Page 86 of Talon

“It’s a woman. This is her purse. Can you pick up her scent and follow it?”

“Yes.”

I squat and open the bag. The rat jumps inside and rolls around, sniffing the air before leaping out onto the floor. Without hesitation, the rat takes off down the hall. I follow closely behind, unwilling to let it get too far ahead.

As we approach a stairwell, the rat comes to an abrupt halt. The stairwell is dimly lit, casting eerie shadows on the walls. My heart hammers in my chest as I descend the stairs, praying I’ll find Jessica safe and sound. Every fiber of my being screams that something terrible has happened, but I push those thoughts away. I need to focus. She’s depending on me, and I can’t let her down.

Chapter 24: Jessica

As I wash my hands in the hospital bathroom, I stare at my reflection in the mirror. I look like hell. Dark gray bags hang underneath my eyes. My pale skin lacks its usual glow. The weight of everything that’s happened in the last few weeks is finally getting to me. I don’t know how much more of this I can take.

I duck my head to finish washing the soap off my hands. Talon’s probably right about going back to the clubhouse, but I really don’t want to leave my dad here. Hopefully, Dad will wake up soon. If Talon and I end up leaving, I’m sure Talon will bring me back to see Dad when he regains consciousness.

“Jessica,” a voice hisses behind me.

I stiffen as I recognize it—Allison, my cold-hearted stepmother. Before I can react, she grabs my arm with an iron grip, yanking me away from the sink. She slaps her other hand over my mouth, muffling my screams.

“Shut up!”

Allison is stronger than she looks. She drags me to a storage closet door and throws it open. It’s empty except for another door on the other side of the small space. She pulls me in before opening the second door.

A dark, musty hallway stretches out before me. My heart races as fear sets in, my mind racing to understand what’s happening.

“What’s wrong with you?” I demand.“Why are you doing this?”

“Shut up and keep moving,” she snaps, refusing to answer my question. Her eyes are filled with rage. I know better than to argue with someone who is clearly deranged.

She leads me through a series of old hallways, taking me deeper into the hospital. It’s an old section, one that looks like it hasn’t been used in years. The farther down we go, the colder it gets. A shiver runs through my body as I wrap my free arm across my chest.

Dim light from a few scattered bulbs casts eerie shadows on the walls. I tremble, both from the temperature and from the dread building inside me.

“Where are we going?” I ask, my voice trembling.

Allison doesn’t respond. Instead, she pulls me deeper into the darkness. I glance around, looking for anything that might help me escape, but there’s only endless rows of dusty storage shelves and locked doors.

My mind races as I try to come up with a plan. People are counting on me at my job at the non-profit animal shelter. All the animals I care about need me, including Loki. I can’t let Allison take me away from them. And then there’s Talon. Now that I know about his past, he’s just as wounded as the animals I help. He needs me, too. I’ve got to get away from this lunatic before she does something crazy. I have to fight back.

In a burst of adrenaline, I plant my feet and yank my arm, trying to wrench myself free. Allison’s grip is unyielding. She only pulls me harder, dragging me deeper into the depths of the basement.

“Please,” I beg while trying to pull free.“Let me go.”

“Keep dreaming,” she snaps.

As her voice echoes through the darkness, I feel like I’m trapped in a nightmare. Talon doesn’t know where I am. He won’t realize I’ve been taken until it’s too late. I can’t wait for him to save me. I’ve got to escape her clutches, but how? She’s much stronger than she looks.

Allison stops walking and pushes me against the cold steel of a door marked“Restricted.” Its rusted edges and peeling paint only add to the foreboding atmosphere. What horrors lie behind this door? We’re back in the modern part of the hospital, but there doesn’t seem to be anyone else around. No one alive, anyway.

“Someone’s coming to unlock it,” Allison informs me, her grip on my arm still unrelenting.

My heart races, and I rack my brain for any way out of this nightmare.

“Why?” I ask, attempting to keep my voice steady, hoping she’ll actually answer me this time.“Why are you doing this?”

“Some women get everything handed to them on a silver platter. They live their lives without a care in the world, while others suffer.” Allison’s bitterness is obvious. I know she’s talking about me. But there’s more to it than that, and I need to find out what.

“Like whom?” I press, trying to keep her talking. My mind races, searching for an escape route, a weakness in her plan.

“Like me,” she snarls, confirming my suspicions.“You’ve had it all—your mother’s connections, a cushy job at that animal shelter, and now, even my husband’s attention.”

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