Chapter 89

Renee’s POV

Okay. I officially have no idea where I am. My GPS has taken me completely off any main roads, and away from any sort of civilization.

I’ve checked the location Natalie has sent me at least twenty times and apparently it’s correct. I’m just glad my GPS is still connected to the internet because based on my surroundings it looks as though technology hasn’t even grazed these barren lands.

There’s not even a blade of grass! Where am I?

According to my maps I’m only fifteen miles outside the nearest town but it feels like thousands. The flat terrain is brown, probably from the summer sun beating down on the land without any tree covering or buildings for shade.

I go back and fourth on texting Natalie to confirm the address, but the last thing I want to do is come off completely ignorant to my biggest client.

When my ETA tells me I am just five minutes away I’m convinced something is wrong

A few minutes later, something comes into a view. It looks like remnants of what used to be a building. The only building in a fifteen mile stretch.

I pull up to it and park in a parking lot that’s slowly being reclaimed by nature. “Uhh,” I say to myself. There’s no way this is right.

I pull out my phone and swipe out of Eric’s message telling me to send him my location. There’s no point in texting him where I’m at because this definitely isn’t where I’m supposed to be.

Just as I’m about to text Natalie, a text pops up on my screen and I see it’s from her.

‘I see you. Come inside,’ I look around, but see no other cars nearby.

Something doesn’t feel right. I don’t get out yet. Instead I text her back.

‘Where are you?’ Maybe if she can tell me where she’s standing I’ll be able to see her, a hiding in plain sight kind of ordeal.

When a couple minutes pass without an answer I get anxious. Now I’m officiate late for our meeting and she already, somehow, sees me. I can’t simply drive away or I am for certain losing her as a client and that can’t happen.

I guess it won’t hurt to get out and just look around.

I step outside and instantly feel the heat of the sun in the peak of the summer afternoon.

“Hello?” I call out. I walk up to the building that’s likely abandoned. Upon further inspection, I come to the conclusion that it is definitely abandoned.

The bricks are chipped and faded from constant exposure for who knows for how long. Thin glass windows are shattered, no lights are on inside. Theres not even a sign that’s says what this building used to be.

Maybe Natalie is buying this as a new office space for her clothes. She did say she was in a meeting with a client. But why here? It’s so remote, and I know she has enough money to buy a building that is not a fixer upper.

My phone pings.

‘Come inside,’

I look up at the rusted steel door cringed to its hinges for dear life. Something feels very off, but I tell myself I’m just being paranoid.

I of all people shouldn’t be so judgmental of what people buy. I changed my entire identity and led a completely different lifestyle. I have no idea what Natalie is going through.

I take a deep breath and gently move aside the steel door that lets out a loud creek.

The building is bare except for the collection of dust bunnies gathered in the corners of the dark donate corners. Exposed pipes run up along the walls, and an industrial fan hangs overhead.

“Renee,” a voice as hallow and void of life as this building greets.

Then I get a sudden taste of metal. Then, everything goes black.

Consciousness creeps slowly throughout my being, bringing with it a spreading of pulsating pain. I groan. Big mistake. My head explodes with pain, my vision is instantly blinded by bursts of red and orange.

“Oh Renee, you’re waking up!” A familiar voice squeaks causing bile to rise up in my throat from the pitch of her voice. Mia.

I hear her, but I can’t see her yet. My vision is still blurry and trying to focus.

Then another thought comes to me. My baby. Is my baby okay? I stop my hands from instinctively going to my stomach. I can’t give away any hint that I’m pregnant. Who knows what Mia would do with that information.

I hear another voice, one I don’t know. A male. Him and Mia are talking but it sounds like they’re underwater or maybe I am.

I open my mouth to stretch my jaw and get the taste of metal again. Blood. Okay think. What happened?

Everything starts slowly coming back. Natalie. The building. Mia’s voice. Then nothing.

“Get up!” Mias shrill voice shrieks and I squeeze my eyes closed.

“Shut up!” I manage to bark back, reeling in pain from the sheer amount of energy it took me to muster a reply at all.

“What did you just say to me?” Mia says. My vision comes slowly into focus. Wherever I’m at, it’s dark. Cold.

I look around and pull myself to a seated position, not to appease Mia but because I won’t be talking to Mia lying down.

I see the man next to her. He’s old with a strong build despite his older age. His features become sharper as my eyes adjust to the lack of sunlight and I nearly gasp. He looks just like Eric, or I guess Eric looks just like him.

Is that his father? What is going on? I close and open my eyes multiple times. I can’t be seeing this right. He laughs, it’s more of a cackle.

“This is the woman who’s stolen my sons heart?” He asks like it’s some kind of joke.

“I know,” Mia says like she can’t believe it either. I ignore them.

I get a better understanding, sort of, of my surroundings. It looks like some bonded building. Wait a second. It’s the same building. We haven’t driven anywhere.

The only difference is my legs are chained to one of the exposed pipes running up the brick walls. I notice them too they’ve phone is gone.

And I never sent Eric my locations.

“This is going to be fun,” Mia says with a wicked smile.

“What is going on?” I ask despite my pain.

“You have disrupted my family’s pack and think there will be no consequences,” Eric’s dad says and my blood runs cold. Doesn’t Eric think his father is responsible for the murder of his mother?

I debate about how to answer. Anything still only anger him more and as much as I want to tell him off, that Eric is a grown man who made his own decisions, I have my family to think about. I can’t put myself in any further danger.

“If you let me go, I can convince Eric to join your pack,” I say knowing damn well I couldn’t Vince Eric if anything he doesn’t want to do. As evidence by my several attempts to tell him to leave me alone and what did he do? He put a baby inside me.

Mia throws her head back and laughs. “It’s too late for all that now,” she cocks her head to the side looking at me like I’m some pathetic precious little thing. “Besides, like I said this is where we get to have fun,” she places her hands on her tiny waist. “Paybacks a bitch,”

In a sudden flash, I see something black come swinging down at me and then everything goes black again.