His Red Carnation (Forbidden Blooms #1)

37. Sloane

37

Sloane

The metallic clang of the door echoed through the dark warehouse as it creaked open. I’d been sitting in the same spot for what felt like hours, my wrists raw from struggling against the zip ties. My throat was dry, my body aching, but I wasn’t going to give Sarah the satisfaction of hearing me beg for anything.

Her heels clicked against the concrete floor, that sound alone enough to set my nerves on edge. I couldn’t see her at first, but I could hear her moving closer, the smirk practically audible in every step.

“Hello, princess,” she taunted, stepping into the faint light that leaked through the cracks in the walls. She carried a small, shiny metal case with her, and just the sight of it made my stomach twist.

I swallowed hard, forcing myself to stay silent.

She knelt down in front of me, her eyes gleaming with sadistic amusement. “You know, I thought about what to do with you for a while,” she said, slowly opening the case. Inside were various small instruments—small, but enough to cause pain. She lifted one, a small blade, holding it up to catch the light. “Hurting Callan has always been on my mind. Fucking your dad was supposed to be my revenge, just a little way to ruin his life from a distance.”

She smirked. “But then I found out who Callan was with. And you…oh, that made it even better. Callan with Jake’s daughter? It was like a fucking gift. You’re someone he actually cares about. Something I can take away from him.”

Her voice grew sharper, bitter. “It’s been eight years, and the world moves on. But I didn’t. I couldn’t. And then, those pictures leaked. Seeing the two of you so happy? It made me sick. ”

Her eyes narrowed as the blade skimmed my arm, just enough to send a sharp sting through my skin. “Breaking you mentally? That’s going to be so fucking satisfying,” she murmured. “I’m not going to kill you—not yet. You’re far too valuable for that. But I will show you what it feels like to lose everything. Piece by piece.”

She leaned in closer, her breath hot against my ear. “How long do you think Callan can handle watching you fall apart?”

I flinched instinctively, but there was nowhere to go. Fear coursed through me, but I forced it down. Don’t give her the satisfaction .

Before she could say anything else, the door burst open. Leo rushed in, his face pale, urgency in his voice. “Sarah, we’ve got a problem. They’re on the way. Callan and a team. We need to move— now .”

Sarah froze, glaring at him. “What do you mean, they’re on the way?”

“They were onto me. They traced your call. They’ll be here any minute,” Leo said quickly, his gaze flicking toward me for a split second before turning back to her.

Then, faint but unmistakable, the sound of a helicopter whirled in the distance, growing louder by the second.

Sarah’s body tensed. “Shit,” she hissed. She spun around, yanking me up by the arm. I winced as she pressed the cold blade to my throat, her breath coming faster now.

“Leo, go!” she snapped, her voice shaking, her angry tone now laced with fear. “Get out there and distract them! Buy me some fucking time!”

Leo hesitated, his eyes darting between me and Sarah. For a brief moment, it seemed like he was going to refuse, but then he nodded and turned toward the door, his steps quick.

Sarah’s grip tightened around me as she dragged me toward the back of the warehouse, the knife still dangerously close to my throat. “We’re leaving, princess. Don’t even think about trying to run.”

She dragged me toward the back of the warehouse, her grip painfully tight, the knife still hovering near my throat. My pulse raced, my mind scrambling for a way out. The helicopter was getting closer. This is my chance.

With a surge of adrenaline, I jerked my head back, slamming it into Sarah’s face. I heard a satisfying yelp as she fumbled backward, momentarily losing her grip on me.

Without thinking, I bolted, my legs shaky but desperate to put as much distance between us as possible. But I only made it a few steps before I felt a sharp tug at my ankle. Sarah had regained her footing and tripped me, sending me crashing to the cold, hard floor.

I gasped as the wind was knocked out of me, my wrists still bound, leaving me defenseless as I struggled to get up. Before I could move, Sarah was on me again, her face twisted in fury.

“Nice try,” she spat, grabbing me by the arm and yanking me back to my feet, the blade now pressed even closer to my throat. “You’re not getting away that easily.”

Before she could drag me any farther, the door burst open again. Leo stormed in, his face white and eyes wild. His chest heaved as he glanced between me and Sarah, the tension unbearable.

