Chapter 43: The Failed Escape
Jake had only one opportunity.
He waited in ambush for the guards to change, committing the schedule Lisa's goons followed to memory. Each step, each stride—they thought him conquered, vanquished.
They were wrong.
The balcony was his only hope. It was three stories up from him, but there were big stone walls covered in ivy that he could descend beneath it with a decent amount of handholds. If he could get down without being seen, he'd slip out the courtyard on the outside and up the back gate before the next patrol came along.
Jake took a deep breath. Here goes.
He flung open the balcony doors, pounding heart. Night air chilled the flesh, and it had the scent of rain and pine. He kicked over his legs at the railing, supporting himself with a grip on the stone, and began down.
Step for step.
A third of the way down when a voice behind him.
"Getting somewhere?"
Jake's stomach fell.
Lisa stood at the top of the balcony, arms crossed, gazing down at him with languid amusement. She had anticipated this.
Jake's grip faltered as guards arrived at the bottom of the wall. He had led her straight into his trap.
Lisa's smile grew more pointed. "You didn't actually think you were going to be able to outsmart me, did you?"
Jake said nothing. He sprang the remaining way down, crashing onto pavement hard and ran in the direction of the courtyard.
Two paces. Five paces. Far enough.
There was an aching stabbing pain in his ribs as the guard struck him in the side, slamming him into the ground.
Jake winced, body screaming, as arms wrapped about him and forced him upright.
Lisa descended the stairs slowly, her high heels clattering on stone. "You're a caged animal, Jake. You know you can't get out, but you just keep battering yourself against the bars."
Jake spat blood onto the floor. "One day, those bars are gonna break."
Lisa took a deep breath and moved forward. "No, Jake. One day, you will." She took his chin in her fingers and held him fast. "And on the day you do, you'll be grateful to me for saving you from yourself."
Jake spat at her, furious heat blazing in his eyes.
Lisa turned to the guards. "Take him away. No chains. No punishment. Let him think about his mistakes."
Jake bristled. Why wasn't she punishing him?
As if she suspected he was bewildered, Lisa smiled. "This is not about dominating you, Jake. This is about instructing you. And tonight, you learned your first lesson."
Jake couldn't decide what irritated him more—that he had failed, or that she wasn't angry with it.
Zane's Escape – A Cruel Lesson
Zane realized the guards were careless. They underestimated him, thought bruises and chains had crippled him.
They were wrong.
He gauged seconds between rounds, held for the millisecond the nearest guard turned away from him. His restraints hung loose-lazy from their functional purpose.
Zane did not think. He acted.
Flashing his hands free.
Slamming his elbow into the throat of the first guard, he moved with swift efficiency, dispatching two others before they could alert anyone. Escape, he had to escape.
He sprinted down the dark hallway, his heart thundering. Almost there.
The door in front of him outside.
And then the lights came on.
Zane came to an abrupt halt.
Max stood in the doorway, arms crossed over chest, look of close to disdainful scorn on his face.
Zane's chest was moving in deep breaths. "Move."
Max smiled. "I let you get this close, didn't I?"
Zane's innards churned.
Max took a step forward, growling. "You actually thought I'd let my own son escape me that easily? No, Zane. I wanted to see how you'd play it when you believed you had the upper hand."
Zane's hands clenched into fists. "Go to hell."
Max just ignored him, pulling a phone out of his pocket. He flipped the screen around and held it up for Zane to view.
A live feed.
Jake. Captive. Hand covered in blood. Lisa muttering something too softly to hear.
Zane's blood turned icy.
Max tilted his head to the side. "You didn't really think she'd just release him, did you? Lisa anticipates every step. Every consequence. And you? You just walk into her class without a thought."
Zane's body contorted with rage.
Max's smile increased. "Run, fight, get away—it doesn't matter. Because every time you do?" He indicated the phone. "He pays the price."
Zane's respirations were raw.
Max pushed the phone into his pocket, his voice low. "So you'll hear me now, then, Zane?"
There was a silence.
He'd never felt so powerless.
Flashback: Before Everything Changed
Years ago, when packs had been the barrier between them, before they'd even come out about how they felt, Jake and Zane had already caught glimpses of understanding each other.
They'd met in neutral ground, a hidden clearing beside a river.
Zane smiled at him, making a pebble skip across the water. "If our parents found out we were dating like this, they'd kill us."
Jake had smiled. "Then I suppose it's well for us that they do not."
Zane had regarded him then, something shifted in his eyes. "Ever consider what if things were other?"
Jake had leaned back against the tree, blowing out a sigh. "Yeah. All the time."
The quiet between them had been easy. Safe.
They had vowed, that night, in silence, something no one else ever vowed to them—loyalty.
And now?
Now, both of them were trapped.
Lisa's Message – The Real Fight Begins
Midnight on the dot, Mia's phone began to ring.
She squinted with curiosity as to why someone from this unknown number would be ringing her. A video message.
She waited a moment before clicking play.
Lisa's catlike purr through the speaker. "I figured you guys needed an update."
The locked screen on Jake—hurt but still rebellious.
Lisa sneaked back into frame, sneer paralyzed. "You'd better have figured out by now—nobody gets out from me. Not Jake. Not Zane. And for damn sure, not any of you."
Mia's hands trembled.
Lisa's gaze had become icy. "His hell is only just starting."
The screen blinked back to darkness.
Mia let out a harsh breath, her phone fist tightening. "That bitch has begun a war."
Rico's eyes met hers, his no less stubborn. "Then we deliver it to her."