Closing my eyes, I reluctantly nod and let her talk.
“Daisy and Gavin have been planning on how to get out of here. They’ve been studying your father—I mean Luca—and his men’s habits and patterns while they’re here. They’ve followed their schedule and they’ve narrowed down a specific time of when to run.”
Raising an eyebrow at her, I struggle to remain indifferent. “That’s the plan... to run?”
She nods eagerly and I can’t tell who she’s trying to convince here. “They have it planned, down to the minute. When to run, where to run. It’s flawless.”
Fuck no.
“Dahlia,” I start, but she interjects.
“Come with me, Kai. Leave this place behind you.”
I stare at her, in shock, and unsure of what to say. She talks like they have a bulletproof plan, when all it’s really a half-assed Hail Mary.
We’ll never make it. We’re signing our own death certificates with the soles of our shoes.
She watches me, so hopeful, so determined. “Please,” she whispers and bites down on her bottom lip.
It’s not safe and her safety is my priority. She fucks with my head; she makes me impulsive and irrational with those big green eyes.
This is the worst fucking plan ever.
“Fine,” I agree, accepting our newfound death wish. “We will go, but only if we go together.”
Her eyes shine brightly as a smile forms on her lips. “Together,” she breathes as she pulls me back to her and kisses me softly. The questions and the doubts vanish as we slowly melt into one another.
As long as we’re together, nothing else matters.
Dahlia
WE’VE BEEN PLANNING this for weeks now and today is finally the day. Lily decided this morning at breakfast that it was time.
After we ate, we all went our separate ways to our rooms and waited until it was time for dinner.
Our plan was to wait until afterward, when everyone would be busy or gone. That was our only chance at getting out of here. We all agreed to meet in the cellar and that would be where we would escape from. It had a clear shot into the woods, one that would make it harder to see us.
All together in the cellar, everyone is dressed and ready to go.
Everyone but Kai.
“Dahlia, are you ready?” Daisy asks me, squeezing my hand.
Looking at her, I give her a small smile. “Just a few more minutes. He’ll be here soon.”
As we were finishing dinner, Kai was called to his father’s office. I wasn’t told what Luca wanted him for, but none of us had seen him since then.
“Come on, Dali,” Lily scoffs, shaking her head. “His loyalties lie here, with his fucked-up family. He’s not coming with us.”
I glance over at Daisy, who stares at the ground silently. I look over at Gavin and he simply shrugs.
“She’s right, Dali,” he glances at Lily. “He’s been here for how long and hasn’t done shit. His father owns him.”
“For all we know, he’s probably telling his dad about us right now,” Lily snarls. Her narrow eyes are pinned on me and are filled with the same hate from before.
Here, I thought we moved past this.
Daisy steps forward, holding her head high. “You guys are making assumptions.”
“Assumption or not, we gotta go,” Lily interjects, crossing her arms over her chest.
Gavin gives Daisy a small smile and places a hand on her cheek. “She’s right, babe. We gotta move now.”
Fisting my hands at my side, I watch the three of them as they turn their backs on me and walk to the door.
Daisy pauses and glances over her shoulder. “Are you coming, Dali?”
I look over at Lily and Gavin who wait expectantly before looking back at Daisy. I look at them nervously as I gnaw on the inside of my cheek.
I can’t say it out loud, but my mind has been made up.
I can’t leave without him.
“Dali?” she questions.
With a sad smile, I shake my head and cast my eyes down to the ground.
“Fucking knew it,” Lily scoffs. She rolls her eyes and shrugs. “Your fuckin’ funeral.”
Daisy walks over, wrapping her arms around me and pulls me in for a hug. “I get it,” she says quietly. “You love him.”
Wiggling away from her, she takes a step back and smiles. “I’ll get you out of here soon, okay?”
“Okay,” I whisper, rocking onto my heels uncomfortably.
Daisy walks back over to Lily and Gavin. Gavin takes her hand in his, smiling down at her.
Lily rolls her eyes and pushes against the door. “Let’s get the fuck out of here.”
Daisy looks back one last time as Gavin leads her out the door. “I’ll get you out,” she promises.
The door slams shut behind her and then they’re gone.
I stand in the same place for a few moments before turning my back to the door. Something has to be wrong if Kai isn’t here.
His promises are gold.
Walking deeper into the cellar, I find the stairs and make my way up to the door that leads into the pantry. I’m two steps away from the door, when it’s pulled open. I gasp and my face falls when it’s not who I was expecting to see.
“Well, well, well.” Stan grins. “What are you doing down here, princess?”
My palms start to sweat as I freeze up and say nothing.
“You weren’t planning on trying to run like the others, were you?”
My stomach drops and I quickly shake my head.
How did he know about that?
“Can I get past you please? I should be getting upstairs to get ready for dinner.”
He chuckles as he grabs my arm. “Nope,” he says, pulling me back down the steps. “You’re coming with me now.”
I glance back at the door with worry as I follow behind Stan. Something is off, something is wrong, but I don’t know what.
They all have to be okay.
And Kai... I stare at the door, waiting for him to burst through it at any moment.
Where are you, Kai?
