Even if I broke the window, I wouldn’t get far. I was sure Anderson would love another chance at a cheap shot, though.
I pulled the hand towel away from the scratch that asshole gave me, seeing the cloth soaked again. This was the third towel. It was still bleeding.
I blew out a breath, the hair on the back of my neck rising as heat spread over my skin. I charged away from the window, kicking a trunk sitting on my floor.
“Fuck,” I growled, tossing the towel off somewhere and grabbing a T-shirt from my dresser and pulling it on.
I had to get out of here. Soon, before I didn’t have any energy left. They hadn’t fed me all day, and no one had come to check on me. I knew there were guards outside my door, though. I was stopped as soon as I tried to leave earlier.
I should tell them I was bleeding. My father would get me a doctor.
As long as I got back in line, brought Arion back home, played the husband, and went to work for him.
I shook my head. Fuck him.
I was going to burn this place to the ground with him in it. If he was lucky.
I had to get out of here before anyone got to Winter. I was the only one who’d be able to keep her safe.
I blinked away the spots in my vision and headed into the bathroom, throwing my fist into the silver-framed mirror above the sink. Shards of glass spilled into the sink, and I grabbed a washcloth, wrapping it around a piece of glass and heading for my door.
I stumbled, though, the room spinning in front of me.
“What the fuck?” I gritted out, impatient.
The wound was bearable, but sweat covered my brow, and nausea rolled through my stomach. I blinked long and hard, but every time I opened my eyes, the room was getting blacker, like I was sinking deeper into a tunnel, the light at the end getting smaller and smaller. Blood slowly seeped through my black T-shirt and down my pants.
Fuck, this wasn’t good. I needed food. Or water. And the pain was fucking irritating.
I rubbed my eyes, but instead of moving for the door, I fell down on my bed, letting my head fall back.
The cool comforter felt like heaven, and I swung a leg up, trying to calm my breathing.
Just a minute. Just need to rest for one fucking minute.
I wasn’t sure if I fell asleep or how long I was asleep, but I opened my eyes with a start, the room pitch black and a body on top of me.
“Shhh,” the shadow said, her hand over my mouth.
What? Who was this?
I reached up, grabbing her and recognizing the feel of her hair and her head in my hands.
Oh, my God. You’ve got to be kidding me.
“Winter?” I blurted out. “What the fuck?”
“Shhh,” she hissed, pressing her hand down on me harder. “Be very quiet. They’re right outside the door.”
She was saving me?
“How did you get in here?” I asked.
She straddled me, her knee rubbing my wound, but I didn’t care. I took her in my arms and kissed her lips, her forehead, her cheek…
But then I shook her a little. “Hey, you left me,” I bit out.
“I came right back,” she said, her hands over mine. “I’m sorry. Michael was bringing me back, and that’s when we saw you being taken.”
She climbed off me and put her hands on me, helping me up.
“Are you…” She stopped, feeling my clothes. “This is wet. Are you bleeding?”
“How did you get in?” I demanded, ignoring her question and gritting my teeth against the pain as I stood up from the bed.
“When we saw what happened, we got everyone together. Banks told us there was crawl space in the wall, from the cellar to the attic.” She took my arm. “She’s downstairs with Michael and Kai, distracting your father.”
“The attic’s across the roof.” I took us toward the bathroom, knowing now how she got in. “You climbed across the roof?”
Jesus, fuck. And I was worried about getting to her before my father did.
She could’ve died. How could they be so stupid to bring her?
“Rika’s outside your bathroom window,” she said in a hushed voice. “Would you shut up now?”
Fine. She was already here. Damage was done. I’d deal with them later.
Walking into the bathroom, I shot a glance to my bedroom door behind me, making sure it was still closed and no one was onto us.
I stepped on top of the toilet, seeing the small window already propped up and Rika crouched down on the roof, waiting.
Where was Will? Why were the girls the ones doing this?
I could understand Kai not wanting to leave Banks alone with my father, but where the hell were Michael and Will?
I stepped back down and lifted Winter up, the slice in my side burning, but I maneuvered her through the window, Rika taking her arms and pulling her up.
I took short, shallow breaths, trying to tap down the nausea creeping up again. I was going to need some fucking stitches. Goddammit. I didn’t have time for this.
Hopping up on the toilet again, I planted my foot on the wall for leverage and shot up, digging my elbows into the windowsill and pulling myself forward on my arms while I slipped up and out.
“You okay?” Rika asked.
“Just go.”
I breathed hard, hearing her whisper instructions to Winter before they both found the ridge and began crawling it over to the attic window.
My leg was wet from the blood, but the night air chilled my skin, cooling me off and waking me up.
They would have to have a car nearby. Just five more minutes. I’d get to rest.
Following them over the roof and keeping low, I climbed through the circular attic window, falling in and crashing onto the floor.
Winter rushed over to me, touching my face.
The room was dark, but moonlight shone through, and I looked up, seeing not only Rika, but Alex standing there, too, all three women staring down at me.
“Are you fucking kidding me?” I whined, holding my side and trying to get my feet under me.
“That’s how you thank three females who just saved your ass?” Rika remarked, sounding all too amused.
And then Alex tipped her chin at me, taunting, “Who’s your daddy?”
Winter snorted, and I just fixed a snarl on my face as I stood up. “Just get me out of here,” I told them. “And don’t tell anybody about this, for Christ’s sake.”
The girls laughed and led the way through the panel in the wall where Banks and I grew up shimmying down beams of wood to get around the house in secret, either for fun or for pranks.
Rika and Alex went first, then Winter and then me. We made our way down between the walls, vaguely hearing voices on the other side as we descended floors, and now I kind of understood why the girls were sent. This was a lot tighter space now that I was grown. We went slowly and quietly, since everyone whom we didn’t want to find us was only a piece of wood and a layer of wallpaper away.
Landing at the bottom, I stepped through the hole in the rocks which made up the walls of the cellar and summoned every muscle and ounce of determination I had to get Winter out of here, so I could push forward and make it to the car.
I heard a phone vibrate, and Rika’s face lit up as she looked at a text.
“Okay, now,” she said, glancing at us.
What?
I didn’t have time to ask, though, because she ran up the steps and pushed through the cellar doors, Alex, Winter, and I quickly following.
She jumped into the passenger seat of a black SUV parked right there for us, while Alex opened the rear door and dove in, Winter and I doing the same.
Alex sat in a seat, while Winter and I fell into the rear bench seat way in the back.
I didn’t have time to see who was driving, but I crashed down, falling back into Winter as she slumped back, too, wrapping her arms around me.
“Go, go, go,” I heard Rika tell whoever. “I’ll text Banks and tell them to get out of there.”
Whoever was driving shot backward instead of forward toward the gate, and I held on as the car bounced over the ground and veered left to right, probably to avoid trees. We must be going out the back way.
Winter’s chest rose and fell behind me, but she held me tightly, like she wouldn’t let anything hurt me.