Page 54 of Obsession (Dark Revenge)
Surveying the room, I glanced around, hoping to find a lock I could turn or a key hanging nearby, but my search yielded nothing.
“Come on!” Michael urged, but I made my way back to Rick’s bedroom. I checked his nightstand, and to my fortune, I discovered a key.
“What are you doing?” Michael asked as I walked past him again.
“I need to check.”
“Check what? We can come back later. Let’s not get caught.”
Just then, his phone beeped, and he took it out.
“Finn told me they just left the restaurant. Come on, Jared!”
I ignored his plea. A feeling gnawed at me, like nails digging into my heart, compelling me to uncover what lay behind the door. Returning to the door, I inserted the key and turned it before gently opening the door. However, I was greeted by total darkness. I could barely discern what lay inside, but a sound reached my ears—a groan.
“Jared!” Michael hissed at me as I ventured further into the room, my eyes gradually adjusting to the darkness.
The room was small, and I quickly approached a bed. Stopping in front of it, I noticed a peculiar lump, but as my vision adapted to the lack of light, I could discern the outline of a woman. She had a sheet covering part of her body, with the rest exposed and naked. The sight was eerily familiar, reminiscent of the night I had photographed the drugged girls. Based on what I could see, this woman was trapped in the same nightmare. Her head moved in an unsettling manner as she mumbled incoherent words, and as she shifted slightly, I heard the clinking of metal.
Moving to the left side of the bed, I discovered a chain connected to her wrist, its other end affixed to the wall beside me. She was being held captive, a private slave to her tormentor.
“Bastard,” I growled as I grabbed her wrist. The cuff was securely locked with a code, and I muttered curses under my breath, debating whether I should attempt to break it. But then, Michael came up behind me, forcibly pulling me away from her.
“Let me go!” I snarled at him.
“What the fuck are you doing?” he demanded, his grip firm on my arm. “We don’t have time for this shit!”
“So we just leave her here?” I retorted.
“Of course we do.”
“You can’t be serious? She needs help. Who knows how long she has been here?”
“As I said, we can come back.”
“But we aren’t going to!” I snarled defiantly into his face.
Michael didn’t argue with me. We both understood that returning wasn’t likely. We had obtained the information we needed about their next meeting, and this woman would remain trapped here, enduring who knew what. Michael didn’t seem to care, and I was aware that my concern put us both at risk. However, I knew firsthand what it was like to be torn apart by amonster—though I wasn’t referring to Alison. I couldn’t bear to leave this woman behind.
“You’re going to get caught, and I’m not letting my family get dragged down with you,” Michael growled.
“Then you’ll have to knock me out because I’m not leaving her.”
“Why the fuck do you care? She’s just one woman among probably thousands. Besides, if we take them down, she’ll be freed.”
“You don’t care about her. You care about the mess they’ll make of our business because they’ll keep interfering.”
Michael shrugged, making it clear he wasn’t going to admit he cared about the woman. We both understood that his primary concern was protecting his family. As long as they were safe and their operation ran smoothly, he didn’t give a damn about the rest.
“I’m going to find the code,” I announced and pushed away from him.
“Wow, it’s no wonder my cousin will wear the pants in your marriage. You truly are a little bitch boy, aren’t you?” Michael taunted me.
I came to an abrupt halt, feeling my entire body vibrate with anger. It appeared that word had spread among the cousins, and now they all viewed me as a plaything, a weak man. I clenched my fists tightly, ready to confront Michael for mocking me in such a manner. Slowly, I turned on my heel, but just as I did, something flew through the darkness, striking the side of my head. The world turned blurry, and I stumbled to the ground.
I wasn’t completely out of it. A faint sense of the world remained as I was dragged down the hallway. Michael shoved me down the stairs instead of carrying me, and I tumbled, my body colliding with the steps. The impact left me disoriented,but as Michael returned to clean up any trace of us, it provided me with some time to regain my senses.
When I heard Michael coming down the stairs, I decided to play possum. I stayed on the ground, pretending to be unconscious. When he grabbed my arm and pulled me up, I used the opportunity to push up and drove my fist into the underside of his jaw, sending him sprawling to the ground.
