A throbbing pain in my head woke me up, and I groaned. I tried to move my body but failed. Panicking, I snapped my eyes open and looked around to see my hands and legs tied to a wooden chair.

What the f**k?!

The right side of my face felt sticky and it wouldn’t a genius to know it was blood from the blow that a**hole gave me. I jerked my arms and tried to move out of it, but nothing worked.

“Amber? Are you alright?” I heard Finlay’s fragile voice and saw him sitting on the floor, leaning his back against the wall.

“F**k! My head hurts like bit*h and I’m tied to a chair, otherwise, I’m good.” I bit sarcastically.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t stop him.” He winced, making me frown. “I feel weak.”

“What?” My eyes widened at that.

Finlay feels nothing and if he is feeling vulnerable, then something is definitely wrong.

I ignored the pang in my head as I tried to break out of the ropes but failed. I was more concerned for him than myself because I knew I could get a doctor for myself, but I couldn’t do anything for Finlay if something happens to his soul.

“It must be the injection.” He mumbled.

“Where are we?” I examined the room and searched for something to get out of.

“In the castle’s dungeon.”

My eyes wandered around the concrete small brick wall room with no window and only a small iron cell door in front of me. There was nothing in the room except for a little lantern that did a poor job of lightening the room, a chair on which I was sitting in the middle, and cuff chains on the other side of the room.

Yup, I’m definitely in a dungeon.

“How long was I out for?” I asked, still yanking my hands from the rope.

My skin was red from the friction and it ached, but I will not stop until I get out of these.

“About twenty minutes.”

“Did you see the Hoodie guy?” I inquired Finlay, and he nodded.

“Aye, he is...” He paused when we heard footsteps coming down.

Two figures came into my view and stood behind the iron door. Because of the lack of light, I couldn’t see their faces.

“Look who’z awake.” A honeyed voice reached my ears, and my eyes enlarged at the familiar voice.

“Come in front you a**holes!”

“Aye, why nawt.”

The iron door creaked open as a girl in a golden dress (the one I helped her choose) entered and stood in front of me with the Hoodie guy.

“Poor Amber. He hurt ye bad.” Blair pouted her ugly red lips.

“Spare me the sympathy bit*h,” I growled and glared at the Hoodie guy. “And you can take off your hood... Angus.”

I can’t believe I skipped him earlier when looking for everyone at the festival. He didn’t even cross my mind.

“I dae nawt take orders fae ye, Bonnie.” He snorted.

“Or... Your face is too ugly for people to see.” I retorted.

“F**k ye!” He screamed and took his hood off.

I can’t believe he’s been the hoodie guy all this time!

I remembered when I ran after him that night and he dodged me and then came back with Isla. He wasn’t wearing the hood or the boots and must have changed them because his room was closer to the hallway we were in.

Yesterday on the Balcony I was too distracted to run away from him and didn’t pay attention to him. My eyes went to the combat boots he wore. Of course, they gave him a few inches of height.

“Relax Angus.” Blair grinned, gesturing towards me. “She’z harmless... Ah mean, look at 'er...” She clicked her tongue. “So pitiful sight.”

“Untie me and I’ll show you how compassionate I can be.” I gritted.

“Ha!” She clasped her hands. “Ye think ah’m a fool?”

“On the contrary. I think you are a bit*h.”

“That ah am.” She gave me a proud grin.

“Blair and Angus,” I said their names in disgust. “Let me guess... You two f**king each other?”

Angus growled at me, but Blair remained indifferent.

“Oh, honey, we don’t do that sh*t 'ere.” She waved her hand. “We work as a family.”

“Family?” I scoffed. “Finlay is a part of this so-called family too yet-“

“Finlay iz nothin' but a selfish traitor!” Angus snapped, then chuckled at my confusion. “But of course, ye ken nothin' about him.”

“I do-“

“Oh, cut the bullsh*t Amber. We ken ye'er nawt his fiancée.” Blair cut me off. “He never had one. Ye er just a curious cat putting yer nose in someone else's business.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I said deadpan.

