Reign of Freedom : A Dark Enemies to Lovers Romance (Corium University Book 5) Read online

  “I never see him unless he wants to feed.” When all I can do is stare at her in confusion, she gestures toward her swollen tits. “Some customers like to feed. I have to make sure my milk stays in so they can get some. He likes to do it sometimes.”

  Holy fuck. And I thought I was sick. “Did anyone say anything about closing for the night?”

  She shakes her head. “They don’t tell us anything. All of a sudden, there were gunshots, and you came in.” I guess they have to keep the girls disconnected from the rest of the world as much as possible.

  In my earpiece, one of the men downstairs reports, “No sign of him. The entire first floor is clear.”

  “No sign on the second floor, either,” Nic responds. “One more sweep of the place. Include the roof.”

  “I’m going to his office.” I storm down the hall, past doors I kicked open and girls I might have inadvertently freed. Their problems aren’t my problem right now. Where would he have taken her?

  Would he kill her to keep her away from me? No matter how I try to push the idea away, it bounces back to me like a rubber ball. I would put nothing past that bastard.

  One thing is for sure: his office leaves the impression of someone who left in a hurry. Papers are strewn over the desk, and half a fast food meal sits uneaten. The food is cold. So is the chair. Where the fuck is he?

  I sink into the chair and begin searching the desk. “What are you looking for?” Nic asks from the doorway.

  “I’ll know it when I see it.” I glance up at him in time to notice his scowl. “What?”

  He shakes his head. “We already have a list of his other properties. He could’ve taken her to one of them—but there are over a dozen in all. It’ll take time.”

  Time is something I don’t think Delilah has on her side.

  4

  DELILAH

  My eyes feel heavy, like concrete blocks are sitting on top of them. I force myself to open them and mutter a hoarse, “What the fuck?” the moment they’re open. This has to be a dream. Actually, scratch that. This has to be a nightmare. Where the hell am I?

  I sit up slowly, my brain swimming in my head like that of a fish in a bowl. The room I’m in looks like a unicorn puked cotton candy everywhere. The walls are two shades of pink, with random princess décor on the walls and a dresser. The bed is white, with a dusty pink accent, and the whole thing reminds me of a little girl’s room. A bookcase and vanity sit off to the far left of the room.

  My stomach churns, and I move off the bed. My hands tighten into fists, and I continue to look around the room, hoping I’ll wake up at any moment and realize this is a dream. It never happens, and the dread inside me mounts with each second that ticks by. Something bad is going to happen.

  The door handle on the door jiggles, and my entire body tenses up. There’s no weapon for me to use. I have no way to protect myself. The door comes flying open, and I’m caught like a deer in headlights. Every hair on my body stands on end, and the sudden need to vomit almost overcomes me when Nathaniel walks into the room.

  As always, he’s wearing a suit fitted to his round body. The white-colored shirt beneath his jacket has the top three buttons undone, and his thick dark curly chest hair peeks out.

  The sick glint in his eyes makes me shiver. He’s looking at me like I’m a toy he can play with, a toy he can break and toss in the trash.

  “What do you want?” I growl, keeping as much space between myself and this disgusting human.

  “That’s no way to talk to the man providing you with a warm meal, bed, and roof over your head, now is it?”

  I scoff. “I’ve asked numerous times to leave! I don’t want your help, in case that wasn’t obvious, to begin with.”

  Nathaniel tilts his head back and lets out a bellow of laughter. “Your father owed me. A deal was made, and now you belong to me. That was the plan all along.”

  “I belong to no one,” I say vengefully. “Whatever deal my father made is void. I want out of this house of horrors.”

  His features turn murderous, and he takes a step toward me but pauses, almost like he’s rethinking his actions. My heart hammers so hard in my chest that I wonder if he can see how terrified I am. To others, he would come across as the rich grandparent who lets you do whatever you want, but I know he is much worse.

  Like a light being turned off and on, his face changes. The murderous rage dissipates into thin air, and suddenly, he’s smiling.