“I give up,” Leo blurted out, his voice shaky but resolute. “I’m done with this. I’m going out, hands up.” His eyes darted toward the sound of the helicopter, now deafening as it prepared to land just outside the warehouse.

I couldn’t see Sarah’s face, but I felt her body tense behind me, the blade pressing harder against my throat. “What the fuck are you talking about, Leo?” she spat, her voice sharp with panic. “We had a plan!”

He shook his head, his expression grim. “It’s over, Sarah. They’re here. I’m not going down for this.” His hands raised slowly in surrender. “I’m walking out, and you should, too.”

Sarah’s grip on me tightened, her panic barely concealed. The blade pressed harder against my skin, but her confidence wavered. “You fucking coward. You owe me!” she spat.

He took a slow step back toward the door, his hands still raised. “I’m not dying for this. I’m going out there. You do what you want, but I’m done.”

I could feel Sarah’s indecision, her body rigid behind me, her breathing uneven. She didn’t move, but I could tell she was torn, her plan unraveling as the helicopter outside drew closer.

Leo stepped out of the warehouse door, leaving it wide open. The sound of the helicopter hit me, the wind whipping through the large space. Through the open doorway, I saw the helicopters that had just landed outside, their lights cutting through the dust and darkness.

Leo dropped to his knees on the gravel, hands raised in surrender, his figure small against the chaos unfolding around him.

And then I saw him.

Callan was the first to retreat from the helicopter, his eyes scanning the scene, his body tense with determination. For a split second, my heart leapt at the sight of him—he was here. He’d come for me. But the sharp edge of the knife pressed harder against my neck, pulling me back into the terrifying reality.

“Don’t think he’s going to save you,” Sarah hissed behind me, her voice shaking with desperation. “One wrong move, and I’ll make sure he watches you bleed.”

Callan’s eyes locked on mine as he moved closer, his face tight with desperation. But the pressure of the blade at my neck grew more intense as Sarah’s grip tightened. Her breath was ragged behind me, her body vibrating with anger.

“Stop right there, Callan,” she spat, dragging me backward, the knife pressing harder against my skin. “You take one more step, and I’ll make sure you regret it for the rest of your life.”

Callan froze, his hands raised in surrender. “Sarah, you don’t have to do this. It’s over—just let her go.”

She laughed bitterly, the sound hollow. “Over? Not yet.” The blade dug into my skin, just enough to draw blood. I felt the warm blood trickle down my neck and gasped, but I fought to keep still. The terror in Callan’s eyes only seemed to fuel her.

“You think you can just walk away from me after everything?” she shouted, her voice shaking with rage. “I’m going to make sure you feel the same helplessness I did.”

And then, with a sudden, violent motion, she plunged the blade deep into my side.

The pain was instant and overwhelming. I screamed, my legs buckling as my vision blurred. I could hear Callan’s agonized shout, but it felt distant, muffled by the searing heat spreading through my body.

Callan surged forward, but Sarah yanked the knife out before I collapsed to the ground, blood soaking through my clothes. “Now you can watch her bleed,” she hissed.

Before she could do more, the agents rushed in, tackling her to the ground as the knife clattered from her hand. She struggled beneath them, but the fight was gone from her. The damage had already been done.

Callan was at my side in an instant, his hands trembling as he pressed them over the wound, trying desperately to stop the bleeding. His face was a mask of terror, his eyes wide with fear, and seeing him like that—so broken—made my heart ache more than the pain itself. “Sloane, stay with me, baby,” he begged, his voice cracking under the weight of his panic. “Please, you’re gonna be alright, baby. You’re gonna be okay.”

I wanted to reach out to him, to tell him how much I loved him, how I’d loved him since the moment I realized what he meant to me. But the words wouldn’t come. His voice grew more frantic, his grip on me tightening. “Sloane? Sloane, baby, open your eyes! Please…please don’t fucking leave me.”

I tried to hold on to the sound of his voice, to focus on the warmth of his hands against my skin. But the edges of my vision blurred, the world around me dimming. I love you , I thought. I love you more than anything.

Everything was slipping away now, slowly and quietly. And then there was nothing.