CHAPTER 7%
Laura
I curled up on the bed, my mind racing for an escape route. The single leg I had left seemed to mock me–a fragile scrap of flesh that hemmed me in. But panic couldn’t drown my resolve.
In the corner sat a wheelchair and a pair of crutches. Xavier–rescuer and captor both–must have decided that gear was “safe” enough for me. He was wrong.
The moment the door creaked open, an eerie hush blanketed the building. Only my breathing drifted down the dim, long hallway. The metallic tap of crutches rang out, like a clock’s needle mocking every second of freedom slipping away.
The last glass door spilled me into a broad courtyard. Night air bit, moonlight carved a silver line across the asphalt. In the distance, an iron gate gaped–inviting me to snap every chain.
One more step.
A flash flared to my right. Three armed figures, one body splayed on the ground, a pool of blood gleaming under the moon. Their eyes and mine collided for less than a heartbeat–enough to lance my pulse with terror. Darkness dropped the curtain./
<-8
I jolted awake as a lamp’s glare slapped my face. Xavier sat on the sofa, rigid, expression stone–yet something almost gentle glimmered behind his eyes.
“How do you feel?” His baritone was low, nearly a whisper.
My tongue stuck. Last night’s scene looped in my head: pistol crack, spray of blood, strangled breath. My escape hadn’t been pointless–1 still wound up back here, and someone’s life bled out on the pavement.
“Sorry,” Xavier murmured. “You weren’t supposed to see that.”
I shot him a sneer. “Part of your job, huh?“M
“I’m no killer. He chose to die. He scammed village girls, sold them to brothels. A lot of lives ended because of him.”
I turned away, refusing to care. To me, Xavier was still a man who could snip my life any moment. The exit was my only prayer.
He rose, his shadow swallowing the light. “One hour to get ready. We’re flight to handle something.”
I snapped my head around. “Flight? Where? I’m not going.“W
“You are.” His tone was flat, steel set in every word.M
“No!” I snatched a crutch, bracing it like a spear. “Get out of my room!”
A flicker trembled in his eyes. “Don’t force me, Laura.“W
“Why? Afraid of a crippled woman?” I barked a bitter laugh. “Think you’re a hero? You’re the same–locking me in here!”
The crutch swung. He blocked–metal clapped against flesh. His hand clamped my shoulder; I wrenched free. My palm cracked across his face. The echo fell silent–air froze on contact.
Color flared on his cheek, his jaw set. He drew a deep breath, chaining the storm behind those dark eyes.”
“Finished?” he rasped. “If you need to hit me again, do it now… before you regret it.“”
My chest heaved. Fingers shook on the crutch. For the first time I felt his anger–not an eruption, but thunder trapped in clouds./
“i won’t be your prisoner.” My voice splintered but held.
He bent, whispering close to my ear, tone almost soft–yet every word cut.
“I won’t hurt you, Laura. But the world outside this fence will tear you apart in hours. Choose: stay here, or come with me and live.“W Silence. My heart pounded wild. The choice he offered felt like two ropes of different colors–both still strangling.
Xavier stepped back, giving space.
“One hour,” he said again, softer, “then I’m back. Decide where you want to die–here, or out there.”
He left the room. The door clicked shut, yet the echo of his ultimatum rang louder than any gunshot.”
And the second hand resumed its tick–measuring courage, or the end.
