hallway and to a waiting elevator. She had a glimpse of Colin flying through the hallway almost reaching them before the doors closed. The solid thump of his body hitting the steel doors made her cringed inwardly knowing Colin was trying desperately to get to her. The sudden movement of the elevator made her stomach lurched as the surged upward abruptly at a fast rate of speed.
“Let me go, Vance, you’re hurting my arm,” she hissed, struggling against his hold.
“I’ll hurt more than your arm if you don’t stop fighting me. You are mine to do with as I wish Juliet. Better get used to the idea,” Vance warned darkly.
“I will never be yours. You can’t force me to do what you want.”
“I have ways, Juliet,” he whispered into her ear, his warm breath fanning over her neck gave her a shudder of dread.
Looking up into his handsome face she wondered how he became such a monster. And monster he was, in every sense of the word. She had little doubt he could make her do just about anything, given enough pain. The thought of it terrified her. If all was lost, there would only be one thing left for her, only one course of action for her to take. She didn’t want to die, but she refused to be used as a weapon on innocent lives or worse, on those she loved.
The elevator jerked to a halt, the doors opening into the large room which held the charity event only a week past. In the light of the midday sun the large circular room, encased in glass looked cold and sterile. Could her life change that fast? Goddess, she knew she was nothing like the woman who left that night. So confident she could handle whatever Vance Hollister threw her way. What a fool she was to think she had even the smallest chance against him.
He yanked her out of the elevator and headed toward the curved stairway, half dragging her as she struggled to keep up with his larger steps. They just reached the top balcony when all hell broke loose. The sound of glass breaking was deafening as jagged shards hurled across the floor they just traversed. A roar rose up through the din and Colin emerged from an emergency exit at the same time as Arthur and his men moved into position around the staircase. She watched as Colin’s gaze swept the room, his chest rising rapidly from the untold amount of stairs he climbed in order to get above ground. He barely acknowledged the others as his green gaze rose instinctively to where she stood at the top of the stairs. His lips peeled back in a snarl, white teeth flashed exposing a set of large, sharp canines. He stalked to the stairs, gaze riveted on Juliet as he took the first step, then another.
Vance roughly pushed her into the railing, and she gasped at the pain of the wood pressing into her stomach as he held her by her neck. “One more step and Juliet goes over,” he warned Colin.
“Don’t do it, Vance,” Arthur called out, joining Colin on the stairs. From the corner of her eye Juliet noted Simon and Darius moving out of Vance’s line of vision, creeping up to the balcony from the second set of stairs, crouched low, they moved at a slow, steady pace.
“This is your fault, Arthur, all of it your fault,” Vance accused, a manic gleam glowing in his eyes. “Why couldn’t you have stayed dead? You’re not needed here.”
Arthur held his hands out, palms up and he followed Colin farther up the stairs. “Not my call. Whether you like it or not, I’m here now, why don’t you let Ms. Boyd go and come fight me now, just you and I.”
“Not quite yet you need to pay. I want you to suffer,” Vance spat out, hate dripping from his words like acid eating away any humanity he may once have had. He pulled Juliet away from the railing, backing away, going deeper into a shadowed alcove where a door stood half open.
“I will make all of you suffer, starting right now.”
* * * *
Colin was half mad with terror of what Vance would do to Juliet. Seeing her pale face, terror filling her beautiful blue eyes
“Let me go, Vance, you’re hurting my arm,” she hissed, struggling against his hold.
“I’ll hurt more than your arm if you don’t stop fighting me. You are mine to do with as I wish Juliet. Better get used to the idea,” Vance warned darkly.
“I will never be yours. You can’t force me to do what you want.”
“I have ways, Juliet,” he whispered into her ear, his warm breath fanning over her neck gave her a shudder of dread.
Looking up into his handsome face she wondered how he became such a monster. And monster he was, in every sense of the word. She had little doubt he could make her do just about anything, given enough pain. The thought of it terrified her. If all was lost, there would only be one thing left for her, only one course of action for her to take. She didn’t want to die, but she refused to be used as a weapon on innocent lives or worse, on those she loved.
The elevator jerked to a halt, the doors opening into the large room which held the charity event only a week past. In the light of the midday sun the large circular room, encased in glass looked cold and sterile. Could her life change that fast? Goddess, she knew she was nothing like the woman who left that night. So confident she could handle whatever Vance Hollister threw her way. What a fool she was to think she had even the smallest chance against him.
He yanked her out of the elevator and headed toward the curved stairway, half dragging her as she struggled to keep up with his larger steps. They just reached the top balcony when all hell broke loose. The sound of glass breaking was deafening as jagged shards hurled across the floor they just traversed. A roar rose up through the din and Colin emerged from an emergency exit at the same time as Arthur and his men moved into position around the staircase. She watched as Colin’s gaze swept the room, his chest rising rapidly from the untold amount of stairs he climbed in order to get above ground. He barely acknowledged the others as his green gaze rose instinctively to where she stood at the top of the stairs. His lips peeled back in a snarl, white teeth flashed exposing a set of large, sharp canines. He stalked to the stairs, gaze riveted on Juliet as he took the first step, then another.
Vance roughly pushed her into the railing, and she gasped at the pain of the wood pressing into her stomach as he held her by her neck. “One more step and Juliet goes over,” he warned Colin.
“Don’t do it, Vance,” Arthur called out, joining Colin on the stairs. From the corner of her eye Juliet noted Simon and Darius moving out of Vance’s line of vision, creeping up to the balcony from the second set of stairs, crouched low, they moved at a slow, steady pace.
“This is your fault, Arthur, all of it your fault,” Vance accused, a manic gleam glowing in his eyes. “Why couldn’t you have stayed dead? You’re not needed here.”
Arthur held his hands out, palms up and he followed Colin farther up the stairs. “Not my call. Whether you like it or not, I’m here now, why don’t you let Ms. Boyd go and come fight me now, just you and I.”
“Not quite yet you need to pay. I want you to suffer,” Vance spat out, hate dripping from his words like acid eating away any humanity he may once have had. He pulled Juliet away from the railing, backing away, going deeper into a shadowed alcove where a door stood half open.
“I will make all of you suffer, starting right now.”
* * * *
Colin was half mad with terror of what Vance would do to Juliet. Seeing her pale face, terror filling her beautiful blue eyes
Similar Books
