Page 44 of Beautiful Ruins
My heart began pounding so hard it made my ears ring.
“No,” I whispered to the empty room.
The handle rattled again.Harder.
I stumbled backward, hands shaking as I grabbed my phone.
Raze.
I hit his name without thinking.
It rang once.Twice?—
The door slammed inward so violently it hit the wall with a crack that made me flinch.
Two men stood in the doorway.
Large.Rough.Faces I didn’t recognize but eyes that were already assessing me, assessing their new surroundings.
I dropped the phone.It skidded across the floor.
“Where is he?”one of them demanded.
My mouth went dry.“I don’t know?—”
The slap came so fast I didn’t see it.
Pain exploded across my cheek and I stumbled sideways, almost losing my balance.
“Don’t lie,” the second man warned.
“I’m not—” My voice shook.“I don’t know where he is.”
They moved closer.Their presence swallowed the room.
“Where is the stolen product?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about!”
“You think we’re stupid?Where thefuckis he?”
Another hit.This time harder.My back hit the wall.
I tasted blood.
“Where’s the stash?”the second man pressed.
“I don’t know!”I screamed.“I swear to God, I don’t?—”
One of them grabbed my sweatshirt and yanked me forward.The fabric stretched.My shoulder burned.
“Check the place,” he told the other man.
I could see the other man as he moved through the small, confined space, opening drawers and slamming cupboards.Things hit the floor.
I slid down the wall, trembling.
“Boss wants the product back tonight,” I heard one of the men say to the other.