Kai
STANDING WITH MY ARMS firmly crossed over my chest, I glare at Luca as he slowly sips his red wine.
A soft knock sounds at the door and we both look at it as Luca raises his eyebrows. “Get the door, son.”
I cringe inwardly as he calls me ‘son.’ He’s the furthest thing from a father and he lost his son long ago.
Reluctantly, I stroll to the door, glancing up at the ticking hands on the clock hanging above the door.
It’s 8:07 pm. We were all supposed to meet and leave at eight o’clock.
I bow my head, closing my eyes tightly as I reach the door.
They would have left without me.
Dahlia is gone.
Clearing my mind, I shake my head lightly and pull open the door. My brow furrows in confusion as I take in the small man in front of me. My father’s chair slides across the floor as he stands up in a rush.
“Cade?” he questions. “Why are you here?”
Cade is another man who works for my father, one who might even be more important than his lawyer, Anthony. Cade is Luca’s cover for the whole operation. The property is in his name, he handles the pig shit and makes sure all of their ducks are in a row.
My father trusts him with his life and I still can’t understand why. Cade doesn’t come here often; he only comes around when he has to. He walks around like he knows nothing of what’s really going on here, with the kids and the movies.
He knows, he just chooses to ignore.
I used to think that maybe Cade was a good guy, but he isn’t.
“There’s a problem,” he stammers, shifting his weight back and forth nervously.
Luca stares at him, expectantly. “In here. Now,” he demands.
I step to the side as Cade slips in and quickly closes the door behind him. Standing against the wall, I fade into the background as Cade tells my father what’s going on.
“The kids,” Cade admits. “They’re the problem.”
My father drops down into his chair, shaking his head. He sighs deeply, as if this isn’t the first time they had this conversation.
Maybe I was wrong about Cade.
“Son,” my father says with a disappointed tone. I cock my head to the side as I’m filled with confusion when I see that he isn’t looking at me. It’s as if I’m not even in the room with them. “We’ve had this talk too many times. If you can’t handle this anymore, I need to know so I can find someone who can.”
Cade quickly shakes his head and runs his hands over his face. “I came to do my monthly maintenance on the house when I heard them down in the cellar.”
Fuck.
My stomach drops as all color drains from my face.
“There were a few, I couldn’t tell how many for sure because it was dark. They’re planning on running, sir.”
My father laughs loudly as I break out into a sweat. Fucking Cade couldn’t just let them go, he couldn’t pretend to hear nothing.
I wasn’t wrong about him.
“They can’t get out of here.” Luca chuckles as he takes a sip of his wine. “If they don’t die getting lost in those woods, that fence will kill them before they even get halfway over it.”
I watch the two of them as I try to remain calm. My father’s too nonchalant about this and it makes me feel even more unease. When he’s this calm nothing good ever comes from it. His calm is worse than his storm.
Dahlia was supposed to be down in the cellar with Gavin, Daisy, and Lily. The only way out was to run through the trees and hop the fence.
It was never even an option.
My father drains his glass and slams it down on his desk with a wicked grin. “Get everyone here now, Cade,” he demands, and his dark eyes finally meet mine. “We’re going on a little hunting trip tonight.”
My lungs rapidly deflate and my heart beats so fast that it hurts. I swallow hard over the lump and the words forming in my throat as Cade talks on the phone.
I need to get out of here.
I need to get to her before they do.
Inching closer to the door, I step to turn around when I feel my father’s heavy hand on my shoulder. “Where are you going, son?”
“I, uh.” I pause nervously. “I really need to go use the restroom.”
He narrows his eyes as he purses his lips. “Cade,” my father says as he hangs up the phone. “Take the boy to the bathroom. I don’t need him becoming a problem too.”
I open my mouth to argue when Cade grabs my arm and pulls me out of the room. He closes the door behind us and grabs both of my shoulders.
“What the fuck, Cade?” I say in a hushed voice. “You couldn’t just look the other fucking way for this too.”
He gives me a sad, tight-lipped smile. “You know I can’t do that if I want to live. Luca trusts me and it’s better if it stays that way.”
I shrug his hands off me and take a step closer to him. “What does he have on you? Why the fuck are you so loyal to him?”
Cade sighs and shakes his head. “One day you’ll understand, and you’ll wish you did the same.”
“Bullshit,” I bark and shove his chest. Cade stumbles backward and smiles.
“Stan has her. She’s safe.”
My body goes rigid and my breathing halts. “What are you talking about?”
“The princess, your princess is safe.” Cade smiles, walking closer to me. “Stan was walking down into the cellar when I called him. The other kids were gone, but not her. She was walking back into the house alone. She didn’t go with them. Why?”
I let out the breath I was holding in a rush.
She’s safe, she didn’t go.
“Come on.” He grabs my arm, roughly. “Let’s get back in there before Luca decides he’s gonna go hunting for us too.”
Digging my heels in, I balk against his grasp. “I need to get to her.”
Cade sighs in annoyance and rolls his eyes. “You need to get the fuck back in that room before Luca finds out she was trying to run.”
As much as I don’t want to admit it, he’s right. If I want to keep her safe, I need to fall in line.
