Page 89 of Sacred Vow
Fucking hell. I should have done something about this. I should have said something, taught the motherfucker a lesson after he accosted her on the street, or again after he tried to put his hands on her at that damn party, but I figured he got the point after Zeph knocked him out.
“Excuse me? This is Tilly we’re talking about, not some random chick. I’m not just going to sit back and hope like fuck that you can find her. I have to—”
“The only thing you have to do is sit your ass down next to Chloe and wait for the cops to show up. Let me handle this, son,” I demand, moving through my home and into my private office, more than ready to bring up every fucking detail on this kid and exploit it.
“No, I—”
“Don’t fucking try me, Zephyr. I’m not in the mood,” I roar as my computer comes to life. “If that little prick was holding a knife to her throat, do you really think you could look him in the eye, a man you have been best friends with for over a fucking decade, and end his life? Could you pull the fucking trigger? Could you snap his neck?”
“I . . . I don’t know.”
“Exactly. I’m not risking Tilly’s life on an I don’t know. And on top of that, I’m not about to let you throw your whole fucking life away. You’re not going to suffer the same fate I did. You’re better than that.”
“And you’re not?” he throws back at me.
“Not even a little bit,” I tell him, letting him hear the darkness in my tone that I’ve gone out of my way to hide all of these years, but now that Tilly’s life is in danger, I suddenly don’t give a shit. All that matters is getting her back in my arms. “I would slit his throat without even a hint of hesitation. I would dance in his fucking blood, Zephyr. What aren’t you understanding? Just like I did for you all those years ago, there’s not a goddamn thing I wouldn’t do for her, even if it means rotting behind bars for the rest of my miserable fucking life.”
“Okay,” he finally says. “I’ll stay here.”
“Good. Now tell me everything there is to know about this little bastard.”
26
TILLY
Blood trickles down the side of my face as consciousness returns in waves, and as agony pounds through my skull, everything rushes back. The camping trip. My apartment. Jordan.
Fuck.
My eyes spring open into a dark room, and I find myself hanging by chains, my tiptoes barely scraping the ground. My arms ache, and I distantly wonder how long I’ve been hanging here, but none of that matters. All that matters is getting the fuck out of here.
I blink into the darkness, trying to make out shapes, and as my eyes adjust, I realize that I’m in some kind of storm cellar. Old metal shelving lines the walls, stacked with canned food that looks as though it went out of date in the seventies. There are two sets of bunk beds on either side of the small room, and a set of stairs that leads up to what I can only assume is someone’s backyard.
What the fuck is going on? Did Jordan bring me here?
My heart races, panic coursing through my veins and making me want to hurl, but I hold it back, too determined to get out of here. There’s clearly only one way in and one way out, and as far as I can tell, I’m all alone in this little hellhole. The only question is, what exactly does Jordan think he’s going to do to me down here? He’s been more than handsy with me the few times I’ve seen him, and after that frat party where Zeph knocked him out, I can only assume that he’s brought me down here to finish the job.
There’s no doubt about it. He’ll rape me, and while it’s not something I thought I would ever have to mentally prepare for, I can at least try. But does it get worse than that? Will he just hold me down here for a while before finally letting me go, leaving me traumatized and broken? Or does he have something a little more sinister in store for me? Was that camping trip the last ray of happiness I’ll ever get before he murders me in this shitty little storm cellar? Will I ever get to see the light of day again?
I don’t know whether to be relieved that it’s just Jordan and not the mystery Vag Destroyer. Both situations are shit, but with Jordan, I can hold on to the hope that someone will eventually find me. They have to, right?
If this storm cellar is in his backyard, then what are the chances that Zephyr has been here before? Maybe he played in this very cellar as a kid. But The Vag Destroyer, not even Caesar could figure out who the fuck he is.
Fuck. How is this my life?
I pull against the heavy chains on my wrists, trying to get leverage against the ground, but it quickly becomes clear that I’m well and truly fucked. I’m not going anywhere, not until someone physically gets me down.
Minutes drag out, and with every passing second, my arms begin to truly ache until their pain becomes worse than the throbbing in my skull. The trickle of blood on my face has dried,and as I glance down at my body, I try to take note of the injuries I’ve already sustained. There are a few cuts and bruises along my thighs, and while it’s dark in here and hard to see, I swear there’s a small piece of glass protruding from my waist. My back aches, and as I move around, I notice a few places where the ache is more of a sharp sting, and I can only assume that there’s more glass embedded there.
At least an hour passes before I hear the sound of metal against metal outside the heavy door, and my eyes become glued to the opening. The sound sends shivers through my spine, and as fear creates a lump in my throat, making it hard to breathe, I keep myself focused, not knowing what’s about to come.
The door opens a moment later, and the bright sunlight floods through the opening, momentarily blinding me as two people stride into the cellar. I squint into the brightness as they walk down the steps, leaving the door open behind them.
My eyes quickly adjust, and when I take in the faces before me, I suck in a sharp breath.
The woman from Vixen—the one and only bitch who’d broken into Caesar’s home only a week ago—stands in front of me, her arms crossed over her chest as she looks at me with disgust.
Annie scoffs and looks back at Jordan, and as they stand together, I can see slight similarities between them. Is this Jordan’s mother?
