Chapter 34
I am brave. I am strong. I am smart. I can do this... I wish I was flame retardant... I can do this... right?
Self-talk only went so far when you were moving half-bind through a burning house.
I wanted to go after my brothers. But I didn't know where they were, and I had to trust Laurence to get them back to me safely.
I can do this, I said more fiercely to myself as I slowly made my way toward where Natalie was being kept, trying to figure out how I would get past Derik to get her out. The hallway was hot, far hotter than it had been minutes ago.
I pulled the collar of my dress over my nose, trying to breathe past the smoke and ash, staying low to the ground as I moved past the kitchen, the tiled ground giving way to carpet serving as a beacon that I was going the right way.
I heard shouting in the distance. Carter had discover my trickery. "WHERE ARE YOU?!?" he bellowed, all illusion of his calm, gone. There was a loud crash, Carter sending something crashing to the ground in his rage.
"You can't hide forever!"
"Wanna bet?" I muttered softly as I ducked down behind a potted plant next to the doorway of the room Natalie was being held in. I paused, listening, waiting for Derik to make himself known. I didn't have access to cameras anymore, and had no idea if he was even still in the room.
So I did something utterly painful. I waited.
Carter continued to shout, smashing things, his voice moving down the hall, slowly closer, and still, I waited.
The air grew hotter, and still I waited.
The house began to groan and crack as wood was consumed by flame and still, I waited.
Finally, I heard it, the answer I was looking for.
"Stop looking at me like that. A woman as pretty as you should smile," Derik said, voice slightly muffled. I chanced a peek around the doorway. Derik's back was toward me, staring down at Natalie who glared up at him, chin tilted up, blond hair wild around her face.
"Your face gives me very little reason to smile," she replied, seeming surprisingly calm as she stared him down. "You leave very little inspiration for a joy induced grin."
I suppressed a laugh, surprised by her bravery. I love this girl.
Derik moved toward Natalie, hand raised, ready to strike her across the face.
Natalie didn't flinch like he expected her to, instead she tilted her head, cheek toward him in a silent dare. This stopped Derik for a beat, throwing him off.
"What game are you trying to play?" he sputtered.
She didn't repeat herself, instead staring him down, snatching the power from the conversation like a mother snatching a dangerous item from a child and watching the child stand there shocked at the audacity.
Taking my chance, I quietly got to my feet, picked up the potted plant on the ground next to the door and sprinted toward Derik. Natalie glanced in my direction, and Derik noticing the change on her face spun.
He only had a moment to widen his eyes in surprise before I slammed the heavy potted plat into his face, sending him crashing to the ground.
I didn't stop to look and see the damage. There was a strong chance that Carter had heard the crash and I couldn't wait around and find out. I grabbed Natalie's arm and pulled her to her feet, scrambling to undo the ties around her hands.
When she was free, I tugged her from the room. "Follow me and stay quiet," I murmured.
We stumbled into the hallway, breathing hard in the heat, her arm trembling under my grip, her brave bravado fading now that Derik was left behind. Once my heels hit the tiled floor of the kitchen I could breathe easier.
Almost there.
After several more moments I reached the wall with the hidden door and began to panic, realizing I didn't know how to reopen the safe room. I ran my fingers along the walls, worry growing like a gnawing hunger inside of me. "Where is it?!?"
I heard another crash and moved my hands along the wall faster, growing desperate.
"What are we looking for?" Natalie asked beside me, nearly making me jump. I had nearly forgot she was there in my panic.
"There's a safe room behind this wall."
"You don't know how to get in?" she asked, her voice far too calm for our current situation.
"Nope."
"Oh."
"Yep."
Natalie walked up to the wall, inspecting it closely. "Is this what you're looking for?" Her fingers pressed against a small groove in the wall, and the hidden door opened. I nearly cried with relief as we ran inside, the door shutting behind us.
"How did you know?"
Natalie settled down on one of the computer chairs, letting out a shaky breath. "He showed me during one of my last visits." She closed her eyes for a beat, composing herself. "He wasn't sure if it made him paranoid and wanted my professional opinion."
"The way you handled Derik..." I shook my head. "I've never seen him stop like that."
Her eyes were still closed. "A personality like that doesn't expect to have his cruelty met with bravery. They thrive off of the fear of others." She spoke in a monotone, shock setting in, falling back on logical answers she had learned from her years of practicing her craft as a therapist.
She opened her eyes, taking me in for the first time. "Thank you for getting me out of there."
I nodded, slumping down on my own chair. "Happy to help, Natalie."
She looked up at me surprised, then a small smile crossed her face. "Ah. So he told you who I was." Natalie seemed pleased by this. "Good. That's an improvement. He trusts you."
I looked away, shoving down Laurence's final words to me. I love you Lily Autumns.
"How did you end up here?" I asked, itching to change the subject.
"I saw someone watching my house. I took precautions, but I live alone. Derik managed to get inside before I could call the police and the next thing I knew, I woke up here."
Another puzzle piece clicked into place. Carter was watching Natalie's house. That must have been where Derik went after everyone thought he went home. He snuck inside and took her.