I nod at Cade and he holds the door open for me as I step back into my father’s office. We almost run into each other as he attempts to exit the room.
“They got them already. It’s showtime.” He grins, spinning me around. “Don’t worry though, there won’t be any cameras running for this.”
Cade jogs beside us as my father shoves me forward, down the hallway. “Sir, there has to be another way... something more humane.”
My father halts and Cade keeps moving and runs into me. “There is always another way, but we do this my way.” Cade turns around to face my father, swallowing hard. “Know your place, son, or you can join them.”
With a huff, my father storms off and Cade shakes off the fear as he scurries after him. Running my hand through my hair, I stare after them as they near the stairs. Cade glances at me and quickly tips his head to the side a few times.
Dahlia is with Stan and Stan is always getting his hands messy.
She’s with him, wherever the other kids are.
Nodding at him, I break out into a jog and follow behind them. I follow them blindly, with my mind in a fog of confusion and fear. I’m not afraid for me, but for her.
As long as she’s safe, everything will be okay.
Dahlia
MY SHOES SCUFF ON THE gravel as I trip over my own feet. Stan’s fingers dig deeper into my arm as he holds me upright, dragging me across the driveway. I struggle to keep up with him as he marches toward the massive barn.
I’ve never been inside the barn before, but I know it’s where they keep the pigs. The door that leads inside is a one-way door. Once you go in, you’re never coming back out.
No one ever wants to visit the pigs.
The small windows are lit up as the light from inside spills outside into the darkness of the night.
Stan pauses to shove open the door and pulls me inside. “Keep your fuckin’ mouth shut,” he orders in a hushed voice.
Stan brought me here for a reason. After he found me coming back into the house from the cellar, he snatched me up and kept me by his side. He was clearly pissed off as he spoke on the phone gruffly.
He never told me what was going on. He roughly gripped me up and drug me outside instead.
I never asked what was going on because it didn’t matter. There was no pleading or begging with them and I wasn’t about to stoop to that level. They don’t negotiate, but they do love to give false hope. I keep my expression neutral and appear as though I’m not affected.
Maybe I’m not anymore.
Life was getting old and I was growing tired. The only thing that kept me going was Kai, but he was nowhere to be found now.
One plan, one shot at freedom and I backed out. I didn’t follow them because I wasn’t leaving Kai behind.
I fucked up.
Huge overhead lights illuminate the vast room in the barn. Glancing to my right, I see the loft that looks down over the lot of pigs. The barn is loud as their presence echoes throughout the room. They squeal and grunt as they push against each other, rattling the metal rails that cage them in.
This was the end for me. Stan brought me here to feed the pigs my flesh.
Stan jerks my arm forward, causing me to stumble. Just before I fall to my knees, he roughly lifts his hand and pulls me back up.
“Learn how to walk, princess,” he sneers and pulls me with him. “They’re waiting for us.”
A million questions flood my mind, but I remain silent. Asking questions won’t get me out of here. They won’t do a damn thing for me.
Stan pulls me across the large room and leads me through another door. Large, thick plastic drapes hang in front of us, hiding another part of the room. They give off a fogged appearance, making it blurry and hard to see through.
Squinting
, I strain my eyes and see what appears to be a group of people inside. Muffled voices sound from inside and it’s impossible to make out anything they’re saying.
A loud bang rings through the air and startles me, making me jump. I gasp and Stan huffs.
“Come on,” he grumbles as we slip through the sheets of plastic. I don’t need to see their faces to know that it’s Luca and his men. They all stand together, showing us the backs of their black suits. They continue talking and arguing loudly as we approach them, but I can’t understand a word they’re saying.
I knew they were all Italian, but I didn’t know that they all spoke it so fluently.
A loud sound of shaking metal comes from deeper in the room. I try to stand on my toes to see past the men, but I can’t. Stan just drags me closer to them, making it even harder to see.
“Boss.” Stan breaks into their conversation as we reach them.
Luca turns around, giving me a smug look and stares me down with his dark eyes. “I heard you were trying to play with the big kids today. Did we ruin your fun?”
“No,” I admit, shaking my head. I quickly look down the line of men as Kai comes around them with his head hanging low.
Luca chuckles lightly. “Why don’t you let me show you the fun you’re missing out on.”
Kai brings his head up in a rush and his eyes rapidly search mine. I can’t distinguish the emotion and the turmoil that takes over his expression, but he’s deeply pained.
Luca grabs my wrist, pulling me to him and away from Stan. He throws his arm over my shoulder and tucks me in tightly against his side. “Come, have a look.”
Clutching my shoulder, he spins us around so we are facing away from the door. My stomach drops and bile burns my throat as a wave of nausea hits me. I gasp loudly as my eyes widen at the sight in front of me. My insides shake violently as my heart beats frantically in my chest.
Daisy’s eyes meet mine and her body jerks violently, creating uneven tension against the chains. The metal strands rub and clang against each other as she thrashes around.
The concrete floor in front of me wet with a crimson color staining it and the more Daisy moves, the bigger the puddle grows.
Entangled Chaos (Entangled Duet Book 1) Page 7
