Chapter 76: Collateral Damage

ANNABEL

I stared at him, not really understanding what he was saying. What did he mean by I would help him? I wasn't helping him get any shit from me, and I was done with Damon. He might as well get something for the job.

"And your pretty daughter can't do the job for you?"

His face twisted at my question, shocked I still had the guts to speak out even after he had slashed his hands across my face and I could taste the metallic liquid dripping down from my lips.

"Hmmm, no. I will send Damon a video of you looking so disorganized and disheveled, and he won't have any choice than to send the device to me."

He smiled, as if he had planned every action, as if he had already planned what he would do next.

"Hmm, and you think Damon would come here running? You just told me he'd be fucking with some whores. Why do you think he still cares about me? As far as we know, he might be fucking with some whores right now."

My words seemed to trigger him or cause some sort of effect as he let out a scowl, not happy I still had it in me to ramble.

Good.

That was the effect I wanted, by the way.

"And what's this device?"

I asked, curious. What device would make me get kidnapped?

"You will see."

He replied casually, bringing out his phone and facing it in front of me. The phone made some 'snap snap' sounds as he took pictures of me.

"Great."

He whispered, happy with what he had captured so far.

"I just sent this to him, and I'm giving him twenty-four hours to release the device, or else you'd be dead. So pray, darling. You have twenty-four hours to live."

His final words made my skin crawl with fear as my stomach twisted with this gnawing feeling, and he left the cage.

"Fuck him."

I whispered, looking around the room, hoping and wishing I could find a way to escape from here, but I couldn't. The walls seemed to mock me, cold and unforgiving.

I stared down at the ropes I'd been tied with. The rope secured my hands as my hands were trapped between my laps, cutting into my wrists every time I moved.

Perhaps I could try wiggling my hands out from these ropes and see if they would loosen up.

Each try I made seemed to tighten the rope even more. I tried again, and again, and it didn't yield any results, and I let out a frustrated groan.

Fuck!

I whispered, closing my eyes tightly, trying to think of anything other than the burning sensation in my wrists.

My thoughts moved towards Damon. Yes, I was so mad at him, but I wished he'd come save me. I wasn't going to just die without discussing everything he'd done. All the lies, all the betrayal, all the fucking mess he'd put me through.

As I was so deep in my thoughts, I didn't notice someone had walked in, and I felt a bowl of cold water wash through my body.

My body shook with the coldness of the liquid that washed through me as I yelped back in surprise.

I looked up quickly at the figure standing in front of me. Her blonde hair looked well-arranged like she'd always done it, perfect even in this hellhole.

"I thought you had fainted. My dad wouldn't like that. You have a purpose right now, and we wouldn't want you dead... not yet."

She said, breaking into fits of laughter like she was enjoying every moment of agony I was facing.

Then his daughter stopped laughing, crawling towards me. She was the devil even though she looked like an angel.

"Gosh, you look like a drenched cat. What did Damon even find in you? You look so pathetic."

She snarled, and I couldn't wait to kill her once all this was over.

"You wish. Trust me, you will be dead before that ever happens, and he would kill each and every one of you."

My voice trailed after hers, and I knew it was a bad idea, but fuck, I enjoyed the look on her face. It was priceless.

Just before she could raise her hand to slap me, we heard the sound of a gunshot.

First, it was a single sound of gunshot, and then another. Then it became tremendous, echoing through the building like thunder.

Janet's eyes flew to mine as her eyes widened in fear, shock, and confusion, and fuck, I was enjoying the look on her face.

"What have you done, you little brat?"

Her voice sounded different than before, now showcasing the devilish part of her that she'd been hiding.

"I told you he'd come, and he's going to kill you."

I whispered without any undiluted fear in my voice, wishing all along this was Damon's doing, that he had come. Fuck, it was hard to think of him even after all this.

"Oh, you are going to be dead."

She said, bringing out a gun and pointing it towards me. My eyes widened in shock as she pushed the gun towards my forehead. The sound of gunshots was getting louder than before, as if it was beginning to close in on us.

"Oh, cat got your tongue, huh? Hahahaha."

She laughed, seeing how scared I was, how my whole body had gone rigid.

"Janet, don't. Don't shoot her."

A voice ran in the background. It sounded desperate, scared. It was Ronald, Janet's father, and he looked like someone who was losing. He looked absolutely scared, and I enjoyed seeing how terrified he was.

His eyes quickly raked through me, his eyes burning with contempt at my sight.

"Damon's men. I don't know how, but they seem to be having the upper hand. They fucking bombed our mansion, and I need you to leave right now. I love you."

He pushed Janet out from the room, not giving her a chance to speak, but Janet wasn't taking any of it. They looked like a father and daughter who didn't want to depart from each other.

"Let's leave together, father, please. Let's kill this bitch and leave."

Janet pleaded, glaring at me, but I didn't falter from her gaze, and it seemed to annoy her even more.

Ronald's face fell, obviously considering her words, but he shook his head.

"No. I will use her as leverage, and if he refuses, I will kill her, and you will fight for me. Take my name and destroy him."

I heaved at his words, but they seemed to forget I was still right there, listening to every fucking word.

And with that, Janet ran out from the room right after giving her father one single glance and then threw me a glare which was cold, something I had never seen before. The hatred in her eyes was almost tangible, promising pain if she ever got another chance.

The door slammed shut, leaving me alone with the sound of approaching chaos.