Chapter 1 - The Knock
The sudden knock on my hotel room door froze the blood in my veins.
I stared at the cheap brass deadbolt, my heart hammering violently against my ribs.
Gareth could not have found me this quickly.
I had paid for the room entirely in cash and parked my car two blocks away in a dark alley.
I slowly walked toward the door, my nursing shoes making absolutely no sound on the worn carpet.
I peered cautiously through the cloudy peephole.
A young man in a dark hoodie stood in the hallway, glancing nervously over his shoulder.
He was holding a thick brown envelope.
"Irene, please open the door," he whispered, his voice barely audible through the cheap wood.
"Bernard sent me."
I hesitated, my trembling hand hovering over the lock.
Bernard had just warned me not to tell Gareth my location, meaning he knew I was in immediate danger.
I unlatched the heavy chain and opened the door exactly two inches.
"Who are you?" I demanded softly.
"My name is Elias, and I am Bernard's private driver," he said quickly.
I recognized him then, though I had only seen him waiting silently in the estate's driveway a few times.
He shoved the heavy envelope directly through the crack in the door.
"He told me to give this to you the moment you finally left that house," Elias explained.
I opened the envelope and found a burner phone, a set of car keys, and a massive stack of hundred-dollar bills.
"Your real phone is already compromised," Elias said, pointing toward my medical bag on the bed.
I turned to look at my phone sitting on the ugly beige bedspread.
The screen was glowing brightly with another incoming call from my husband.
"Gareth installed military-grade tracking software on your device three years ago," Elias revealed.
My stomach plummeted as I realized the terrifying depth of my husband's absolute control over my life.
"He isn't calling to ask you to come home," Elias continued, pulling a digital tablet from his jacket.
He showed me a live security feed from a camera mounted in the hotel parking lot.
Three black SUVs had just violently boxed in the main lobby exit.
May you like
Six armed men in dark suits stepped out, and Gareth was leading them straight toward the front desk.
"He is here to make sure you never leave again," Elias warned.
