against the rock, thrusting my thoughts into darkness.

When I finally came around,I was cable tied to a chair. The blindfold was gone and my head was pounding. After a moment, my eyes adjusted to my surroundings. I was in what looked likea house but the windows were boarded up, letting only a limited amount of light through.

What the hell is going on?

I blinked tightly a few times, forcing my brain to become fully conscious. The pain coursing my head and chest was fierce but I had to ignore it and start figuring out where I was.Okay, Bells, just take it easy and remember the steps.To my relief, nobody was about. As I pulled at my restraints I acknowledged I was tied down with cable ties. I had once watched Arturo break out of cable ties when we were in the gym together. I grimaced. I never asked him how he did it. I’d simply put it down to sheer brute strength. Strength I didn’t have. All I had was fear, fear that was currently twisting my gut into knots at the thought of not getting out of here.

I took a few deep breaths, then I yanked my wrists upward as hard as I could. The plastic cut into my skin, drawing blood. It hurt like hell but I was no quitter. I went to go again when a voice stopped me.

“Nobody knows she’s here. Stupid a-hole took his eyes off the prize.” I frowned. The voice was familiar but I shook my head and focused again on my wrists. With a few more sharp tugs, I managed to snap one of my wrists free.

One down… three to go.

Just then, the clinking of glasses came from the room beside mine. The walls were so thin in the dump that I could hear every word of the shit they spoke.

“This will send that cunt a message. He should have listened to the threats.” There was no doubt in my mind that they were the men from Lily’s wedding. “Let’s finish these beers then pay the pretty little girl a visit.”

Assholes!They thought they’d kidnapped a weak, pathetic girl who couldn’t fight back. How wrong they were. Maybeyears ago that would have been true, but not now… Now, I was stronger, smarter and stealthier.

My skin pricked with anticipation as adrenaline coursed through my veins. With a grit of my teeth and the angle I’d seen Arturo bend to, I surged my hand upwards, grunting my wrist snapped free. Gripping the wrist with the other hand, I felt a twinge. I’d likely torn a ligament but that would have to wait. I could handle the pain. Hell, at this point it gave me strength and I could use all I could get. Standing, I managed to free my legs before I tiptoed towards the door. The rickety floor beneath me made creeping difficult but the fuckers next door were so loud they’d have ignored a hurricane. As I went to open the door and take a peek outside, my attention was pulled back to the men’s conversation at the mention of Arturo’s name… repeatedly.

Focus on escaping, Bella!

Gritting my teeth, I tried the handle, hoping they were stupid enough to leave it unlocked. And I was right… they were that stupid. They’d underestimated me and how well Arturo had taught me. Holding my breath, I pulled the door as slowly and quietly as I could towards me. By the time it was fully open my heart was beating so erratically that I had to take a moment to breathe.

Once calmer, I inched my head out and darted my eyes up and down the corridor. My skin crawled as I took in the rest of the house. Mould covered the walls and the wallpaper beneath it peeled away. The carpets were threadbare and, to my horror, stained with vomit, empty clear packets with residual white traces, plus a number of other gross things I didn’t wish to see. The stench of piss, stale cigarettes and booze was enough to make me gag. Holding my breath, I made my way to the stairs at the opposite end of the corridor. As I crept closer to the foot of the stairs I faintly acknowledged splatters of what looked like blood before a glance at my feet made me pause. The floorbeneath me was crumbling, and the stairs were full of holes from where the wood had rotted away.

I prayed with each step that they wouldn’t collapse beneath me. Ten painful seconds later, I finally made it up from the basement and had the front door in my sights and in my head I could see myself running into Arturo’s arms.

But the devil had other plans.

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