Chapter 23

The boy blinked a couple of times, returning to reality. She stood near the window with red eyes from tears and a feeling of fear in her chest. He moved away from Josh, waving to his guys to stop and wait for him. His feet carried him to the house to find the girl. When he entered the house, the only thing he heard was silence. The silence of the dead house. Stepping over the corpse of his man, he climbed upstairs, following a trail of silent sobbing in one of the rooms.

He found this room, but as soon as he tried to open the door, he realized that the girl had closed it. The wooden door was in poor condition, which meant it would be easy to knock it down.

'Open it,' the guy behind the door growled, danger in his voice.

Hailey sat in the corner of the room, trying to calm her fear. She was ready to lure Foster over to her, but she was not ready to be so close to him. Her knees shook with fear, and a strange lump formed in her throat, which prevented the flow of air. The girl's hands rested on her knees, trying to calm her own legs. The pulse of her heart was pounding in her head, exploding her brain.

'No, no, I won’t open it,' Hailey whispered in a barely audible voice, closing her eyes, thinking that this was all just a terrible dream.

She just has to close her eyes and open them, after which everything will be fine. She will be lying on the couch next to her parents, watching the new episode of their favorite series. James's fist slammed painfully into the oak door and the blow echoed through the house. 'Open that damn door, I said!' The boy yelled, thumping the surface of the door with his foot.

Hailey pressed herself into a corner, trying to get out of the way. Blows with great force were applied to the barrier that separated them. After numerous blows, the door flew off its hinges, falling heavily to the floor with fragments from the window. Foster's silhouette appeared at the door, after which he entered the room. The grin touched his lips, revealing white teeth. He was proud of himself. The girl opened her eyes, watching the blue sky disappear from his eyes. He began to approach her, staggering slightly. As soon as Hale realized that James was drunk, she became even more frightened. His mind was clouded and he could do anything without thinking with his head. The blond knelt next to the girl, his grin disappeared, leaving no trace behind. He raised his hand, and the girl quickly closed her eyes, afraid that he would hit her. A second later, she felt a soft touch on her cheek. Opening her eyes, she noticed how he looked at her with some interest.

The ocean during the storm left his eyes, letting the sky come out in a rainbow of his beautiful crystal eyes.

Jay didn't hit her, he just stroked her cheek with the back of his hand.

'Stop,' the girl whispered, turning away from him, hiding her eyes.

'I can't stop when I've almost reached the goal.'

He wanted to feel her lips on his. He wanted it to be mutual, but at the same time, he knew perfectly well that this would not happen. She won't kiss the man who kidnapped her.

'You,' the girl could not find words to express her feelings, she put her hand on her neck, feeling the bruises. 'You almost killed me,' the girl finished, raising her bewildered gaze to Foster.

'I know,' the boy snorted, rising to his feet. 'I warned you, little one.'

'Don't you dare call me that.'

'Don't you dare talk to me like that.' Hailey got to her feet, immediately feeling her elbow being grabbed.

James was about to take a step forward, but the girl quickly grabbed his shoulders, lightly squeezing them. The boy was surprised by this behavior as he watched Hailey's expression.

'Please, Jay,' the girl began, but Foster shoved her back against the wall, realizing what she meant.

'I said no, and that means no.'

Hailey fell to her knees in front of the guy, realizing how her self-esteem was plummeting down. Her palms folded together in front of her chest, and the girl began to cry, raising her head to the blond.

'Please don’t kill them, I beg you,' the girl whispered, looking into his eyes.

Foster stood still, looking at her. He was undoubtedly surprised by her actions, but he was not going to give up.

'I already told you the answer,' the boy growled, ignoring her pleas.

Hailey looked down at her feet as she continued to whisper, her sobs mingled with her words, making it hard to hear what she was saying. The boy's hand rested on the girl's cheek, sliding down to her chin. He wrapped his fingers around it, lifting it up so she could look at him.

'I don't have to kill them,' the boy whispered, perfectly aware that the girl could hear him.

'I'll do whatever you want,' Hailey closed her eyes, feeling the boy's thumb wiping away her tears.

Foster was in no hurry to answer, he tormented her with the lack of his decision.

'I won't kill them, unless,' he trailed off, drawing out an unnecessary pause.

With the pad of his thumb, he traced the line of his lower lip, putting himself in control. He so wanted to break free from the chain, to kiss her, to feel the taste of her lips on his own, to wander his hands over her body...

'Say that you are mine,' the girl’s eyes widened in shock of realization. 'I won’t kill them, only if you are mine. My property.'

'No!' The girl yelled, removing the boy's hand from her face. 'I will never be anyone's property! Slavery was abolished a long time ago, you can't!'

The girl continued to scream, rising to her feet.

'Don't forget who I am!' The guy shouted, trying to prove his power to the girl. 'You're nobody! You're a pathetic guy who thinks he's immortal! Your mother doesn't even understand who she raised!' As soon as the girl hinted at her mother, the guy slapped her with a juicy slap in the face, which made the girl's face turn to him in profile.

On the young and delicate skin, a slightly reddish tint instantly appeared from the strong blow of the male palm. Hailey pursed her lips, trying to keep herself from feeling anything. From the incredible pain emanating from her cheek, from the feeling of resentment that a hand was raised at her and from the anger that filled her entire body in order to avenge the guy for what he had done. Their eye contact lingered for a short time until the girl shoved the guy in the chest.

'Come on, be a fucking asshole and hit me again! I'm not used to it!' Hailey screamed as she continued to shove Jay in the chest.

'Shut up! I'm not going to hang around here with you! I want to see your disappointment and screams as soon as possible, honey,' a smirk appeared on the boy's face.

He grabbed Hailey's hand and led her behind him, ignoring her screams and attempts to break free. Young people were still standing near the garage. Four guys stood in the circle, nervously looking around. The fourth guy leaned on the shoulders of two strong men, trying to stay on his feet. His head was still lowered, he hid his pain from everyone by tightly closing his eyes and biting his lips to such an extent that scarlet blood appeared on them through the wounds. Armed men were on different sides, surrounding Hale's friends. Their pistols were aimed at the defenseless bodies of the guys, they were all waiting for the order to shoot. James dragged the brown-haired woman behind him, coming closer to his men. 'We'll play, honey,' the blond whispered, clutching the girl to his chest.

Hailey frowned, feeling Foster against her back. His hands gripped her wrists tightly to keep her from pulling away. The guy loved the feeling of power over her and it was so damn good for him to feel like there was nothing she could do when she was around him.

'You don't mind playing, do you?' Jay touched his lips to her ear, pouring hot breath over her skin, from which goosebumps immediately ran through the girl's body due to such close contact. 'Go to hell, James Foster!' The girl spat, stepping on the guy's leg with her sneaker and escaping from his embrace. 'All right, we'll be mean, if you so desire,' Foster hissed, feeling a slight pain in the area of ​​his foot.

Waving his head at the girl, Jay made it clear to the brunette, who then burst into the house first and grabbed the girl by the hair so that he took her over. The burly guy wrapped his arms around Hailey's waist, trapping her.

'Let me go! And don't even touch me!' The girl screamed.

James Foster approached the curly-haired guy and asked him for a gun, which he kindly gave it. A predatory look returned to the girl, indicating that something terrible was about to happen.