23. Ayla

Chapter 23

Ayla

M y head hurt like I had nails stuck in my temples and my mouth was as dry as sandpaper. The sun shone through the blinds, which meant not much time had passed, or it was actually the next day. I didn’t have my phone and there wasn’t a clock around. All I knew was that I was in a bedroom I didn’t recognize.

I swung my legs over the side of the bed and peered down at my clothes which were the same light blue scrubs I had on before. The bed was comfy, and the bedroom was quaint with yellow walls and a pink and white bedspread. The furniture was all antique with intricate carvings and a thin layer of dust. I stumbled to my feet, feeling like I had just woken up from a nightmare. As I made my way to the door, the wooden floor creaked beneath my weight, echoing through the house. I held my breath and listened to see if I heard any movement below.

When I didn’t hear anything, I cautiously stepped out into the hallway, its walls lined with floral wallpaper. The air was a little musty, tinged with the scent of old books and flowers.

My heart raced as I made my way downstairs, each step sending a shiver down my spine. The living room was dimly lit by the soft glow of sunlight filtering through white lacy curtains. Dust danced in the rays of light, giving the room an ethereal quality.

And then I saw him—a figure sitting on the couch and reading the newspaper, his back turned to me. It was Robert Forbes, but I had a feeling that wasn’t his true identity.

“If you’re thinking of trying to escape, I’d reconsider,” he said, his voice firm and to the point. He folded up the newspaper and stood. When he turned to face me, his dark eyes went right to mine; they were cold and menacing. “You can either make this simple or difficult. I’d much rather prefer the former. I don’t want to hurt you, Ayla. All I want is Parker.”

I never thought in a million years I’d be a victim of a kidnapping, especially not by someone like him. Did it terrify me? More than anything. I’d seen plenty of mafia movies in my time. Those men were ruthless and vindictive. I didn’t want to be anywhere around them. And here I was . . . in the same room with a man who had probably murdered hundreds of people.

I sucked in a breath and let it out slowly to calm my nerves.

“I know who you are,” I said. “You’re not Robert Forbes. You’re Vincent Deluca.”

His eyes glimmered darkly. “Very nice. I see that Parker has told you all about me.”

“Not really,” I replied, sounding disinterested. “I don’t want to know anything about you.”

He clasped a hand over his heart. “That hurts, Ayla. I thought we had a connection.”

I scoffed. “Never.”

Vincent stalked toward me and my insides trembled with fear. Declan may kill people for a living, but Vincent did it for pleasure. The last thing I wanted was for him to see the fear in my eyes.

When he closed the distance between us, I stared right into his dark, soulless eyes.

“You could always come to New York with me,” he offered. His hungered gaze raked down my body, and my stomach dropped. If he touched me, or tried to force himself on me, I knew I wouldn’t be able to fight him off. He was too big and strong. That revelation was terrifying. “I’d love to have you on my arm,” he said, reaching up and sliding a finger down my cheek.

I jerked my face away. “Forget it.”

He cocked his head to the side. “Even if I put aside my vendetta against your worthless FBI agent of a boyfriend? You’d still say no?”

“You expect me to believe you?” I spat.

A menacing chuckle escaped his lips. “Come with me and find out. Or we can wait for him to show up and try to rescue you. If we stay here, I’m going to kill him. It’s your choice.”

I didn’t know what to say. I’d do anything to keep Declan out of harm’s way, but even if I went to New York with Vincent, I knew it wouldn’t stop Declan from going after him.

Vincent blew out a frustrated sigh and went back to the couch. “Guess we’re waiting here, then. If you change your mind, we’ll leave immediately.” He sat down and opened the newspaper again. “And if you try to escape, you won’t like the outcome. I’d much rather have you alive than dead when your man shows up. But either way works.”

His words chilled me to the bone. I had no doubt he’d kill me without a second thought. Turning on my heel, I went back up to the bedroom he had me in and shut the door. I looked around for anything that could be used as a weapon or tool that I could use against Vincent to help me escape. There was no way in hell I could just sit on my ass and do nothing. But what could I do? There were two windows in my room, but I was on the second floor. I walked over and looked down to see what I’d land on if I jumped out. Rose bushes. I’d be ravaged by thorns if I did that. Not to mention, I’d most likely break a leg or two.

“Think,” I grumbled to myself.

I turned away from the window and sat on the bed, my heart beating so hard I thought I’d pass out. But then, I peered over at the corner of the room, where there was a basket filled with rolled-up blankets. An idea came to mind, and I smiled.

I knew what I could do to get out of there.

Every time I heard footsteps, I slipped the blankets under the bed and hurried to the antique chair across the room. Never once did Vincent try to come in. He spent most of his time on the phone, but I could never hear exactly what he was saying .

What bothered me more than anything was time. I had no clue what time of the day it was, but judging by the position of the sun I’d say it was early afternoon. By now, everyone at my office would be trying to hunt me down. I wasn’t the type to just not show up at work. And then, when nobody would be able to find me, it’d cause chaos. Magnolia Grove was never going to be the same once word got out about my abduction. Not to mention, the outcome of the situation. I didn’t want to think of what was going to happen when Declan and Vincent faced off.

