Chapter 39
Tom, still full of confidence, silently reassured himself. We were just caught off guard. Give me one more chance, and I’ll snap Aurora’s neck with
er hand. There are three of us, after all, Sure, my right arm’s busted, but my left one’s just fine. She’ll regret it if she shows up a
Caleb, however, couldn’t share his optimism. He wiped the sweat off his face with his sleeve, wincing as it stung the scratches on his skin. “I thought the same thing at first, but look at us. You really think things will turn out any better now!” he muttered.
Their bodies were bruised and battered, bones fractured. Even standing up was a struggle. How could they possibly fight?
Tom’s confidener faltered. Calch was right. Their advantage had vanished the moment Aurora broke free. Their best hope now was to drag themselves out while they still had the chanser and find a hospital to
Gritting his teeth against the pain. Tom pushed himself up with his good arm. The second his injured foot touched the ground, a searing pain shot through him, nuking him wince, but then he shifted his weight to his uninjured side and steadied himself. Extending a hand towards Caleb, he said. Come on. I help you up
Among the three kidnappers, Caleb had been hit the hardest, Aurora seemed to know he was in charge and had focused her fury on him. On top of that, since he had taken the brunt of the powder, the scratching effects had been strongest on him too, leaving him torn between scratching and defending himself during the night.
Just as Caleb grabbed Tom’s hand to pull himself up, a piercing scream cut
og scream cut through the night, freezing them in place.
Eric’s face paled, his eyes wide with shock. “No way… she’s back?” he blurted, his voice trembling. But they had all seen her walk out with that metal
What happened next sent chills down their spines. The wind howled through the dark, rusting the overgrown weeds around the warehouse, and the faint sounds of a struggle grew louder.
And then all of a sudden from the shadows, Aurora einerged at the entrance, dragging Maura by her luir. The dim light from the warehouse cast her shadow eerily long and distorted. Her hair was flying wildly in the wind, partially obscuring her bruised and swollen face.
But it was her eyes that held the three men transfixed. Those told, merciless eyes gleamed with a predator’s hunger, promising retribution.
Aurora raked her fingers through her hair, pushing the loose strands back as her eyes swept over the three men. She could see the tear thickering in their razes. With casual disdain, she tossed Maura to the ground like a discarded rag doll.
Maura yelped as she hit the ground, her palms stinging as they scraped against the rough surface. But right now, fear gripped her so tightly that she
didn’t even care.
“Aurora, have you lost your mind?” Maura shrieked, her equally swollen and bruised face twisted in fury. Her chest heaved with rage as she snapped, You ungrateful leech! My family took you in, fed you, clothed you. And this is how you repay ud?”
The moment the Bed outside, Maura had regretted it. The world beyond the warehouse had been a void of darkness, punctuated only by fuint starfight. Not knowing the way out, she stumbled through the overgrown weeds, jumping at every sound.
She hadn’t gotten far before Aurora caught up with her, and she stood no chance against Aurora’s newfound ferocity. Every slap Maura had delivered earlier had been repaid in full before Aurora dragged her back by the hair like a lioness with struggling prey.
Just as Maura managed to sit up, ready to scramble to her feet. Aurora kicked her hard in the shoulder, sending her crashing back down. Bending Howa Aurora picked up the metal rod she liad tossed aside earlier, a cold smile playing on her lips. “It’s pitch dark out there,” she said, her tone a mockery of concem. “Trouldn’t just let you wander off alone, could I?”
Maura’s hands trembled as she tried to crawl backward, fear written all over her face as Aurora loomed closer, the metal rod in hand growing more menucing with each step she took.
you still
are you waiting for, you idiots Maura screamed at Caleb and his men, her voice cracking with desperation. “Go get her, now! Do y want your money or not? If I get hurt, you’re all screwed,” she yelled like a madwoman, her veins throbbing visibly in her neck.
Cold sweat streamed down her forehead, mingling with her disheveled hair, now clinging in wild tangles. She looked nothing like the arrogant person died beeii jiat moments before,
But her threats fell on deaf ears. Caleb and his sidekicks weren’t foolish; they’d seen the tide turn. Of the five of them, Aurora was the only one still standing, umanjured and in control. To speak up now would be to invite more pain, more retribution.
They s
silently shrank into themselves, praying to become invisible, afraid that the slightest sound would draw Aurora’s wrath again. They had felt the sting of her blows, and none of them wanted a repeat.
Aurora stood unmoved by Maura’s desperate threat. She crouched before Maura, eyes glinting g with a mixture of feigned pity and something far more dangerous. “Oh, Maura” slie coord, her voice dripping with false sweetness, “What are you talking about? I’m your sister. I’m here to protect you. Why would you seek help from those thuigs!”
11:36 AM
Chapter 39
Aurora reached out and gently stroked Maura’s face, but in the next secoul, her grip tightened, fingers digging into her skin. She leaned in close. her voice almost a low, intimate murmur, “It hurts, doesn’t it? Why did you have to grab the steering wheel in the first place? Now we’re both stuck. here in the middle of nowhere.”
Maura’s face was a mess of angry red welts and scratches–all marks from her desperate attempts to rid herself of the unbearable itch. The moment Aurora’s fingers pressed down, blood started seeping from the hall–healed wounds.
“What do you want?” Maura winced in pain, her voice trembling, each word coming our between gasps. “If you lay a hand on me, my mom will kill you” She threatened Aurora, hoping the mere mention of Stacy would make Aurora hesitate.
But Aurora just smiled, like a predator amused by its prey’s feeble struggles. “So you finally admit it,” she said. “This whole kidnap was your idea, wasn’t it?” She had already figured it out, but watching terror bloom in Maura’s eyes brought her a twisted sense of satisfaction.
Maura jerked her head to the side, pulling herself free from Aurora’s grasp. There was no guilt in her eyes as she confessed, head held high. “We were just putting you in your place. You’re nothing but a pathetic orphan, a country bumpkin. You should be grateful we even let you get a taste of the high life. How dare you try to outshine me!”
Mistaking Aurora’s silence for fear, Maura pressed on, her voice rising to a shrill pitch. “You’d better let me go right now, or I swear, when Mom finds out about this, you’re done for.”
From their corner, Caleb and the other two men had been listening intently, their curiosity piqued by Aurora’s sudden silence. They glanced in her direction, trying to catch a glimpse of her expression, but with Maura blocking their view, they couldn’t see a thing.
11:38 AM
