Page 12 of Colton
It feels like hours before I finally reach the door, twisting the doorknob and pulling it free.
Heavy footsteps sound again.
He’s coming back!
My fingers twitch, hovering over my blade. This could be the moment I have to strike. I feel like I can’t breathe, but I remember my training and force myself to breathe so deeply that my lungs scream for release.
One, two, three, four, five...
RUN!
My body freezes, but I force my legs to move, slipping through the door as the door to the closet starts to open.
Out.
In.
Six, seven, eight, nine, ten...
A sob threatens to escape my chest, but I bite it back, closing the door to the room of horrors behind me with a soft click.
As I slip out into the dimly lit hallway, I can’t help but think of Colton. His refusal to participate in his father’s depravity is a small victory, a chink in the armor of the Blackwood empire. But it also complicates matters. Colton is a wild card I didn’t expect. I need to understand him, something I don’t think will come easily. He seems unpredictable, and that's dangerous in an already precarious situation.
I glance back at the closed door.
This isn’t over.The game of cat and mouse has only just begun, and I won’t stop until Xavier Blackwood is dead.
Chapter 6
Luella
My heart pounds against my ribcage as I move swiftly through the darkened hallways of the Blackwood mansion. Every creak of the floorboards sends a jolt of terror through me, and I clutch the folder tighter to my chest. The girl’s cries echo in my mind, a haunting reminder of what I’ve just witnessed and my own cowardice in not intervening. I’m as bad as them. The girl’s cries weren’t just a reminder of the horrors I’ve seen—they were Sophia’s. I couldn’t save her either. The weight of my failure threatens to drown me, but I must keep moving. This time, there will be justice.
I’ll redeem myself; he won’t have the chance, even if he has the inclination.
Guilt and anger rage within me as I search for a safe place to hide, to regroup. The folder feels heavy in my hands, its contents a potential key to Xavier’s downfall. But at what cost? The image of that poor girl, broken and violated, sears itself into my brain. I couldn’t save her, but I swear to myself that her suffering won't be in vain.
I pause at a crossway of hallways, my breath coming in short, sharp gasps. The enormity of what I've just done—stealing fromXavier Blackwood—threatens to overwhelm me. I lean against the wall, trying to steady myself. The cool surface against my back grounds me, reminding me of my purpose.
“Focus, Luella,” I whisper to myself, using my real name as a to ground myself. “You've come too far to falter now.”
I take a deep breath, centering myself. The folder in my hands could be the key to bringing down Xavier's empire. But it's also a death sentence if I'm caught with it. I need to find a safe place to hide it, and fast.
As I round a corner, a familiar scent stops me dead in my tracks. That sickening cologne.
Xavier.
My heart leaps into my throat, pounding so hard, I fear he might hear it. My skin prickles with cold sweat, and my breath catches in my chest. I can taste terror on my tongue as my eyes lock onto his looming figure. Every muscle in my body tenses, ready to flee, but I’m frozen in place, like a rabbit caught in the gaze of a predator.
“Mary,” his voice slides over me like oil, “what a pleasant surprise to find you here.”
I force my face into a mask of subservience, praying he can’t hear the thundering of my heart or notice the sweat on my brow. “Mr. Blackwood, sir. I was just finishing up my cleaning rounds.”
His eyes, cold and calculating, sweep over me. There’s something predatory in his gaze that makes my skin crawl. “I trust you’ve been doing your job well, Mary. No wandering where you shouldn’t be, I hope?”
I swallow hard, willing my voice to remain steady. “Of course, sir. Just cleaning.”
A smile spreads across his face, but it doesn’t reach his eyes. “Good girl.”