Natalie looked around the room, brow puckered in concern. "I hate to say this, but his trust issues are justified. It's rare that I have a case like this."
Her eyes fell on the screens and my eyes followed. Laurence had reached my brothers. I pushed my chair up to the keyboard below the screens, eager to get a better look. My chair knocked into the keyboard and the screens suddenly blared to life with sound.
I heard Laurence speaking softly as he crouched next to Sam, moving to untie his hands. "She's safe," he was saying. "Carter can't reach her. She sent me to get you out."
"There you are."
Laurence spun toward the voice, and before he was fully prepared, Derik was on him, his face covered in blood from where the planted pot hit him.
Derik wailed on Laurence, sending his head smacking into the ground as Derik punched him in the face. He punched Laurence over and over as my brothers struggled to get free, the sound of their shouts, of Derik's fists hitting flesh, Laurence's gasps, sending me to my knees.
Then Derik dragged Laurence from the room, leaving my brothers tied up.
Smoke filled the screen, and a moment later, the screen showcasing my brothers went dead, leaving behind a blank screen of silence.
I shook, staring up at it, wide eyed. "Oh my gosh..."
My body trembled as I scanned the other screens, spotting Derik dropping Laurence in front of Carter in the middle of the hallway. "Here you go," Derik said as Laurence pushed up onto his knees, staring up at Carter, his face battered and bloody. "You ordered lousy brother with a side of pain, right?"
Carter stared down at Laurence, ignoring Derik's joke. "You find the girlfriend?"
Derik's eyes hardened. "Not yet. But I'll find her."
Carter crouched down in front of Laurence. "You've been making things quite difficult for me."
"What a coincidence" Laurence replied dryly. "You've been making my life a living hell for years."
I thought Carter would retaliate. Would hit his brother who continued to kneel before him as the world burned down around them. But he was silent, unmoving as he appraised his brother.
"Find her," he said to Derik, eyes still on Laurence. Derik moved down the hall, vanishing from view.
"You won't find her," Laurence said, eyes flitting up to the screen, finding the camera in the dark for a beat. It felt like he was looking right at me. I felt his gaze, an unspoken request that urged me to stay where I was. To stay safe. That he would find a way to get to my brothers.
Laurence finally stood up, swaying slightly, his eyes looking up at the camera again. "You can't touch her."
I wish he could have seen me. I wish I could have told him that I was okay and that I wasn't going to leave him to his brother. That I would find my siblings and I would tear Carter apart to get to him. But Laurence didn't see me and a moment later, his eyes were back on his brother.
"She will hate you, you know," Carter said as he began to move in a slow circle, Laurence matching his movements in the opposite direction. "She'll never forgive you for loving her if they die."
Carter's smiled was wicked his eyes glistening feverishly. "I assumed you'd put her somewhere safe. Somewhere she can watch." He laughed. "How perfectly morbid. A front row seat to watch everyone she loves die. And she'll blame you for it."
Laurence was quiet. A muscle tightening in his jaw, the only sign that Carter's words met their mark.
"She won't be able to look at you without seeing death." Carter continued to circle, his hands out to his sides giving off a calm demeanor even as he spoke venomously.
"I won't let that happen," Laurence replied, moving to the left, hoping to get past Carter. "Get out of my way."
"They're destined to burn, Laurence. By the time I am done, there will be nothing left to grieve."
"I'll only tell you one more time Carter. Move."
He laughed. "You won't hurt me. You've had countless of possibilities before. You're jabs have always been verbal." Carter pulled out a knife. "I've always had the flair for the scars you can see." He glanced down at the knife as he let it dance across his fingers, a terrifying illusion.
"I'll honor my word to Liam. I won't touch her. But Derik made no such promises, and when he finds her, she'll wish she suffered the same fate as her brothers."
Laurence launched at Carter, both brothers crashing to the ground, the knife vanishing from view.
The screens suddenly went dead, and I was on my feet, shouting at the screens. "NO! NOT NOW!"
There was a loud crackle from the speakers and suddenly a new voice came through. "I hope this works..."
My mouth fell open. "Bex?!?"
"Lily?!?! Yes it worked! I've hacked into their system. but... I can't see you."
I nearly started crying with relief at the sound of her voice filling the room. "You're okay."
"Yep. Unlike your crazy brother, I hid when Derik ran out of the house trying to catch Will. Figured I'd be more useful uncaptured. Where are you? I don't have a camera view of you."
"We're in a safe room. No cameras in here." I looked up at the blank screens, my fear growing. "Can you get the screens back on in here? I need to know that Laurence is okay. Can you help me get to my brothers?"
Bex gave an evil laugh. "This place is mine to control. I'll lead the way."
---
Thank you for reading chapter thirty four! I hope you are enjoying the story! Or are at least curious to see where it goes! Add this story to your reading list to know when the next chapter drops!
UPDATE DAYS - A NEW CHAPTER EVERY FRIDAY!
Will Lily get her brother's out?
What will happen between Carter and Laurence?
What will happen next?
CHAPTER QUESTION - If you could only save three things (not people) from a burning building, what three things of yours would you save?
Bạn đang đọc truyện trên: Truyen247.Pro