11
The soft pillow beneath my head is the first sign that something isn’t right. The pillow in my torture chamber is notoriously hard. It’s a piece of shit, but the one below my head is like a freaking dream, it’s something that even after a million shifts at the club, I’d still not be able to afford.
My eyes fly open and I find myself in a large bedroom, the warm sunshine streaming through the room with birds chirping merrily outside the window.
Okay, maybe I died last night. Maybe the twisted, fucked-up maze was the end of my story because this doesn’t make sense. Don’t get me wrong, this alternate universe of waking up in a massive comfortable bed to warmth and sunshine is a million times better than the torture chamber, but it’s screwing with my head. The only logical explanation is that they finally killed me, and now I’m here in this … I don’t know. Maybe this is some weird form of reincarnation or maybe my version of heaven is just living it up in style. Who knows. Though, if I am dead, I guess I should be thankful that they did it while I was passed out. I didn’t feel a thing.
I sit up and the blanket falls to my waist, showing off the shallow cuts and bruises along my arms and sending a wave of disappointment through me. Surely if I were dead and living it up in heaven, the cuts and bruises would have magically vanished, right?
That only leaves one option and I don’t fucking like it.
My gaze circles the big bedroom. It’s modern and impersonal. There are no pictures, no artwork, nothing to indicate that anyone has ever lived here before. It’s like walking into a clinical hotel room … a fancy hotel room though, not one of those shitty ones that’ll give you hives.
My feet cautiously hit the floor and I glance toward the door, eyeing it with disdain before lifting myself off the bed. My legs ache from the night of hell, but it sure doesn’t stop me from bolting across the room and fumbling with the lock until I hear the sweet sound of it clicking into place.
I doubt something like a little lock is going to be enough to keep the DeAngelis brothers out, but for now, it’s giving me enough peace of mind to make it just a little easier to breathe.
Terrified that they’ll somehow know, I keep my eyes on the door as I slowly back up, taking me deeper into the room again. When I’m positive they’re not about to come busting in here, I tear my gaze away from the door.
Looking around, I find myself moving toward the wide window. Resting my hands against the small ledge, I gaze out, a soft gasp pulling from deep within my chest. I’m up high—like really fucking high. It’s a stark contrast to the view out of my torture chamber window—not that I’m actually tall enough to see out of that one. Though if I could, I doubt that I would see anything good.
I feel like a fucking princess locked up in the tower, just waiting for a prince to save me. Only in my story, there’s no such thing as heroes. There’s no hope for me here.
This window lets me see for miles. There’s no maze below me so I’m assuming that’s on the other half of the property that I can’t see, but the bit that I can see only goes to prove just how screwed I really am. There are no other properties in sight, only massive open fields with manicured gardens. A winding driveway sprawls over mountains, and further in the distance, there is nothing but an overgrown forest. No wonder the DeAngelis brothers have never been caught; their home is so hidden that no one would even know this property exists. I’m further away from civilization than I could have possibly realized.
A soft howling has my gaze shifting down to the open field, and I watch in amazement as a big black wolf sprints across the manicured grass at speeds that I can barely comprehend. A second wolf joins him, and for a moment, I’m completely mesmerized by the sight.
There’s no doubt about it—the wolves are incredible. They’re gorgeous in the most fearless kind of way. They’re terrifying, and just the thought of what they could do haunts me, but I can’t lie, they’re stunning creatures, just like their psycho owners. It’s fitting, I guess.
The wolves cover miles in no time, and before I know it, they’re disappearing into the thick forest, probably to spend their day hunting helpless creatures.
A shiver runs down my spine at the very thought and I peel myself away from the window. Looking out at the wide-open space isn’t going to help me get out of here, it’s only showcasing just how difficult my escape would be. Hell, maybe that’s why the brothers have stashed me up here. Gotta love their dedication to the cause.