  What the hell is wrong with this guy?

  “I look forward to breaking you of that fickle thought. A deal is a deal, sweetheart, and I’ll make sure it’s followed through with.”

  His mood swings are giving me whiplash.

  “I don’t care what deal you made,” I repeat. “This is kidnapping and against the law.”

  “No one is going to save you, Delilah. No one cares about you. No one wants you. You’re mine, and you’ll do as you’re told, or there will be grave consequences.”

  Each word he speaks feels like a sword being plunged deep into my stomach. They’re words I’ve heard my entire life, words I’ve lived by and come to see myself as.

  I don’t respond to him. There’s nothing I can say to him that will alter his thinking. He made up his mind long ago on who I was and what I meant to him and his son.

  “Now that we’ve got that out of the way, I wanted to take a stroll down memory lane.” Acid burns up my throat, and I’m close to vomiting. “Remember our little game… the one Nash ruined before we could finish it?”

  The memories of that night come rushing back to the surface. “There you go. Now, be a good girl, get on your knees, and suck me off for a little before I shove my cock into your cunt… I’ll fuck your tight little pussy while you call me daddy.”

  It all makes sense now. This is supposed to be a little girl’s room, and he wants to play out his sick fantasies of being my daddy.

  “You can go to hell, Nathaniel!” I snarl my lip, letting my rage out. I know it won’t change what’s coming, but it makes me feel better.

  “Charming, you always did need an attitude adjustment.” He shakes his head. “Over on the vanity is an outfit I want you to wear. I’m going to step out, and when I return, I hope you have that on as well as a better attitude to match it. If not, I’ll certainly enjoy beating the disrespect out of you.”

  My eyes gravitate to the small vanity tucked in the corner of the room. On the bench seat sits a little schoolgirl uniform. I want to spit at him, scream and tell him there is no way in hell I’m doing what he’s asked, but I simmer the rage down, reminding myself that I will get out of this.

  “If that’s what you want.” I give him a smile that’s so fake it hurts to force my lips into the movement.

  “See, you’ll come around. All you need is a little persuasion. I’ll be right back.” I don’t miss the way his eyes drag across my body like he’s already picturing me in his fucked-up costume. My skin crawls, and I hold my breath, watching as he wobbles out of the bedroom, the door closing behind him softly.

  Once he’s gone, the panic of what is going to happen finally sinks in. I place a hand against my chest, willing myself to calm down, and that’s when I feel it. The phone. I’d been alternating between hiding it under my pillow and in my bra for safekeeping.

  I yank it out and almost drop it as my hands are trembling so badly. Pressing the side button, I wait for the phone to turn on. It takes forever, and I worry I won’t have enough time to make the call. “Hurry. Hurry,” I say to myself. Finally, the display screen appears, and I feel a sniggle of relief.

  Lucas texted me from the number I’m supposed to call, so I navigate to the text messages, my eyes darting between the phone screen and the door over and over again. My stomach tightens with fear. He’s going to return at any minute, and the nightmare of that night is going to be relived all over again.

  My fingers slide across the screen, but somehow, I manage to hit the green call button. I bring the phone to my ear, hoping and praying that he answers, but after a second, I don’t hear anything, not even the ringing of the line.

  Pulling the phone away from my ear, I stare at the screen, watching as it says calling… No! Tears prick at my eyes. I’m on the verge of crying. At the top of the screen, I see the signal button. No signal. I have no fucking signal.

  I squeeze the phone in one hand. I’m tempted to throw it but restrain myself. There’s nothing I can do. Nathaniel’s going to come back at any second, and then it’s going to be too late for Lucas to save me.

  Defeat threatens to consume me, but this small voice in the back of my mind starts to repeat itself. The sentence grows louder and louder… until it’s the only thing I can hear. The only thing I can feel.

  You don’t need anyone to save you. You can save yourself.

