Casing ✔️

Chapter 38

I woke to the building shaking, and explosions. It probably wasn't explosions at all; it was midnight, a new year, and I was still in this stupid place. I had nothing more to give. Nothing more to say to them.

I could only guess what they'd do to me once they found out I wasn't going to give them what they wanted. Not that I needed to guess much—that man had already promised James wouldn't see me again if I didn't tell them what they wanted to hear.

Could I make up something? Tell them the Strac's were really weak and broken, and that if he wanted to take over, or whatever it was he wanted, now was the time? Because I knew that wasn't true. They were strong, and the leadership was even stronger. They knew how to handle problems like this, and I trusted them to come out of this victorious, no matter what I told these people.

God, I wished there was at least a window in this stupid room so I could see some fireworks.

This morning, James promised me we'd celebrate the new year together, in bed. Had I been naive, thinking that would actually happen?

Probably not. It would've happened if Borgen wasn't a lying piece of shit.

I seriously had to get my license so I could drive myself around from now on. Two times kidnapped—one worse than the other—in such a short time. It was clear I couldn't trust anyone, really. Not even my own father, and especially not my childhood boyfriend. If that was even what we were back then.

Marius could go choke on something big, for all I cared at the moment. My whole body was aching too much to waste any more energy or thoughts on anything other than how I'd make it out of this alive. But even that took a lot out of me. I was sore, like every muscle in my body had been on one hell of a workout, and I blamed the damn taser as tears ran down my cheeks.

I hated this. I hated everything.

If this had happened before I fell for James, I would've most likely been packing to leave for Durfair the second I came back home. If I made it back home. But now all I wanted was to be back in paradise—that was what I named his embrace the first night we danced together at the party, and now was the moment I realized how true that really was. He was my home, my paradise.

And now there was no guarantee I'd ever get to tell him I loved him.

A sob escaped my throat, stopping against the stupid tape on my face. I had to find a way to escape this, like I escaped from Durfair. I was hellbent on it.

The door creaked open a long while later. I'd fallen asleep three times, I think, since the fireworks stopped outside, and I was still exhausted. Seeing Marius' face was not something I enjoyed first thing in the morning, either. Even if he brought with him a plate, and my stomach growled angrily the second the smell of scrambled eggs hit my nose.

He didn't say anything as he moved one of the other chairs in front of mine, and sat down, the plate in one hand. He swallowed, as if he wasn't sure what he was doing, before he reached out to rip the tape off my mouth. It stung, but not nearly as much as my whole body still did from being electrocuted.

I didn't say anything either, as I kept looking at him. He lifted a fork, loaded it with eggs, and held it up in front of me.

When I turned my head away, he sighed. "Please eat, Elina." He sounded sad, like he wasn't the one keeping me tied up and held there against my will.

"What's in it for you?" I asked, looking at him again.

"Nothing." He looked genuine. "I'm worried."

"If you're worried, you can set me free." I turned away again, using my spare energy to hop away from him in my chair.

It probably looked just as bad as it felt. I would've laughed if I'd seen it from afar—but I was stuck living this hell, so I would do my best to keep my sanity.