“I didn’t kill her,” he spits. “I didn’t pull that trigger. She wouldn’t have even been there when that shit was going down if you hadn’t turned her against me and made her think she could have a life outside what I gave her. That was on you.”
“She could have! She could have had a life.” I struggle forward, but I’m brought up short by the ropes around my wrists, limiting my range of motion. “She could have been happy if it wasn’t for you ruining her life the way you did. You fucked with her head and made her feel small and afraid, and then you got her killed. That’s not how an Alpha is supposed to act with their Omega. She didn’t need me to turn her against you. She didn’t need any help seeing what a piece of shit you are for herself.”
Geoffrey shakes his head. “Who the fuck do you think you are to lecture me? Neither of you were worth the trouble. Useless Omega bitches. You had to stick your nose where it doesn’t belong, and you stole what belongs to me. Someone needs to teach you a fucking lesson about keeping to yourself.”
I just glare at him, biting my tongue. I don’t want to know what kind of lesson he has in mind. As angry as I am to hear him talking about Jade like that, and talking about Cora like she’s property, there’s still the gallop of fear in my chest. Because he has a knife and all the power here. I’m tied up and I have no idea where we are or even if anyone is going to come for me.
The guys must have gotten home and seen the state of the house. They must have found Cora and realized what happened. But…
I try not to spiral.
Geoffrey is too busy with his grievances to notice either way. “Do you want to know how I found you?” he asks, leaning forward.
I lean back instinctively and don’t respond.
“Oh, don’t clam up now,” he sneers. “You had so much to say just a second ago. You never did know when to shut the fuck up, so don’t act like you’ve learned now. How did I find you?”
I shake my head quickly. “I don’t know.”
“I spoke to some people who know you. Julius, and your old pack.”
My stomach twists at that. “What?”
Geoffrey smirks, pleasure blooming in his eyes at finally rattling me. “Oh, you weren’t expecting that, were you? Why? Did you think they’d have some kind of loyalty to you, after you left them?”
Of course not. I just didn’t think they’d stoop so fucking low. It’s a betrayal, ugly and cruel, but I don’t know why I’m surprised.
“That’s why Julius reached out to you,” Geoffrey continues. “It wasn’t because he missed you or wanted to try again or whatever bullshit he fed you when you talked. He reached out because I told him to. Because I paid him and his pack more money than they could say no to, and they were only too happy to throw you under the bus.” He smirks. “You seem to have a habit of pissing people off, Harper. Makes it easy to find people who will help me with this.”
He’s taking pleasure in this, so I try not to let him see how it affects me. I clench my hands in the ropes, and swallow hard, keeping my eyes down on the dusty floor.
Geoffrey gets up and starts pacing, walking the length of the cabin and then back again. He looks at me, and I can feel his eyes trying to burn a hole into the side of my head with their intensity.
“You have a choice,” he finally says. “If you tell me what I want to know, this doesn’t have to go bad for you. You can walk away from this and go back to that shithole town.”
“I’m not telling you anything,” I mutter.
“You will,” he says. “Because eventually, everyone talks. I’ve been playing this game a lot longer than you have. You won’t be the first, the tenth, or even the fiftieth person I’ve broken. So make it easy on yourself and tell me where she is.”
“Who?”
“Cora!” He looms over me, breathing hard. “She is mine, and you stole her from me. Where the fuck is she?”
I’m feeling too many things at once, and it’s hard to focus on an emotion. There’s anger that all of this happened, that Julius and the others would stoop so low. There’s fear, for myself, for Cora. There’s a tiny piece of hope in there, that the men might figure out somehow where I am and come save me before this gets worse.
But above all of that, there’s determination. Because the only thing that matters is keeping Cora out of this fucker’s grasp. No matter what happens to me, he can’t get to her.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I tell him, lifting my chin to meet his gaze.
“The hell you don’t, bitch. I don’t think you understand the position you’re in right now. You are alone. No one knows where the fuck you are. And even if they did, I can do damage you’ll never recover from before they get here to rescue you. So I’d be real fucking careful with what you say to me next.”
He’s right. He’s right, and it chills me to my core, but it’s not enough to make me give in.
“I don’t have her,” I lie. “I never had Cora.”
“Then who does? Where did she go?”
“Maybe one of your enemies took her. Did you think of that? I bet you’ve pissed off a lot of people in your time. Seeing as the bullet that killed my sister was meant for you.”