He Strikes at the Hotel

Chapter Forty One

Audrey Rose's POV

I was wide awake now with adrenaline rushing through my veins. As soon as I heard his voice I dreaded to open my eyes, but he knew I was awake and I couldn't put it off forever. I begrudgingly widened my eyes to look at him in all his horrendous, alcoholic and belittling glory.

I looked Jared dead in the eyes with pure fury rushing through me. With the rage in me so strong, I was slightly disheartened when my glare didn't set him on fire there and then.

"I knew there was something wrong about you. Why are you doing this? Are you trying to make Zachery look bad? Or are you just jealous?" I quipped back at him bitterly, practically hissing my words. "How have you managed to do this for so long without getting caught?" Now I had started speaking I couldn't manage to stop myself. I was letting go of all the built up confusion and throwing it at Jared bit by bit, emotions filling each throw to its brink.

"Now, now, Kitten..." He was sat in front of me with his elbows casually propped up on his knees, with his hands interlinked under his chin while he was looking at me with amusement swimming through his eyes. At the mention of Zachery's pet name for me, I felt a twang in my stomach. He noticed this instantly, the corner of his lip twitching in delight. "Oh deary deary me. Missing him already are we?" He continued with pride in his voice at his achievement.

I couldn't stop myself from agreeing with him. I was missing Zachery and I didn't know what to do right now without him. I've always been the independent one, but since meeting Zachery; I've become somewhat dependant on his voice of reason and plans he schemes up. Surely if he was here he would be shaking his head at my submissiveness. If I was watching myself I would probably be the same, I would be disgusted at how helpless I was with Jared, but what was I meant to do? I was tied up with a madman who has a vendetta against me watching my every move. Not the best of situations you've been in Audrey Rose...

I scowled at him, not wanting to satisfy his sadistic ego any further. "You really are a piece of work aren't you? A psychotic, manipulative, balding piece of work." I managed to say through gritted teeth. It probably wasn't the greatest of moves I've made, antagonising someone who could literally kill me at any moment, but there we go.

I could tell now that we were definitely in the laundry room, but it had been transformed into a torture cell. Blood everywhere, shelves knocked down from obvious struggling and a man sat in the middle of it all with a God awful smile on his face.

"I should have known the girl who Zachery ended up falling in love with would have a rotten attitude." He stated flatly whilst rolling his eyes.

"What?" I asked, stunned from the words he just said. I know it was all part of the plan to get him to see us together and all, but I didn't realise we pulled it off quite that well. Not falling in love kind of well. The memory of Zachery kissing me flooded back in to my memory, with the butterflies I felt in that moment, and how genuine my feelings had become for him. This wasn't a game for me any more. It was real. The memory stung my heart, just like the tears beginning to fill my eyes.

"Oh please. Don't play the ignorant card with me now. We have come to far for that little game." He began to look irritated and slightly bored with the company he had. "I have seen you two together, and the looks you give each other. It's sickening. And the way he speaks about you as if you are some sort of angel which the world is not worthy of... I can't take it. That is why I do this." His voice was breaking, full of distaste at what he was explaining, as if love was a horrid thing in itself.

"Why, dare I ask, are you so damn bitter?" I swallowed hard as I gained the courage to continue to speak. "So you just don't want the Duke happy? Is that it?" I asked, trying to get something out of him which actually made sense.

"Oh no, my dear child. His happiness is not something of my concern." Jared stated as if we were talking about dirt on his shoe. "I simply don't want anyone getting in his way, distracting him. Friends, women, anyone. He can have no one other than us, his loyal guards. He may not realise it now, but I am trying to do him a favour. He can't be wasting his time with the like of... You..." He said 'you' just as he gave me a look up and down, curling his nose up at just the sight of me.

"Excuse me? You are doing this, as a favour to him?!" I couldn't comprehend what I was hearing, did this man actually believe what he was doing was for the greater good? I don't care what he has to think of me, but trying to sabotage Zachery's life and using the defence of trying to 'help' him is something I can't stomach.

As Jared was about to respond, we both heard a loud thud against what sounded like metal. It echoed through the hallway and came drifting in to us. "I know what that sound was..." I thought to myself with my eyes widening. It was the lift. Someone just knocked up against the lift, someone is actually coming down here!

Jared was startled by the unwelcome interruption, however recovered quickly as he pointed to me with a long bony finger. "You make one sound, and you will die right here, right now. Do you understand?" His face turned darker than I had ever seen it. He looked as though his body was just a shell and a demon was inside him pulling the strings. I gulped down my fear and simply nodded in defeat.

"We have to go. I'm sorry to cut this part of the trip so short, however, it would seem that your disappearance has not gone unnoticed. Unlike the rest." He spoke as if he was recalling fond memories at the idea that no one ever noticed his previous kidnappings. "Besides, there's somebody waiting for us." Jared had that evil twinkle in his eye again and the corner of his lip once again curled upwards.

"You mean..." I paused, trying to think more strategically.

"As flattered as I am that you thought I did all of this by myself, I must admit I am not alone in this. I simply carry out the business which my colleague is unable to do. Come on, I will introduce you." He spoke as if he was doing me some great favour for introducing me to the person orchestrating all of this as he grabbed a pocket knife out of his jacket and began hacking away at the rope around my wrists. My breath hitched multiple times at the near to no distance between the knife and myself.

He grabbed my arm tightly and held the knife up to my face so closely that I could smell burnt rope. He looked at me sternly as beads of sweat began forming on his forehead and began twiddling the knife round so that it glistened in the minimal light, enhancing small specks of red that had been left behind on it.

"You make one move I don't like, and you will regret it." He whispered this so closely to my face that I could actually feel the threat. He held his eye contact with me for a moment longer, which felt like an eternity, before dropping his arm back down and pulling me in his direction as we began to hear footsteps approach the laundry room.