As Chris shifted uncomfortably beside me, I could sense the weight of his unease. His attempt to deflect my questions raised some suspicions in me but I tried to put it aside for now. “The gold,” I repeated, my voice steady despite the turmoil stirring within me. “What do you know about it?” He chuckled as he raised an eyebrow. “The gold that my family stole?” He ran his hand through his hair, some of his confidence returning. “Why do you say it like that? Who even told you that we stole gold?” Fallon had already explained it all to me, and she had even given me all the evidence I would need if there were any doubts left in my mind. “So you know about the gold?” He hesitated, his eyes flickering with uncertainty. “Linda, I…I don’t know much about it. It’s just a rumor, a story that has been passed down through my family. I never thought much about it, and I’m surprised that you even know about it.” He shrugged lightly. I studied his face, searching for any sign of deception. But
Chris blinked in surprise as the papers scattered around him, his expression shifting from snugness to confusion. He glanced down at the documents, then back up at me, his eyes widening with realization. “Linda, what is this?” His voice trembled slightly, almost beyond notice, but I did catch it. He was trying to maintain his facade. I stood tall, my heart pounding with a mixture of anger and frustration. “It’s the truth, Chris. The truth you have been avoiding. The truth about the gold and everything else.” He scrambled to pick up the papers, his hands shaking a bit as he sorted through them. His lips moved silently as he read, absorbing the contents of the folder. His face paled, and I could see the color drain from his cheeks. “You knew about this?” He finally managed to choke out, his voice strained. I nodded, my anger still simmering beneath the surface. “Yes, Chris, of course, I knew. And I have been trying to get you to tell me the truth, but you kept lying to me.” He loo
His silence was loud, very loud. A part of me wanted him to beg for me to stay, for him to assure me of his love. I wanted him to apologize and tell me that everything was going to be alright. I wanted him to tell me the truth about his family and that he would help Fallon. But all those were just in my head. They were not real. And no matter how badly I wanted them to be real, they wouldn’t. So I decided to break the silence. “I’ll stay at a friend’s place for a while,” I continued, my voice steady despite the whirlwind of emotions that were dancing in me. “Just until we figure things out.”He made a small sound with his throat before speaking, “You barely have a friend here, Linda. What are you doing?” Having him say that out loud made my heart do a weird thing. I never really noticed that he was right. I had no real friends here. My life was back in the United States, here was just felt like I was on vacation or was a tourist. I really needed to figure things out. And trust me
What did she mean by that? I wanted to play her words off but they sent shivers down my spine. She has known the Kingstons longer than I had so there could be some truth to her words. “My husband would never do anything to hurt me,” I assured her in a firm tone. “We may not be on the best of terms right now but he would never intentionally do anything to hurt me. That I know.”She scoffed. “Sure,” she dragged the word in a tone that had me squinting my eyes in suspicion. What did she know that I did not?“Are you not telling me something?”She let out a dry laugh and just ended the call. I should have used her flawed manners by now but it still stung. I was left alone with my thoughts and questions as I drove to the nearest hotel. It did not take me more than half an hour to get there.The building stood tall and luxurious. I parked in the parking area and took my suitcase out of the car before locking it up.Then I headed inside. The place seemed busy, I guess I was not the only
Was I tripping? Was I hallucinating what I just heard?It was not a loud and noticeable sound but it did catch my attention. My heart started to pound but I tried to convince myself that it was just my mind playing games.I continued to shower, the water washing away the foam that the body wash had made but some still lingered.My eyes were closed, I did not want to get some foam in them, knowing they would burn a lot if I did.“You should learn to mind your business, Linda,” A voice echoed in the bathroom, causing my heart to drop.I almost fell to the ground as I tried to find something to grip onto. “Who’s there?!” I was panicking, I did not know what to do. But luckily for me, the water from the shower was still pouring.It helped wash my face and body off the remnants of body wash. I quickly opened my eyes, looking everywhere so I could see who was in there with me.I was so scared that it felt like the insides of my head were rising like yeast. “Put this around you, dear,” The
I never thought that I would be asking Fallon Knight to do this for me; to help me out. The only help that I ever wanted from her was freedom from her strings.But I needed her. Even though I may have hated her to begin with, I now understood her. I knew why she did what she did.I now have it. I got why she had such a hard and frozen heart, it was her way of surviving.Fallon scoffed. “Um…forgive me for saying this, but aren’t you the one who is the wife of a billionaire? You could literally buy a hotel right now,” she pointed out.I really wished she understood. I mean, yes, she was right. But Chris and my finances were kind of intertwined.He would need permission or a sign-off from me if he needed to withdraw a certain amount of money from our shared bank account, and it went vice versa.“Fallon, please. I can’t explain but I need you to help me; just a place to stay until noon,” I begged her.I was scared. I was scared for my life. And the only one I trusted enough to be able to
