Tethered Hearts | ✓ | Books 1 & 2

Episode 39| End of the Road

Sophia's P.O.V.

"Get them into the room upstairs," a man to my right ordered, followed by a rough shove to my back. I blindly stumble forward, groggy and disoriented as my senses start to kick back in. My surroundings were too bright–too overwhelmingly white –for me to fully inspect the house we were pushed into. Sunlight bathed the furniture, turning it an alabaster shade, glossed in yellow flakes and golden rays.

I was hallucinating – that had to be it. That, or I was having a problem with focusing my eyes after that period of darkness I was swallowed into. When I saw the guns in their hands, a inconsolable thought flourished my mind like a bad omen: Was I going to die here? Were we all going to die?

"Where are we?" I heard my self-ask, stunned at the mousy sound coming out of me.

I faced my left, seeing Kelsey –moving like a blur in my dizzy state. She knocked over a guy, making him fall back a few steps. "What the heck is going on? Don't touch me!"

"She's been jumpy since we got off the boat," Vaughn said, angrily. "It took everything in me to not put a bullet in her myself."

"I second that," Grayson rolled his eyes. "Get the three of them up to the room."

"Wait, why are we bringing the guy?" One of the men pointed his weapon at Nicolas. "I thought you said we would throw him off somewhere."

"No, he's seen too much. We can't have that," Vaughn said and reached for the man's gun, stealing it from him. "I'll get rid of him. Better to leave no witnesses. That's why we brought him in the first place."

My heartbeat sped-up. Nicolas' droopy eyes were still recovering from the chemical they made us inhale in the SUV. His dazed expression told me that he'd be shot by the time he opened his eyes to see who his attacker was.

Regaining the small amount of strength I had left in me, I shook out of my abductor's grip, flung my body – my only useable shield – and held on to Nicolas. Hugging him with my arms around his neck, I said, "You're not doing anything to him."

"Move aside, Sophia." Grayson called out. "We don't want you to get hurt."

Why though? Why did I have any value?

Thinking back to the conversation before we were dragged into that SUV, I recalled how Grayson had brought up Kelsey's father's name, reminding me of his wealth. If they were holding me here for some reason, and also Kelsey, that meant they sought some kind of reward. My first guess, instantly, was about Bryce. They wanted something from him, and the only way they could get to him was by using me as bait. It made sense.

"Move," Grayson repeated, knocking my shoulder and ripping me from Nicolas. "Go ahead, Vaughn."

"No, hold on." I panted, sweeping my gaze to the men in the foyer of this house, wearing clothes over their mouths and noses. The ones with no type of covering were Grayson and Vaughn. "You shouldn't kill him. Don't you know who his mother is?"

I scrambled for a lie to tell them. Kelsey's father was why they let her stay alive, and my connection to Bryce had to be the reason to why they brought me here. I had to conjure up a fib for Nicolas, associating him someone with lots of money.

Vaughn's hard stare faltered, weakening his hold on his weapon and moving the barrel downward, pointing it to the floor. "No, I don't. I don't care to find out."

"Me neither." Grayson uttered. "Shoot him already, Vaughn. I'm getting tired of these people."

"She's rich," I scream, partly because of the loopy chemicals in my system makes it impossible to tell when my voice will be powerful or wobbly. "I can tell that you're holding us hostage for a reason. Money is the motive." I took a wild guess.