Page 44 of Scarred Sins
I walk silently, going up the grand, massive staircase. Knowing that it’s only a matter of time before the knocked-out guards are discovered, I stroll up on the second floor, searching for Zoe.
The music is getting louder with each step I take, and it’s not hard to find where she’s hiding.
The farthest room on the fourth floor has its door slightly ajar, the lights are turned on, and loud music is blasting through the speakers. Slowly, I push the door open, stepping inside.
Zoe’s wearing almost nothing, just a simple, sheer nightgown, though my eyes are on her face only. No other woman will ever interest me, fully clothed or otherwise. My eyes belong solely to Blair.
Zoe’s eyes are bloodshot red, pupils dilated. She seems to be out of it, staring at me through a groggy gaze. I’d underestimated just how thin she is – I can literally see her scapula.
Then, as if realizing I’m an intruder, she screams at the top of her lungs. It’s futile because the loud music muffled her screams.
Quickly, I lock the bedroom door and dart toward her, pulling the gun out and immediately regretting that I chose tonight to seek her out. Countless wine bottles are scattered all around, empty medicine bottles, and half-used joints on the carpet.
She’s both high on drugs and highly intoxicated.
Her screaming stops as soon as she sees the gun in my hand.
I never planned to use the gun on her, only to frighten her, and it seems that it worked. Not moving my eyes from hers, I approach the speakers, stepping onto the pills that are spilled from their containers, lowering the music enough to be able to talk to her.
“Please,’’ she raises her hands, trembling. “Take what you want, just don’t hurt me.’’
My jaw clenches. She thinks I’m here to rob her. But given the state of the mansion, her bedroom, and the entire property, if there even was anything valuable inside, it’s long gone, destroyed, and in pieces.
“I’m not here to hurt you,’’ I say, my voice low yet stern.
“Then what do you want?” She stammers, avoiding eye contact, her body trembling.
“I’m going to have your husband killed.’’
She gasps, eyes snapping to meet mine. Pure and utter shock, terror, and fear wash over her, her cheeks losing the little color they had.
“Please, you can’t,’’ she sobs, stuttering and fumbling over her words. “He’ll just end up killing you.’’
“He won’t.’’ I reassure her, but she falls to her knees, sobbing, tears falling down her face. She’s shaking like a leaf, unable to control it. “He doesn’t know who he’s dealing with, and I’m definitely not an easy target.’’
“You can’t do it,’’ she whispers. She readjusts her position, sitting on the floor and hugging her knees to her chest, rocking herself back and forth. Her lips tremble, her body shuddering. “He’s too powerful.’’
Slowly, I approach her and get on my knees in front of her, putting the gun away.
“I’m not asking for permission here, Zoe,’’ I speak softly, trying not to scare her further. “I’m asking you to make a decision.’’
She starts shaking her head furiously, her eyes filled with tears that continuously slide down her cheeks, with no indication of stopping anytime soon.
“No, don’t ask me to betray him, please,’’ she sobs. “He’ll kill everyone I hold dear. Please, just leave and never come back.’’
I take in a deep breath.
“I work for an organization that is dealing with a lot of cases like yours, Zoe. Our current mission is to save all of the girls he’s holding.’’
If possible, Zoe pales further and stops moving entirely. That’s all I need to see to know that she’s aware of what her husband is doing.
“No,’’ she whispers. “He’ll kill them before you get a chance to set foot into that place.’’
“Zoe,’’ my voice is a lot sterner this time. “Do you know where he’s keeping them?”
“No!” She yells.
That’s when my sharp hearing picks up on the commotion down the stairs, slowly coming up. I quickly rise to my feet, ready to leave. Our meeting was brief, yet meaningful. She doesn’t need to make a decision right now, but as long as she makes the right one, we’ll wait for her.
