Page 119 of The Boy I Loved
Attempting to make myself as small as possible, I obeyed, pushing back against the wall until the cold surface of it seared through my flimsy dress. A man caught my attention on the other side of the room, but his back was turned away from us and one of the TVs were on.
“Come on,” Dom said quietly.
Swallowing past the lump in my throat, I followed after him as we made slow, calculating movements toward the elevator at the other end of the room. My eyes remained locked on the man, hoping to all that was holy he didn’t turn around.
Just as we closed in on the elevator, my shoe caught on a chair-leg that had been bent backwards due to too much use—and probably even violence. Fear climbed up my throat, dread coursing through my limbs and locking them in my place when a metal clink echoed through the room due to the contact. I glanced over at Dominic, his face paling as much as mine probably was. Simultaneously, we both looked back over at the man.
His eyes were locked on us, confusion twisting his weathered features. He looked like an ordinary man, not someone who wouldfrequent a place like this, or help men traffic innocent women. When his eyes drifted to Dominic, a silent understanding seemed to pass between them. The older man motioned for us to go, pressing a finger to his lips in a quiet promise that he wouldn’t say a word.
Relief clogged my throat, and I tightened my hand around Dominic’s.
I realized I’d seen this man before. There was only one woman he ever messed around with and she seemed to care for him in equal measure—Adrian. I didn’t know her well, but it was clear the two of them had something going on.
When we reached the elevator, Dominic practically shoved me inside before stepping in behind me. He jammed his finger into the button repeatedly, as if that would get it to work faster.
At last, the door slid closed.
We were so close to freedom I could taste it. I couldn’t remember the last time I truly felt the fresh air skating over my skin, or the last time I had a greasy burger with fries and a shake. My stomach grumbled just thinking about it.
“Next comes the harder part,” Dominic whispered, even though we were completely alone and no one was around to hear us. “As soon as the front doors open, it’ll set off an alarm through the entire building. Clay is the only one who can dismantle it.” He sucked in a shaky breath, his sweaty palm pressing more firmly against mine. “When I tell you to run, you fucking run. Do not wait for me. Do not hesitate.”
“I can’t leave you,” I replied, knowing in my gut it wasn’t an option.
Dominic might have done some horrible things, but he’d been groomed and forced into this life. He deserved happiness, too.
“Don’t be stubborn,” he snapped. “Not about this.” The heat in his eyes told me how serious he was about this and how much he meant it.
Swallowing, I nodded, even though I wasn’t entirely sure I’d beable to leave him behind. He was my best friend, the person I loved, and Alice and Katrina needed him.
When the elevator slid to a halt, Dominic stepped out first. He held a hand out, silently telling me to stay put while he checked to make sure the coast was clear. Nervous goosebumps attacked my skin, sending a cold chill down my spine.
After a few seconds, Dom reached for my hand again and pulled me toward the front doors of the building. This floor looked like any ordinary business. There was a large desk with a phone seated on top, pamphlets stacked beside it, clean polished floors, and bright lighting. It was no wonder Clay got away with his seedy dealings. He hid his trafficking ring in another business.
As much as I hated to admit it, it was smart as fuck.
Through the large glass windows ahead, I could make out the darkness of the night outside. The outside lights remained on, casting large glimmers of brightness along the green stretch of grass that bled back into the darkness farther on, prohibiting me from seeing past that.
When we reached the doors, Dominic lifted a shaky hand, his eyes locking with mine. There was so much fear and inner turmoil swirling within them that it made my knees buckle. He was terrified.
I squeezed his hand tightly in reassurance, letting him know that I was right by his side.
He exhaled shakily, before reaching for the keypad beside the door and quickly typing in his code. A green flash of light sparked through a small glass bubble and the sound of the doors unlocking echoed through the room, making the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end.
My heart pounded vigorously, fear and excitement intertwining through my veins. It was so close now, closer than I thought possible. We could actually pull this off.
Dominic pushed one of the large doors open, and as soon as he did, alarms blared, rattling the walls and burning my eardrums.
He jerked me outside, the cool air brushing over my skin. For the first time in what felt like ever, I could finally breathe again. He took off running, pulling me along with him, adrenaline pumping through my body as I worked to keep up with his pace. The wind whipped through my hair, sending it back behind my shoulders.
I hadn’t accounted for how large the stretch of grass was to the woods, or that we’d be in the middle of nowhere. But it wouldn’t make sense to have a trafficking ring right in the middle of town. I also hadn’t considered how weak I was. They didn’t feed us well and I was convinced they’d been slipping shit into our meals to keep us more docile.
As we continued to run, exerting our muscles and fighting for our lives, a memory cut through my thoughts. Dominic and I used to run like this all the time when we were kids. Usually, he was chasing me, but this felt similar to that. Except … we weren’t running from anything that was dead set on killing one of us. A shudder rolled through me at the reminder.
Shouts sounded distantly, the alarms still blaring from within the building. My heart leapt into my throat. We were nowhere close to the tree line. Though, I’d be surprised if anyone managed to catch up.
“Keep going,” Dominic ordered through labored breaths. “We still have a chance.”
He was right. Despite how much my joints were screaming in agony, I couldn’t let it deter me. It was a matter of life and death—for me at least.