  5

  LUCAS

  Not knowing where she is and if she is okay drives me insane. I can’t think straight; I can’t sleep, eat, or talk to anyone without screaming. After I yelled at Celia for offering me a drink, Nic made me go to one of the guest rooms to cool off like I’m a fucking teenager.

  So now I’m pacing through this room instead of his office. Sitting still is out of the question.

  I have no idea how going after her was ever a question. If someone would ask me to let her go now, I would probably rip his face off for making such a suggestion.

  A part of me wonders if the only reason I’m so obsessed with getting her back now is that Brookshire is the one who took her. Do I only want her back because he has her? Is there really something between us, or is this my subconscious’s way of making up for letting Aspen down?

  Where is Lauren when I fucking need her to make sense of this mess?

  My burner phone rings, and for a second, I w
onder if it’s Lauren. Did she hear me thinking about her? Glancing at the screen, I find it’s Xander calling. Not sure how he got this number but considering my current mental state, I think about not answering. Then I remember who we are talking about here. Xander is not someone who calls back later or leaves a message. He would find another way to get to me right now.

  Swiping to unlock, I lift the phone to my ear. “Hello, Xander.”

  “Lucas, I hear you left Corium in a hurry. Everything okay?”

  “Yes, just grabbing Delilah. Then I’ll take her somewhere I can keep my eye on her and head back to Alaska.”

  “I see. Wouldn’t it be easier to simply dispose of the issue?”

  “No,” I growl, tightening the grip on my phone. I’m not surprised he wants me to kill Delilah, but I am surprised by how angry the thought makes me.

  “No? Why not?”

  “I…” Shit. What am I going to tell him? Fuck it, I’m going with the truth. “I want her.” It’s the most honest answer, one I hope he can live with.

  “Lucas…” Xander sighs into the receiver. “I don’t like loose ends, and that girl is one. I took out her entire family, and Quinton kidnapped and held her prisoner for weeks. This girl can’t be trusted. She is a danger to my family, and I can’t let that go, no matter your infatuation with her.”

  “That’s why I’m getting her from Brookshire and taking her somewhere far away.”

  “How is that going to help? Who’s to say she won’t come back for revenge?”

  “She won’t. You have my word.” The words come out of my mouth before I can even comprehend what they mean.

  A moment of silence hangs between us before Xander breaks it. “Is there something you’re not telling me?”

  “Like I said, I just want her.”

  “Want or need?”

  “Maybe both.” Jesus, this is more uncomfortable than talking to Lauren. “Look, I’ll keep an eye on her. I will make sure she doesn’t do anything stupid again. I was too lenient while she was at Corium. I won’t make that mistake again.”

  “I don’t know if that’s enough.”

  “It has to be.”

  “You do realize you are putting both of our children in danger, right?”

  “There isn’t any danger.”

  “So Delilah didn’t try to kill Aspen?”

  I finally stop pacing, feeling the need to sit down for a moment. I take a seat at the end of the mattress. “Marcel was the one who tried to hurt her, and I dealt with him.”

  “You sent him away. That’s not the same as dealing with him.” Any other day, I would tell him that Marcel will soon have an unfortunate car accident. Today, I don’t have the patience to explain my plan.

  “You’re just going to have to trust me on this.” Xander has been my friend for years, so I hate leaving this tension between us, but my mind is reeling, and I can’t deal with him right now. “I’ll call you back once I have her. I have to go now.”

  “This conversation is not over.”

  “Goodbye, Xander.” I pull the phone away from my ear and hit the red button. I already know this is going to bite me in the ass later.

  Xander Rossi is used to getting his way, and not even years of friendship will get in the way of that.

  Before I put my phone away, I dial my own number and hit the green button. Just like every other time I try to call, it goes straight to voicemail, which means Delilah turned the phone off or someone found it on her. Neither option is good.

  I can’t track the phone if it’s off or out of range. My only hope is that she turned it off on purpose. I typed out a quick message earlier telling her it’s me and to call when she gets it, just in case she turns it back on. Though my gut tells me she doesn’t have the phone anymore.

