Page 98 of Explode
Asshole.
I bit my cheek to stop the retort from tumbling out, knowing if Iantagonized Hendrix, I’d pay the price, and right now I needed to get away from him so I could have time to think about what the hell I was going to do.
When I didn’t respond, he chuckled and released my chin. “Put her inher old room, I’ll deal with her in a bit once I’ve had a progress report,” he ordered his men before looking at me with a malicious smile spread on his lips. “The last update I had was to say that cunt Miles was riddled with bullet holes.”
No.
My heart jumped into my throat.
Miles.
I couldn’t lose Miles.
My legs buckled as a sob tore from my throat. If it wasn’t for Ernieand Carlos’ firm grip on my arms, I would have collapsed into a heap on the floor.
He had to be lying. Miles couldn’t be dead.
Hendrix’s chilling laughter followed us as Ernie and Carlos pulled meaway. Despite trying to hold them in, my cries echoed through the halls of Kai’s old penthouse, and with every room we passed, memories fought their way to the surface. Memories of times I’d spent getting to know Miles, laughing with Danny.
Falling in love with Kai.
Before I knew it, we’d arrived at the door that would open up into myold room. Through watery eyes, I watched as Carlos placed his thumb on the pad that was on the outside of the room, and pushed the door open.
My heart sank. Evidently, the security system Hendrix had inplace was still in full force. Any hope Ash had managed to disable the system faded as Ernie and Carlos pushed me into the room. Miles was an excellent hacker, he would have figured out how to get past the system eventually, but if Hendrix wasn’t lying….
The door slammed closed as Ernie and Carlos left me alone to awaitmy fate. My knees finally buckled, and I slid to the floor, tears streaming down my face as my newly repaired heart cracked down the middle.
Chapter 28
Riley
Whenthesobsfinallystopped, and my teary eyes cleared, I stood onshaky legs to look around my old bedroom, only to find it had been emptied, with the exception of the bed.
The first time I’d been locked in this room, I’d been damn relieved tofind it was a bedroom and not Kai Wolfe’s sex dungeon. Unfortunately, the same could not be said now.
Tied to the headboard were two leather straps, and at each end wereleather cuffs. At the base of the bed, were two more straps, and between them was a long metal pole. My breath caught in my throat. I knew what the pole was.
A spreader bar.
As if seeing what Hendrix had planned for me was the kick up the assI needed, I took a few deep breaths and wiped the tears from my eyes. Hendrix could have been lying about Miles, for all I knew he was fine, and busting his balls to get to Hollows Bay. And if he had died in the gunfight, then my tears wouldn’t change that. They could come later, but right now, I needed a plan.
Whatever happened, I could not let Hendrix strap me to the bed.
Looking around the room to find anything obvious that might help meescape, my eyes drifted over to the door that opened up into the walk-in wardrobe. Only now, the door had been removed. I walked to the wardrobe wondering if the second door, the one that led to the bathroom, had also been removed, and sure enough, it had.
There was nowhere to hide.
Stupidly, I walked back to the door and put my thumb on theelectronic pad, but the angry beep I’d heard before told me my fingerprint was not registered on the system. I pulled the door anyway, not in the least bit surprised when it didn’t open.
That’s when my eye caught on the new addition to the door. Akeyhole just below the handle. Running my finger over the hole, it dawned on me why Hendrix had added another lock to the door. Even if someone was able to override the security system, he could keep me locked in here with just a key.
He really had thought of everything.
Turning around and leaning against the door, my hand went to mywaist where the metal object was still pressed tightly against my skin. I was about to pull the object out to see what Ernie had shoved into the band when my hand stopped, and I dropped it down by my side again.
There were cameras in here.
In fact, there were cameras in most places throughout the penthouse.I’d known about the camera in my room after Miles told me about it when we were in France, but I’d also seen the blueprints for the entire apartment block when Miles and I were in the early stages of planning how we would attack Hendrix.
