Love Me? Like You Do.

Chapter 29

Brielle awoke to a soothing coolness on her head. Instinctively she raised her hand to touch the spot. With a growing sense of dread she looked around. The darkness surrounding her greeted her with an unwelcome familiarity.

Damn it. She was lying on the ground in the very same cellar she had escaped from some time before. She really was going to die in the dingy, musty old place. No one would ever find her in there.

I should have visited Disneyland when I had the chance, should have got married already, should have owned a house, maybe got myself a pet, guess no kids for me in this life...funny how everything works out. 

"Where is she?" bellowed a familiar voice through the door.

Great now I'm hearing things.

"She's...around." said a cool voice that Brielle knew belonged to Zachary. She sat up quickly and rushed to the sealed metal door, trying to peer through the minuscule space between the hinges. A dim white light was visible through the cracks. Must be flashlights. Brielle could barely make out two figures standing close to one another.

"Release my collar, dear brother. Or she dies sooner." drawled Zachary. Brielle gasped as the second silhouette hesitantly moved away from Zachary. 

Brother. 

Jack. 

Jack was here...for her...

She was saved! 

She felt her spirits soar for the first time in hours. She was drunk with happiness and relief. He had come to rescue her. He hadn't forgotten about her after all.

"What do you want?" Jack's voice was hoarse. Brielle wondered if he had caught a cold.

"In return for the girl?" asked Zachary, his voice infuriatingly unperturbed.

"No." said Jack coldly. "Not Brielle. I mean what do you want with me?"

"I want everything." said Zachary mincing no words. "You hand over Dixon Enterprises without too much protest and the casualties will be minimum."

Brielle's breathe hitched. What would Jack do?

"Zachary, you and I both know that is not going to happen." said Jack coolly as Brielle sighed with relief.

"Here." said Zachary, and Brielle heard the flapping of papers. "All you have to do is sign here. Or you'll never see your darling Brielle again."

"Why do you keep coming back to Brielle?" asked Jack in a steely uncaring voice. "She means nothing to me. "

Ouch. That was probably my heart cracking.

"Nothing?" repeated Zachary.

"None." said Jack in an indifferent tone and Brielle wished he had stopped there. His next words were enough to shatter her resolve completely.

"She is of no importance to me. I was only putting up with her because I knew she would lead me to you. Now that I found you, we can settle this once and for all. What happens to Brielle is not something that matters to me."

She couldn't help the tears that rolled down her cheeks and into the cold, unforgiving floor. She was glad that he wasn't giving up on his company and his dreams, but to know that he was giving up on her and that she had never truly been of any significance to him, broke her heart. He was using me, just like Zachary did. I'm just a pawn in their horrible horrible game.

Brielle slumped to the floor, her grip on the door going slack. She had been about to cry for help, but now realized it wasn't worth it. It would probably be less painful to die in the cell than to escape only to know that she was unloved, unwanted and not needed.