I had no doubt Declan would find me, but I wanted to find him first.

There was only one more blanket left to tie to the others. It was long enough so I could climb down the window. Would the knots hold? There was no telling. Knowing my luck, the blankets would rip, and I’d fall and break my neck. But then, I had another concern. Should I try to escape in the daytime or at night? Being under the cloak of darkness would help, but I had no clue where we were. The last thing I wanted was to be roaming around a swampy area in the dark. Getting eaten by an alligator wasn’t on my to-do list. At least, in the daytime, I would be able to see and avoid the swampy areas, but Vincent would also be able to see me running away.

What was I going to do?

Once I had the last blanket tied, I secured one end to the leg of the massive dresser by the window, pulling it as tight as I could. I’d tried moving the dark mahogany furniture and it didn’t budge; it weighed a ton. I just hoped that when my weight pulled on the blankets, it would hold.

Holding my breath, I turned the latch on the window and slowly lifted it. It creaked a little and I stopped, my pulse pounding in my ear. I waited to see if I heard any footsteps coming up the stairs, but there was nothing. It still sounded as if Vincent was on the phone downstairs.

Sweat started to drip down my forehead and I wiped it away. The window was only open about an inch. I lifted it a little more and it creaked again, a more shrilly sound this time.

Dammit!

There was another window a few feet away, but if I tried to escape out of that one, I wouldn’t have enough blankets to get me to the ground. I’d have to let go and hope I landed without hurting myself.

I moved to the other window and turned the latch, lifting it ever so slowly. It moved up an inch and there was no sound. Success! I moved it up a little more and it was perfectly quiet. My heart raced in my chest; I had the chance to be free.

However, all my efforts came to a halt when the sound of the doorbell echoed through the house. I froze and stared at the bedroom door, wondering if there was going to be a barrage of gunfire below me. Declan was an assassin, but he never went into detail about how the process worked. Did he go in guns blazing, or was he a silent striker?

The thought of him being at the door and facing off with Vincent made my insides knot in fear. Swallowing hard, I tiptoed to the door and opened it just a crack. The doorbell rang again, and I listened to Vincent tell whoever he was on the phone with that he had to go. He probably wasn’t even going to answer the door, but I was curious as to who it was. I could only imagine it was more of Vincent’s guys to help him deal with Declan.

Declan would be outnumbered.

Vincent’s footsteps pounded on the hardwood floor, and it sounded as if he was walking toward the door. He cleared his throat and a few seconds later, I heard the front door open. I held my breath again so I could hear what was going on. However, I wasn’t expecting to hear a familiar voice .

It was Linda.

My heart stopped and a wave of fear washed over me. What was she doing here? I didn’t want her anywhere near Vincent.

“Good afternoon, young man. It’s a nice day outside, isn’t it?” Linda announced, her voice friendly and inviting.

And, of course, Vincent put on his charm like he did with me the first time we met.

“That it is,” he replied. “I might have to go out and take a walk.”

“I definitely would,” Linda said back. Sadly, I knew he wouldn’t dare leave me alone in the house. A part of me wanted to use this time to sneak out the window, but I had to make sure nothing happened to Linda. “The reason I’m here,” Linda began to explain, “is because I’m good friends with the Hamricks. I always make their renters a cake as a welcome gift.”

“Well, thank you,” Vincent said politely.

It made me sick to think how he conned me into thinking he was a good guy. He’d had me fooled.

“It’s red velvet,” Linda added. “My specialty. Everyone loves it.”

I wanted to scream out that I was there and for her to get help, but I slapped a hand over my mouth to keep quiet. Vincent was capable of anything, and I had no doubt he’d kill her so as to avoid having a witness. I refused to put her in danger.

But staying silent went against everything I stood for. Then again, this was a matter of life and death. I didn’t know what to do. Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought I’d be in this situation. We were just normal people in Magnolia Grove, not mobsters or assassins. I didn’t realize how much of a bubble I’d been living in until now.

I kind of liked the bubble.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t what life was like for the rest of the world. The world could be dark and dangerous; I’d seen it on the news. I just never thought I’d experience it firsthand.

“Thank you for the cake,” Vincent said. “I’m sure I’ll enjoy it.”

It killed me to hear him talk to Linda like the gentleman he portrayed to be.

“I hope so. Take care, young man. I hope you enjoy your stay,” Linda responded.

My heart sank when I heard Vincent say his goodbyes and close the door. A part of me wondered if I’d ever see Linda or anyone else ever again.

I went back to the window to try opening it further, but footsteps pounded up the stairs. As fast as I could, I closed the curtains to both windows and shoved the tied blankets underneath the dresser.

I made it to the antique chair just in time for Vincent to open the door. It felt as if I’d ran a thousand miles in a matter of seconds. My body was on overdrive, the adrenaline kicking in for me to escape. But I couldn’t now … at least, not yet.

Vincent stepped into the room, but I refused to look at him. I kept my focus on the painting of a rose garden on the opposite wall.

“Let’s go downstairs. We need to talk,” he demanded, his voice sharp and demanding.

If I said no, I was pretty sure he’d force me. I didn’t want him touching me.

With a heavy sigh, I glared at him and stood. “Fine. Lead the way.”