Page 16 of Playing With Fire
“Why are you doing all this? And who is your employer?” I ask. My head hurts from all this information.
“A lot of people want you, Alex. You’ve made a lot of enemies,” Wesley says and at that moment, the door opens and a man walks in flanked by two other bodyguards.
I’m in deep shit.
“Do you ever stop to think about the people whose lives you destroy by stealing their money?” the man begins without any preamble. He looks young with dark brown hair and a sly smirk firmly in place. He can’t be older than 30 and I’ve never seen him before.
“Those people shouldn’t have had that money in the first place,” I say shaking my head.
“My father was one of those people. You took millions from him. Millions and he ended up bankrupt. You ruined my family,” the man says, pure hatred in his face.
“I didn’t, I didn’t know. I’m sorry,” I tell him.
“Sorry, but sorry isn’t going to cut it. He killed himself, did you know? A few years ago, I lost my father because of you. I worked hard after that. I built his company back from the ground up. I vowed to him that I was going to make sure you paid for what you had done to him. I have more money than I need now. The time for revenge has come. What do they say? An eye for an eye? I’m going to take your life in exchange for my father’s,” he growls. Pure, unadulterated fear fills me.
“Wait,” Wesley says. “You said you would just threaten her and get money from her,” he says looking from me to the man with worry. I guess he didn’t know what he was getting himself into.
“I guess I lied,” the man says simply. He seems like someone who hurts people for a living. And now I’m next.
I try to say something, anything to convince him but he doesn’t even look at me. He nods at the men and in a moment they’re all holding kegs of some kind of liquid.
They begin dousing the corners of the house with it and when the smell wafts towards me I almost faint. Because it’s the smell of kerosene, which can only mean one thing. He wants to burn me alive.
I close my eyes and pray for the first time in a long time. I pray to God and anyone who’s listening that Ritchie finds me in time. That he saves me because I know that he’s the only one who can.
There’s a thin line between love and hate. Ritchie and I have been standing on the edge of the line for years. Now, I’m on the other side. I love him and I need him and I know he’s going to be here for me.
I have to believe he’ll save me.
Chapter 9
(Ritchie)
______
My nightmare came true.
I see the proof of it in front of me and I still can’t believe my eyes. It’s a burning building and someone I love is trapped inside. I want nothing more than to run inside but Joseph holds me back. He’s speaking frantically into his phone but it all sounds like white noise to me. There’s a crowd gathered around, pointing and exclaiming but no one is doing a damn thing to stop it.
When I tried Alex’s phone 30 minutes ago and she didn’t pick up, I knew something was up. Thankfully she took my car which was fairly easy for me to track. Joseph accompanied me, so he drove while I finally got around to the background check I had been meaning to do.
When I found out who Wesley really was, my panic had increased tenfold. I told Joseph to drive faster and we got here only to be greeted by a sight I only ever see in my nightmares. I knew for sure she was inside. And I know she needs me right now. I try to fight out of Joseph’s grip again. But he’s larger and stronger than me.
“Please. I have to help her,” I tell him, fighting down the panic because I have to be strong enough to save her.
“You don’t even know she’s in there. I’m not letting you run into a burning building.”
Hot rage fills me. Why the fuck is he stopping me when I have to go and save the love of my life?
“Joseph. You have to let me go!”
“I can’t,” he says shaking his head.
“I lost my entire family when I was 8. Our house burned down. My mom, my dad and my 5-year-old sister. They all died and I was left all alone. You have to understand that I’ll die if another person I love has to suffer the same fate,” I tell him.
Joseph exhales. His eyes screw shut and his lips are pressed in a firm line. I think for a second he’s going to knock me out but he gives me one quick nod before letting me go.
“Don’t even think about dying,” he tells me.
