Chapter 93

Renee’s POV

I must’ve fallen asleep because the next thing I know I’m being yanked from a deep sleep into an upright position and someone is yelling at me.

For a split second somewhere in between dreaming and awake I think it’s Eric coming to my rescue. Maybe he heard my calling. Maybe our fated mate bond is stronger than I thought.

Moments later, I’m hardly oriented but aware enough to see that it’s Mia who’s yelling right in my face. Her words begin to form meaning as I become more and more conscious.

“You have to give us the passwords to Eric’s bank accounts, it’s the only way this can all be settled,” Mia continues but I’m no longer listening suddenly there’s a jerk in my stomach and it takes everything in me not to react. My baby’s alive.

I’m so relieved I could cry, but I don’t. I refuse to let Mia know anything about my pregnancy, except then I realize she also has stopped talking.

I look up at her and a knowing smile plays on her lips.

“What?” I ask feigning cluelessness.

“Are you pregnant?” Mia sneers. This gets Marks attention who stands from a metal stool he was leaning on.

“No,” I laugh and it sounds way too high. Mia’s eyes widen with delight.

“If you don’t give us the password, we’ll hurt you and the baby,”

“Hold on a second,” Mark says and I realize he nay not want harm to come my way since I’m carrying his grandchild. Maybe them knowing pregnant is my only way out of here, but I could be completely wrong and that’s too much of a risk. “Are you really pregnant?” He asks and I can’t decipher which answer is the best in this situation.

Just then an obnoxious alarm rips through our tense conversation. As though suddenly bored with what’s going on, Mia takes out her phone. Mark glares at her, but Mia remains oblivious.

“No way,” Mia gasps like she just heard the best piece of gossip.

“What?” Mark snaps and I stay quiet, but truthfully I’m dying to know what’s is going on.

Mia turns her sparkly pink around so Mark can see the screen. Though I’m on the ground I can see a glimpse of what looks like to be a video of someone running across the hoods of cars in the city.

My eyes nearly fall out of their sockets when I see those all too familiar cinder block calf’s and broad shoulders. It’s Eric! He must’ve heard my call. Now I really could cry tears of relief.

“What the Hell?” Mark trails off and grabs Mia’s phone out of her hand.

He turns up the volume and through the speaker a woman can be heard announcing in utter shock that two men identified as lead Alpha Eric (last name) and his Beta Andrew Hardson are rampaging through the streets wrecking havoc on personal property, which adds further damage to the recent stock market crash.

Now I know he’s heard my call. “Stock market crash?” Mia practicality shrieks and snatches back her phone.

Mark and Mia seem to have momentarily forgot about my existence as they’re thumbs swipe across their phones. I watch with joy as their faces drain of color.

“Eric has pulled millions from his business, all his investors are losing their share,” Mark states and I know with each passing second more and more millions are being drained.

“What did you do?” Mia whips her head in my direction, her sleek brown hair whipping down her back at the sudden jerk of her head.

“Me?” I reel back. “I’ve been chained up,” I weakly lift my arms to show her the metal chains wrapped tightly around my wrists that they’re being cut raw. Mia seethes.

“How would Eric know we need his money?” Mia barks at me. I can’t help but notice we’re no longer pretending that the reason they’ve kidnapped me is to get Eric in their pack. They don’t care if he lives or dies, so long as they get their money.

Another thought occurs to me. If Eric had drained millions from his account, there’s no saying he won’t take out all of it, which means Mark and Mia would have no use for me at that point.

As if becoming aware of this just as I am, Mark casts his phone aside. “We’re going to need those passwords,” Mark says his tone much darker this time, sending a prickling chill down my spine. I need to think fast.

“Call Eric,” I blurt out. “He already has the money, he’ll give it you whatever you want so long as you don’t hurt me,” I speak so quickly I’m not even sure if they can understand what I’m saying, but the truth is I hardly care what happens to me- I just want to protect my baby who is kicking wildly inside me at the moment.

It’s as if this baby can sense danger and is ready to fight from within the womb. Miss eyes flicker down at my stomach. Her expression gardening. “What if we want to hurt you?”

“Then you know Eric will retaliate,” I say. It’s a pathetic defense, using my husband as a shield who isn’t even here, but what choice do I have?

Either they find me useless and kill me, but if they do that then they have to know there’s consequences. My only other option is to admit that I’m pregnant, I still haven’t answered their question. There’s just no guarantee they’ll care. If anything, that’s more leverage in their favor.

My words fall on deaf ears. Mia swings her leg back, aiming her pointed toe to come striking right at my belly.

“I’m pregnant!” I scream in a desperate hope that Mia has a shred of empathy for the unborn.

I brace for the kick as I usher an apology and silent cry to my baby that I’m failing to protect. I move to cower and do my best to draw my legs up and my arms over myself, but it does little good.

That’s when I hear a crack. I wait for the pain. But it never comes.

“Mia, stand back,” Mark says. I look up, shaking. “We’ll call Eric and give him the coordinates. Let’s make a deal,”

Mia looks as though she’s about to cry. “But,” she argues.

“That’s an order!” Mark yells and Mia involuntarily flinches. So, I was right then. Mark may not like me, but he has a soft spot for his unborn grandchild.

My heart beats wildly in my chest. What was that crack? Maybe my mind is playing tricks on me. I was so sure Mia was going to kick me, she was going to kick me if Mark didn’t stop her. Did my mind make up that sound?

Mia storms off. Mark gives me an unreadable glance, but suddenly I feel naked. He picks his phone up off the ground and walks away without saying a word, to call Eric I presume.

I take in my surroundings, feeling like something or someone is going to jump out at any second.

Trying to move sends a sharp burning by sensation down at my wrist. I hiss with pain, but when I look down that’s when I see it.

A hairline crack in the metallic shakes. I must’ve broken the chain when I went to cover myself.

I never realized my own strength, then again no one has ever tried to hurt my baby before.

I turn my arm back over, wi ding from the pain. It’s entirely possible my wrist is broken, but I can’t focus on that right now.

Instead, I have to wait for the right moment. One more hard pull and I can break free.

I might actually make it out of here alive.

Maybe.