I was now sitting on the bed, I collected the paperwork that Fallon had thrown my way. With them in my hand, I realized they were the exact ones that I had read that were sent to my email. I was already okay with the terms and thought it was fair. It stated that as long as I helped her get information that would lead her to getting what belonged to her family then I was free from her.Not just free. But free forever. I stared at the paper for a few seconds longer and I think Fallon may have noticed that I was deep I thought because she proceeded to sit next to me.“Are you okay? Am I too late? Have you already changed your mind?” She chuckled to herself, handing me the pen as she sipped more of whatever she was drinking.I let out a wry laugh, my mind playing the events that unfolded in the hotel last night. I swallowed hard, my heart thumping in my chest as if it was happening all over again.“No, it’s not that…”“Then what is it?” She asked, waiting for my response. I could tell t
In no time, the reading room looked like a small flower shop. And it smelled so good. There were so many kinds of flowers, but the ones that stood up were the roses, those were my favorite and Chris knew that. The guy soon left after getting me to sign, to prove that I had received the flowers. When they had left, I glanced around the room, a warm feeling filling my chest. For a moment, all was forgiven and I had even forgotten about how dangerous his family was. I had forgotten how I had been threatened back at the hotel as I continued to admire the flowers.This was such a beautiful gesture. Then my eyes caught something that was on the table, right in one of the biggest bouquets of flowers. It was white and looked like a note. I walked towards it and picked it up. I chuckled to myself when I saw Chris’s handwriting.He did not have good penmanship, he wrote as if he was rushing. No matter how much he tried; even if he took all the time in the world, his handwriting would stil
Linda’s POVWe managed to get out of the burning room, and I swear I think I got a few burns but the adrenaline drowned the pain out. We were headed out and had no idea where the exit was due to how much smoke and fire was assaulting us from almost everywhere.The pinching pain in my belly was growing and as much as I tried to brush it off, it was getting harder to do with each step that I took.Suddenly, the roof caved in and fell to the ground causing us to be separated by angry flames. I was stuck on the other side and Chris and the others were away from me.Fear filled me and I took a few careful steps away from the raging fire. “Help!” I exclaimed.“Keep calm, Linda. We will find a way to get to you, but for now, I would recommend that you keep moving.” He pointed towards the ceiling.When I looked up, I saw that the fire was eating it up, it could fall at any second. “Okay!” I said loudly, so I could be heard above all the commotion. When I turned around to start moving, I was
Linda’s POVI had never been so scared in my life, the room held a tension that I could not describe. It felt like a nightmare, a real one.It felt like I was hallucinating all of this, but deep down, I knew that I was not. This was real, and it was something that I could not escape from. “Please, think about the baby,” I begged Mr. Kingston, tears flowing from my eyes and snot running down my nose.“Did you think of the baby before you and your friends decided to f*ici up my life?” He asked, dark humor dancing in his eyes.“Light them up,” he said, walking away. In seconds he was out of the room. Kirby flashed me a sad look before her features hardened again. She then walked out, the doctor guy following her.I sniffled and then sobbed out even more. I was beginning to smell gasoline, the smell was overwhelming. Sh*t, they were going to burn us up. My vision got blurred for a few seconds before I blinked the tears away, making it clear again.The door opened and I saw Kirby and th
Linda’s POVThe call went through but after a few rings, there was no answer. My heart was thumping in my chest and more tears threatened to spill from my eyes due to fear.“You better hope she answers, we are on a tight schedule,” Kirby warned me in a hard tone. I was praying for that too. “Call her again, maybe her phone is on Do Not Disturb,” I tried to find an explanation.“Hmm,” She mumbled in response before deciding to make the call again. This time, Fallon answers on the third ring.I let out a breath that I did not know I was holding. Kirby brought the phone close to me and put it on speakerphone. “This better be important, because I’m very busy right now,” Fallon said, it sounded like she was on a busy street because I could hear the sound of cars and people being people in the background. “It is,” I replied. “Fallon, I need your help; Chris and I have been kidnapped. The like went quiet for a few seconds and then she broke the silence. “Linda?” “Yes, Fallon, please…hur