“Oh... We ken ye'er investigatin' Finlay’s case..” She chuckled, and I raised my brows.

“How did you...?”

“Ah had an insider.” She winked. “Ye were so into it and leavin' trails behind, so ah told Oliver to turn the tables towards ye an' blame ye for bein' the murderer. But because of his irresponsibility, they lost yer hair strand an' well... Ye ken the rest.”

Oliver?! The f**king Pegasus Agent!

No wonder why he was so hell-bent on accusing me. If he had proven it, then Blair and Angus would have been free to do whatever they want.

“You paid Candice too.” I darted my eyes to Angus, and he gave me a lopsided grin.

“Aye. She was an easy hag an' brought him there.”

“How did you even know they were-“

“F**k buddies?” Blair giggled. “Finlay an' Neil talk about every month an' tell each other tons of sh*t. Alistair once 'eard them an' told me, so ah used her as bait.”

“But why?!” I screamed. “Finlay doesn’t even want the business-“

“That ar*ehole dinnae want it, but he waz ruinin' it for uz!” Angus shouted back.

“What?” My shoulders slumped.

“On Neil’s birthday, we found Finlay iz the actual owner of the businezz because that old f**ktart named it to him as if it will dismizz all the bulls*t he did,” Blair growled. “Neil, being stupid, thought he could brin' his brither back but Finlay... That ungrateful brat wanted hiz revenge for what Henry did to him.”

“Uh?” My eyes darted to Finlay, who looked like he was barely breathing, but he had his eyes on his cousin as he spoke.

“Finlay accused our whiskey businezz that has been runnin' for generations of stealin' the recipe fae an Australian company an' they filed a case on us. He wanted our family businezz to crumble and ah won’t let that happen.”

“Do ye hae any idea how it ruined the Coburns' reputation?” Blair tilted her head. “Fergus went to Australia to clear it an' it took a lot of f**king effort to do it.”

“Finlay...” I swallowed hard. “He would never do that.”

I never knew him before his accident, but my Finlay would never do such a thing.

“Ah warned ye, Amber.” Angus clicked his tongue. “Ye ken nothin' about him.”

The flashback of him on the balcony ran through my brain.

“Dae nawt look so heartbroken.” Blair pouted. “We told Finlay to give the businezz back to us an' everyone will be happy, but he didn’t.”

“So you took the easy way out and plan to kill him?!”

“That would hae worked if someone had don' their job rwight.” She growled at Angus, who held his hands up.

“In mah defense, that accident was pretty hardcore an' he should be dead.”

“But he izn’t.” She rolled her eyes.

“You were the one who hit him?” I looked at Angus, shocked, but after everything he did, I shouldn’t be.

“Who else dae ye think?” He cracked up.

I shifted my butt on the chair and sighed in relief when I felt my phone in my dress pocket. Like I did with Candice. I opened my recorder the moment I entered the castle, but it’s been too long. I just hope it hasn’t died on me and still recording.

“It was a miracle Finlay survived that accident an' got into a coma.” Blair shrugged. “When they brought him 'ere, the doctors said his condition was getting better, but we couldn’t let that happen right.”

“What have you been injecting him?”

“It’z a slow poison.” She gave me a toothy grin. “Ah’m very merciful, so ah thought of giving him a peaceful death in his sleep, but since ye hae arrived, it’z been difficult.”

“Ah still don’t get what’s widh ye.” Angus gave me the once over. “Talkin' to Finlay even though he iz coma. Ye'er weird.”

“Says the murderers.” I gritted through my teeth.

“Nawt yet,” Blair said, taking out an injection from her purse. “We gae him a double dose tonight since we missed it last time, but now ah’m thinking we should finish this chapter tonight.”

• • • • •

A/N

I thought you guys would have guessed who the hoodie guy was in the previous chapter after the hint... But guess Angus is good at fooling people 😂

So... What do you think about the pair? 👀