Chapter 106
Chapter 106
VENUS
Two Days Later
Time doesn’t pass here. It dissolves.
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The days bled into each other, long and cruel, like a bruise that keeps spreading under the skin. I had no clock, no sun, no shift in light to mark the hours. Only that damn bulb, still flickering like it was mocking me.
I stopped counting after 7,100-something.
My lips were splitting. My tongue was thick, too dry to swallow. My throat had become a graveyard of words I could no longer speak. The ache in my limbs had turned to numbness. The kind of numb that wraps itself around your bones and whispers, this is it.
Sleep came in strange flashes-hallucinations that danced on the edge of memory and nightmare. I saw Aaron’s face, sharp and furious. Then soft and pleading. I heard my mother humming lullabies from years I’d long buried. I felt my brother’s hand curled around my wrist-not cruel, but the way he used to walk me across the street when I was five p>
It was all fake, of course. I didn’t have a brother. They were Illusions conjured by dehydration and hunger and fear.
But I held onto one thread of clarity: Aaron came looking.
And he wouldn’t stop.
He couldn’t.
I didn’t know how long I’d been in and out. Could’ve been hour Days. Maybe eternity. But then I heard them.
Voices.
Rough. Familiar.
The door creaked open and the smell hit me first-greasy, stale food. Something microwaved. Burned.
Billy and Dain walked in like they owned the world and were bored of it already.
“Well look who’s still breathing,” Billy smirked, holding a bag like it was gold. “Thought we’d lost you, sweetheart p>
I didn’t answer.
Couldn’t.
My head lolled to the side, and my breath came out like sandpaper.
Dain crouched near me. His eyes scanned my face, but I couldnt tell if he was looking for signs of life or weakness.
“You look like shit,” he said. Then added, “Not that you ever looked that good p>
Billy tossed the bag to the ground with a greasy thud. “We brought food. You’re welcome p>
“Untie her,” Dain muttered, not really looking at me.
Billy laughed. “Why? So she can claw our eyes out the moment he gets strength? Nah, princess eats like the queen she thinks she is. From the floor p>
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Chapter 106
“Don’t be a dick,” Dain snapped. But he didn’t move to stop him
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So I lay there, wrists raw, mouth too dry to speak, staring at that soggy bag like it was made of diamonds. I couldn’t even sit
Billy nudged it toward me with his foot. “Bon appétit p>
Then they sat down on the edge of the room, as if I weren’t there. As if I were a dog they’d forgotten to put down.
Their voices dropped, low and fast. But I listened.
Even on the brink of passing out, I listened.
“She hasn’t eaten in days,” Dain said. “You’re pushing it p>
Billy shrugged. “She’s alive. That’s enough. For now p>
“You don’t get it,” Dain growled. “We’re supposed to deliver her alive. Not half-dead p>
Billy scoffed. “He said to keep her hidden. Fed. Quiet. Not our fault she’s stubborn as shit p>
“Still,” Dain muttered. “He hasn’t called. No updates. No schedule. And he sure as hell hasn’t paid the rest p>
Billy leaned forward, voice dropping lower. “You thinking what I’m thinking p>
Dain didn’t respond.
Billy grinned. “Why settle for one payday when we can have two”
There was a beat of silence.
“Think about it,” Billy continued. “We play this smart, we collect the ransom, disappear, and by the time he realizes what we did, she’s in his custody and it’s too late. We’re on a beach in Bali drinking out of coconuts p>
Dain hissed, “You want to cross him p>
“He doesn’t even want her alive, Dain. You really think this is about revenge? No. He wants to ruin Aaron Sinclair. That’s it. So we give him what he wants-eventually. But first, we bleed them both p>
Something shifted in Dain’s face. Conflict. Hesitation.
Billy leaned back, smug and sure. “We make the ransom call to ght. Let the clock start ticking. Aaron’s a billionaire—he’ll pay. The girl’s worth more than just a grudge. And if not…” he looked over at me, “we’ve got options p>
Dain didn’t answer. Just stared at me.
“He’s got people tailing us. Me and Martha” Dain eventually said “They think they discreet.” He snorted “but I noticed p>
I closed my eyes, forcing my breath to stay slow, controlled.
“Then you lay low and stop coming here for a while I’ll handle everything.” Billy hissed.
No, no, no.
‘Fine but don’t try shit with her or he’ll have our heads p>
“Yeah, whatever. I’ll make the call tonight p>
They thought I was too far gone to understand.
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Chapter 106
Too broken to think.
But I heard everything.
They weren’t planning to kill me–yet.
That meant I had time.
Not much.
But enough.
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They left me again after that. Didn’t bother to take the food or speak another word. The door slammed shut, and the r fell into that familiar silence again.
I waited until the footsteps faded.
Then I moved.
Just an inch. Just enough to press my wrist into the edge of the floor. The rope scraped harder than before. I hissed softly. pain slicing up my arm.
Good.
That meant I was still alive.
Still thinking.
Still dangerous.
My mind was slow. Starved. But it was still mine.
Aaron was looking for me.
And if I couldn’t fight, couldn’t scream, couldn’t run…
Then I would endure.
Long enough for him to find me.
Long enough to destroy every single one of them.
The flickering bulb blinked overhead.
One.
Two.
Three.
Not seconds.
Moves.
Because this was a game.
And I was back in it.
Even if it killed me.
3/4
Ruby Walker
Ruby Walker is a rising voice in the world of romance and spicy fiction. With a gift for weaving deep emotions, sizzling chemistry, and unexpected twists, her stories are a blend of passion and drama that captivate readers from start to finish. Ruby’s writing style is bold and irresistible—perfect for those who crave intense, addictive love stories.