Linda’s POVBeing bound was not a nice experience, the ropes were so tight that every time I would try to move, they would pinch my skin.But I had made my decision, I wanted to come out of here alive. I wanted my baby to come out of here alive, so I was going to do everything I was told to do no matter how messed up it would be.Kirby and the guy who I thought was a doctor soon walked out of the room, leaving me with the guy who was not too far from me.I knew it was a man because of his build but I could not tell who he was. He was wearing old and ragged clothes and seemed to be unconscious because his head was bent over in a weak way.“Are you okay?” I asked, attempting to see if he was awake even though I felt he was not. There was no reply. So I sighed and then glanced around the room, looking to see if I could find a way of escape, but it seemed like the only way to get out here was through the door.There were two windows in the room but both of them had iron bars that did not
Linda’s POVThe car soon came to a stop, it had been a long ride. “Take her inside,” Kirby commanded and the Doctor did as he was asked. He opened the door and got down before gesturing that I do the same. I did not want to be hurt and did not want my baby to be hurt either so I did as he told me. I got down from the car and glanced around. It was now dark but the lights from on the property were impressively bright. Acres of land stretched from both sides that I looked at, and a huge stood not too far from me. It looked like a castle. It was stunning but it had a dark energy that caused my heart to skip a beat. I already knew who was behind this. I mean, I had my suspicions at first but they had now been confirmed. The thought of Chris entered my mind and I felt a heaviness that I could not ignore. Why did they have me tell him that I was on a street that we were miles away from? Had it been a way to get him alone so they could harm him? Oh my gosh, I did not know what I would do
Chris’s POVKidnapped? The word rang in my ear over and over, and I could barely hear a thing after she had said that. The car behind mine honked loudly and I was pulled out of my trance. “Clink Street? You said you’re being held at Clink Street?” I needed to make sure that I had heard her right. “Yes…” Her voice broke before a shudder followed shortly after. Then the call dropped. I tried to call but there was no answer. So I tried again; again and again. And with the cars honking behind me as I was parked at the traffic light, blocking their way, I knew that I had to put it all aside for only a few seconds. My mind raced as I tried to make sense of what had just happened. Lind, my wife, was kidnapped. The thought was incomprehensible, surreal. But I could not afford to dwell on it. I had to act, I had to act fast. With a deep breath, I refocused on the present. The light that was was still green, so I finally drove and ignored the road rage that I was getting as I pulled to the
Linda’s POVMy heart skipped a beat, a cold fear gripping me as I realized something was terribly wrong. Panic surged within me, but I tried to keep my voice steady. “What do you mean, you lied?” I demanded, my voice trembling despite my efforts to remain calm. Dr. Adam’s smile faded, replaced by a chilling expression that sent shivers down my spine. “You, Linda,” He said softly, his ice blue eyes locking onto mine with unsettling intensity, “You’re not going to another room as you already can tell, you’re going to a little place called ‘Pay Back’.” I immediately jumped out of the wheelchair and tried to run for my life but I fell to the hard ground. We were in the parking place, basement level. “Help!” I screamed at the top of my lungs but it was like there was not even a soul there. As I hit the ground, pain shot through my body, but fear propelled me to my feet again. Adrenaline surged through my veins as I fought to escape, but Dr. Adam was quick to react. He grabbed my arm lik
Linda’s POVI could barely speak, the pain overwhelming me as I doubled over on the bathroom floor. Every fiber of my being screamed with agony, and I feared for the safety of my unborn child. I already knew what it was, what was causing the pain. This was not my first rodeo, it was not the first time that it had happened. Aunt Maze and William rushed into the room, their expressions filled with alarm as they saw me writhing in pain. “What’s going on?” Aunt Maze exclaimed, her voice tinged with worry. I struggled to find the words amidst the agony that consumed me. “It’s the bullet…it’s moving and must be hitting one of my organs,” I managed to gasp out, tears stinging my eyes as another wave of pain washed over me. Fallon’s eyes widened with realization. “We need to get her to the hospital, now,” She said urgently, her voice plastered with panic. With her support, I managed to rise to my feet, the pain still stabbing at my abdomen with each step. Aunt Maze and William sprang int
Linda’s POVMy heart skipped a beat at the revelation, the gravity of the situation sinking in. The Kingstons had vanished without a trace, the police had no way of knowing where they were. I wanted to ask how that was even possible. But I already knew the answer to that. Power, money, and influence. They had found a way to disappear because of who they were. “What do you mean disappeared?” Chris demanded, his voice smeared with urgency. “How could a prison transport vehicle just f*cking disappear?” Sergeant Thompson’s tone remained solemn. “We are still trying to ascertain the details, but it appears to have been a deliberate act. We suspect foul play.” “Of course, there was,” I heard Fallon say under her breath before letting out a string of curses. The car we were in was more of a van and we could all fit in easily. My mind raced with so many possibilities, each one more terrifying than the last. Had all of this been orchestrated from the start? Was he planning revenge right n