Total pages in book: 97
Estimated words: 95689 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 478(@200wpm)___ 383(@250wpm)___ 319(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 95689 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 478(@200wpm)___ 383(@250wpm)___ 319(@300wpm)
“Since Maxwell is helping your men, care to give me a lift?”
“Of course.” He smiles broadly. “Where to?”
“The island over there.” I point at the island.
“What’s there?”
“Nothing for you to worry about. All you have to worry about is dropping me off and grabbing your men once they place your guns in my possession.”
22
Ivy
I have been a mess ever since our last dinner.
From the window in my bedroom, I have a perfect view of the ocean. I think I see a boat approach the island. It might not be coming here, but it’s been a few days, so it is undoubtedly bringing him back. The thought makes me feel like a million tiny little spiders are crawling all over me.
What will he do this time?
Will he tease me again?
Will he make my body betray me once more?
The last time I almost didn’t escape his clutches. My mind screams that I hate him, but my body says otherwise.
I wanted him then.
I want him still now.
A part of me needs him to do everything he promised.
He’s a savage. A beast.
He’s the devil.
Playing me like a fiddle, he lured me in. The way he pressed himself against me, unabashed. The dirty things he promised. The tiny moments of warmth I saw in his gaze, followed by the utter coldness in his soulless eyes.
He is Hades.
Holding me prisoner on an island and refusing to tell me why.
He says he has his reasons, but not a damn thing could justify what he’s done. I don’t care if the place is a mansion, and it doesn’t matter that my every need could be found here. I’m a prisoner, and he’s my captor. That makes him the worst kind of evil.
Surely, I’ll never get out of here alive.
He said he couldn’t let me go. He claimed I was his. He can’t set me free, and because of that, I know I’ll die here. Unless I take matters into my own hands.
My best shot of survival is getting on that boat.
Right now, it’s still off the coast.
I need to hurry. It will be here soon, and then they will be on their way.
“I’ll have to swim,” I say to myself, preparing for the task ahead.
Easier said than done.
I take several deep breaths, trying to calm my nerves.
The swim isn’t going to be easy, and I need to have my head about me. Another thought pops into my head, making me feel dizzy with nerves. When I get onto the boat . . .
Who will be driving the it?
Will they be willing to help me?
Probably not.
A scarier thought hits me next, stealing all the oxygen from my lungs . . . will they hurt me?
Knowing how powerful and frightening Cyrus is, I doubt anyone will betray him and live to tell about it. But it’s not worth the risk. No, I’ll have to sneak on board and hope like hell I can find a small compartment to hide in.
The good news is that the boat isn’t a small speed boat like usual. No, today it’s a full-blown yacht. It’s different from the usual boat that drops him off.
This must mean something. It has to be easier to escape on that, right?
My feet pace in front of the window. Waiting. Watching. The boat is fast approaching, so I need to move.
The humming of the craft is my signal that it’s now or never.
If I want to get off this island, I need to take my chances and move quickly. But how will I escape him? I might get off this island, but staying hidden from him will be a whole other issue.
One that I can’t worry about now.
My goal has to be getting out of here first.
Hide second.
At that moment, Cerberus nudges my leg.
I look down into his big brown eyes and feel a moment’s hesitation at leaving him here. “You’re the only thing I’ll miss, boy,” I say to him. It’s almost as if he’s begging me to take him.
It breaks my heart, but that isn’t possible. “I can’t take you with me. I would if I could. You believe me, don’t you?” His whimpers threaten to break me, but as fond of him as I have grown, I have to go.
I can’t swim to the boat if I’m worrying about him, and there is no way he’ll make it all the way out there.
With my head held high, I make my way out of my bedroom and down the stairs.
My plan depends on evading Cyrus. If he catches me, I’ll lose my one shot at escape from this hellish island.
He’s too big. Too powerful.
Shut up, Ivy. You got this. This is your chance to escape.
When the sound of the boat stops for a moment, I know that Cyrus is on the island.
He’ll be inside within moments.
I try to think of where I can go to hide as the front door creeps open.