44. Evangeline

The night is quiet outside as I lie in the apartment above the club. Restless energy courses through me, a subtle reminder of the life growing within as I stare at the ceiling.

I can't sleep, worries circling my mind like a predator ready to attack. Are the boys okay? Are they safe? Has Declan gotten to them yet?

Suddenly, the quiet is shattered by a sharp, insistent pounding at the door. My eyes snap open, fear coursing through my veins like wildfire. Who could be calling at this ungodly hour? My heart races as I place a protective hand over my swollen belly, feeling the reassuring presence within.

With cautious steps, I move toward the locked door, reassured that the chain is still securely fastened. Every fiber of my being screams at me to be careful. I look through the peephole, but no one is in sight, so I push the door open lightly, the chain still bolted, and peek outside.

The door lurches, a splintering sound cracking through the air as the chain is broken from the latch and the door is shoved inward.

I stumble back, almost toppling over as Declan O'Malley bursts through the open door, grabbing me by the arm and pulling me toward him in one motion. He presses the cold barrel of a gun to my temple, my insides turning to ice.

"What do you want?" I beg, my arm going around my belly on instinct to protect my daughter. "What do you want from me?"

"I want you to come with me," he growls low, his voice menacing. My body shakes as I nod, tears blurring my vision.

"Okay!" I say loudly. "Okay! I'll go. Please don't hurt me."

Adrenaline whispers at me to fight back, but fear keeps me frozen. I'm so far along in the pregnancy now that something bad could happen to our baby if I tried to fight.

"Good. Now get moving," he orders. He keeps the gun trained at my lower back as we head out the door, pushing me toward the back stairwell. I clutch the railing for dear life, trying to keep my balance as I waddle down the stairs and out the back door.

He's got a car waiting there, and he shoves the gun hard against my back until I climb inside. Keeping the weapon trained at me, he makes his way around the car before I can bolt and climbs into the driver's seat.

"Don't even think about it," he says, using one hand to hold up the gun while the other stays on the wheel, navigating us away from the nightclub.

Bile rises in my throat, the knowledge that no matter what we do, Declan will always be one step ahead of us making me ill. Why can't he just leave us alone? Why does he seem to hate me so much?

Questions fill my brain as we get further outside the city, streetlights giving way to utter darkness. Where is he taking me? Why are we going so far? And what is he going to do with me?

The further away we get, the more panic I feel inside. How am I going to escape this? I have to do whatever it takes to keep my baby safe, but I have no idea where he's taking me.

We finally stop somewhere after an hour of driving. Declan pulls off onto a side road, navigating over bumpy terrain until he takes a smaller dirt road down a lane and parks the car outside a cabin.

"Get out," he orders, keeping the gun on me. I push the door open with shaky hands, and he races around the vehicle, grabbing me and dragging me toward the rustic home. Pushing me up the steps, we enter the cabin, and he quickly forces me into the lone bedroom.

He shoves me down onto a wooden chair and makes short work of tying me up, then ties a gag around my head, preventing me from making any noise.

Once that's done, he shoves the gun under my chin, forcing me to look up at him. My eyes are wet from a steady stream of tears that drip down my cheeks as I try to be brave, to be courageous right now, but all I feel is sick dread.

"I knew you wouldn't be able to keep your little mouth shut," Declan said, the gun jammed against my skin. "I knew the second you could, you'd go running to them. You might not have acted on their orders when you came to see me but you weren't fooling me, princess. You came for their sake, not yours."

I don't try to deny it. There's no point in denying it anymore. The look I give him is pointed, conveying that I was just trying to protect them, to look out for their best interests.

"Don't pretend you're some altruistic, noble little fairytale princess," Declan says, mocking me. "You're just as scheming as I am. Look at that." He points the gun toward my belly, and I want to throw myself backward to protect her but I can't, forced instead to remain fixed in the spot. I glare at him instead.

"You really think I couldn't tell that you got yourself knocked up on purpose?" Declan drawls. "How long did it take for you to scout the perfect victims for your little plan? You even presented yourself as a maid to them, the perfect temptation for my brainless nephews."

It wasn't like that, but nothing I say will be able to clear up his twisted mind. "You trapped them into your web, and I must say, you did a damned thorough job. You should be working for the Mob, not them."

If I can keep him talking, that puts off the moment when he finally decides what he wants to do with me. I may not be able to speak, but there are ways to keep men talking, I've learned.

Making my eyes wider, I give him a pleading look, trying to beg for him to release me as I jiggle my wrists against the bonds.

"You might have been clever, but in the end, princess, you're just a pawn to me. Those men are my real target. They've been looking to take me down for a while now, so I needed to find a way to lure them to me directly, and you are the perfect bait."

I hope they don't fall for it. I pray that they bring backup or that they manage to keep themselves safe. I don't want them to see me like this.

"I'm going to enjoy torturing you," he says, stroking my face with the barrel of the gun. I turn my head away, wincing. He starts to describe all the ways he's going to hurt me and my baby, making me feel like I'm about to retch.

This man is a monster, a sick, sadistic bastard. Nothing the Everharts ever did to me was half as disturbing and upsetting as what he's describing. "I plan on doing whatever I can to inflict maximum pain on those boys for daring to think they could go up against me. I know what they've been up to. I know they revealed my secrets. I have a few men still loyal to me, even now."

I ignore him, fighting back tears of hopelessness. I won't give him the satisfaction of reacting anymore. All he wants is to see the fear in my eyes, but I won't give him that.

I underestimate how furious this makes him, though. Declan doesn't like my ignoring him, so he backhands me with the gun in my jaw, almost knocking me backward in the chair.

My jaw aches as he storms out of the room, slamming the door shut. Alone in the dimly lit room, the silence weighs heavily as I wriggle my arms, testing the bonds of the ropes that keep me bound to the chair. They dig into my skin, a painful reminder that I'm completely at Declan's mercy. His rage still lingers, words echoing in my mind like a haunting melody.

As I sit there, my thoughts drift back to my boys, the ones I yearn for the most. The memory of the times we shared brings an ache to my chest. I long for them now, their strength, unwavering loyalty, and their warm embrace.

Even so, a flicker of fear takes root. Would they be able to find me here? Will Declan torture me just to get to them?

Gazing out the window, I find myself lost in the darkness of the night, the moon casting its eerie glow upon the desolate landscape. It"s in this moment of solitude that a startling realization washes over me like a tidal wave—I"m in love with them. Theo, Ryder, and Oliver have woven their way deep into the very fabric of my being, leaving an indelible mark upon my soul.

Tears blur my vision as I grapple with the harsh realities I'm facing. I don"t want to die, not here, not now. But the thought of their risking their lives for me fills me with both dread and longing. I'm torn between the hope of salvation and the fear of what it may cost.