Chapter 85 Broken
Once all the guards around the house had been neutralised, Marcus signalled his team to restrain them with the prepared plastic zip ties. They made sure each guard couldn't move or alert anyone inside.
After the area was secure, Marcus signalled Elliot to begin entering the house.
"The exterior is clear," Marcus said in a low tone through his earpiece, ensuring Elliot knew the path in was safe.
Elliot immediately stepped inside the house. His eyes and ears were fully alert, trying to detect Audrey's presence. His heart pounded fiercely, not from fear, but from the anxious tremor shaking his core. His mind held only one thought: find Audrey before something worse happened.
Elliot's firm, quick steps suddenly halted when he caught a glimpse of something from the corner of his eye.
A shadowy figure moved quickly at the end of the hallway. It seemed a guard had managed to slip away and was now fleeing.
Elliot narrowed his eyes, observing the direction the guard was running, not toward an exit, but toward another area deeper within the complex.
There's another place here. Are they hiding something? Elliot thought suspiciously.
Without wasting time, Elliot immediately gave chase. The sound of his pursuit was so clear that the man looked back. His face immediately showed terror upon seeing Elliot closing in quickly. He sped up his run, trying to escape to what seemed a safer place. He didn't give him much time. Using his speed and strength, Elliot increased his pace.
"Stop, or I'll make sure you can't run again!" Elliot yelled, his voice echoing through the hallway.
But the man paid no heed. Instead, he panicked and quickened his stride. The path he took became steeper, leading to a small door at the end of the corridor that seemed to go to another part of the complex.
The guard tried to open the door, but before he could succeed, Elliot lunged and caught the man from behind.
The man's body stumbled forward, but Elliot skillfully grabbed his shoulder and slammed him hard onto the floor.
"Stop fighting!" Elliot snapped, his voice low but threatening.
With a quick move, Elliot pulled the man's arms behind his back and restrained him firmly. With his free hand, he grabbed the gun he had been carrying tucked at his back.
Seeing the barrel aimed at him, the man instantly froze.
"Where is Audrey?" Elliot demanded, full of fury.
"I don't know anything!" the man shouted in panic, looking pale as he felt the muzzle getting closer to his face.
Elliot pulled the man closer to him, his gaze sharpening, pressing the gun's barrel right against the man's temple. "Take me to her, or I'll blow your head off!"
"O-okay! I'll show you the way!"
Audrey felt Vincent's rough hands beginning to grope her body, mixing disgust and fear within her. Her breath came in ragged gasps, and her tears flowed uncontrollably. Even though her body was weak, she refused to give in.
"Get off me!" she cried, her voice choking in her throat.
Vincent only let out a low chuckle, like a wolf that had cornered its prey. He held Audrey's wrist with one hand while his other hand continued to explore her body mercilessly.
Audrey twisted, her body moving in any direction in an attempt to break free. She kicked with all her might, but Vincent easily caught her leg, making her even more desperate.
"You think you can escape from me? Huh?" he hissed, his smirk widening. "No one is coming for you, Sweetie..."
Yet, those words didn't make Audrey surrender, even as fear tightened its grip. She remembered the glass shard she had hidden in her shirt pocket. Though her hand felt weak, she tried to reach for it.
While still struggling, Audrey used Vincent's distraction as he tried to restrain her movements. Her free hand began fumbling toward her pocket. Her trembling fingers touched the edge of the glass shard.
Vincent noticed Audrey's hand moving, but he assumed she was just trying to fight back.
"Stop moving, or you'll suffer more!" he threatened, but Audrey ignored him. She kept fighting, suppressing the immense terror inside her.
When her fingers finally closed around the shard, Audrey's heart nearly leapt out of her chest with relief. She gripped it tightly, ignoring the pain from the sharp edge cutting into her palm.
With all her remaining strength, Audrey raised her hand and swung the glass shard toward Vincent.
"Aaaargghh!" Vincent screamed in pain as the glass scraped his arm deeply.
He recoiled instantly, releasing his grip on Audrey. His eyes widened, staring at the wound that began to bleed.
"You—bitch!" he snarled, his face reddening with anger.
Audrey, though her body trembled violently, used that moment to try to get up and move away from him. The glass shard was still clutched tightly in her hand, ready to be used again if Vincent came closer.
But Vincent didn't give up so easily. He stepped forward with blazing anger, his face looking terrifying. "You'll regret this, Sweetie!"
Audrey tried to speed up her steps, but Vincent moved faster. He lunged and managed to grab her, causing them both to fall to the floor.
This time, with full force and burning rage, Vincent tried to finish his interrupted intent. He grabbed Audrey's wrist that held the glass shard and slammed it hard against the floor.
"Arghh!" Audrey screamed in pain, and the shard slipped from her grasp.
"You really are asking for death," Vincent growled, his eyes dark and glinting.
While trying to pin down Audrey, who continued to struggle, he took the chance to target her exposed neck. Her world felt like it was collapsing as she felt the crushing weight of Vincent's body pinning her to the cold floor.
Her choked sobs made it harder to breathe, while her tears flowed incessantly. Her chest felt constricted, as if all hope and strength were being forcibly ripped from inside her.
Disgust mixed with fear coursed through her entire body. In her mind, she felt like an inanimate object with no power to protect herself. Every rough touch from him made her feel dirtier, as if her own worth was being erased in a matter of seconds.
"You have no way out, Sweetie," Vincent whispered in a tone full of dominance and threat, further scrambling Audrey's thoughts.
Just as Audrey could only close her eyes, lamenting what Vincent was doing to her, the door to the room suddenly burst open wide, revealing Elliot standing there with eyes blazing with fury.