  If they hurt her, I’ll kill their entire family.

  A knock on the door pulls me out of the murder scene already playing out in my head.

  “Yeah, come in.” I stand from the bed just as the door opens, and Celia’s head pops into the room.

  “You okay?” The way she’s looking at me like I’m a lost puppy annoys me to no end.

  “No, but that’s nothing new.”

  She frowns. “We’ll find her. Why don’t you come downstairs and eat something?”

  I shake my head. “I’m not hungry.”

  “I know, but you have to eat. How about a protein smoothie? You want to be ready to go as soon as we find her, don’t you?”

  I let out a sigh. “God, you know you’re not my mom, right?”

  “I can be concerned as your sister. That’s how family works. Now, let’s go. I’m feeding you whether you want to eat or not.”

  “So bossy.”

  Celia rolls her eyes at me. “It’s not like you and your brother respond to anything else.”

  “Actually—” My phone buzzes in my pocket. “Dammit, Xander,” I mumble while fishing it out of my pocket. I glance at the screen, and my heart squeezes in my chest when I see my own number flashing at me.

  Holding my breath, I answer the call and put it on speakerphone.

  “Hello?” My voice cracks.

  Silence.

  Seconds go by, and there is still nothing on the other line.

  “Delilah?” A quiet sob comes through the phone. The sound only worries me more. “Delilah, talk to me. Where are you? Tell me what happened, and I’ll come and get you.”

  Another sniffle before her shaking voice finally comes through. “I-I don’t know.”

  “You don’t know what?”

  “I… I don’t know where I am.”

  “That’s okay. Just keep the phone on, and I’ll find you. I’m on my way.”

  I grab Celia by the arm and pull her downstairs with me. Nic meets us at the bottom of the stairs, glaring at my fingers wrapped around Celia’s wrist. He’s looking at me like he’s about to chop my hand off. I let go of her and ignore his death stare.

  “Are you still there?” I ask.

  “Yes… I’m here,” Delilah whispers, her voice sounding shaky and monotone as if her mind is elsewhere.

  “Is anyone with you?” I point at the door, wanting to leave right away. Luckily, Nic understands and calls for a car.

  “Nathaniel is here. I mean… his body.”

  “His body?” Fuck. As I speak, I run a hand through my hair. “Is he dead?”

  “Yes.” She says the word without a lick of remorse in her voice. Dammit, I wanted to kill him myself. I don’t have the patience to ask her how it happened. That’s something I can figure out later.

  “Okay, hold on.”

  Celia gives Nic a kiss and waves goodbye to me as we rush out the front door and into the waiting car. Nic slides into the back seat after me and flips open his laptop. The car takes off while Nic pulls up the map and pings my phone.

  “Are you hurt?” I don’t really want to know because if she says yes, I’ll drive myself insane until I get there, but I need to keep her talking. Plus, I need to know if she is seriously injured, whether I want to know or not.

  “No… I don’t think so.” Her voice trembles a little less now.

  “That’s good.”

  A red icon starts blinking on the map. Finally.

  “There she is,” Nic mumbles before telling the driver where to go.

  “We’re about forty-five minutes away.”

  “Forty-five,” she repeats. “I don’t know if someone else is here. What if someone finds me before you do?”

  “Delilah, listen. Find someplace to hide. And if you have a weapon, bring that too. No matter what happens, know I am on my way, and everything will be okay. I promise.”

  “If I hide, I can’t stay on the phone. The signal is bad. The only place I could call is at the top of the staircase.”

  “You have to hide. Just leave the phone where you are and go hide somewhere. Don’t come out until you hear me.”

  “Okay… I-I’ll go hide.”

  “I’ll be there soon.”

  I can hear her putting down the phone, followed by the fading of her footsteps.

  “You are more attached than I thought,” my brother points out after a moment of silence. “I hope that doesn’t come to bite you in the ass later on.”