Chapter 213
Chapter 213:
Skye watched, frozen. Liam wasn’t angry about the kidnapping. He wasn’t angry about Arthur. He was angry because Victor had tainted his “property.” He was angry because the scenario in the hotel room had exposed his own pathetic desperation.
“Liam, stop!” Petunia shrieked, crawling toward him. “We did it for you! We wanted you to have her back p>
Liam spun on her. His eyes were wild, glazed with concussion and rage.
He reached down and snatched Victor’s phone from the floor where it had fallen. “You ruined it,” Liam hissed. He dialed a number with shaking fingers. “I’m calling the bank. The Sterling line of credit? The one I guaranteed? It’s gone. I’m freezing everything. You will starve in the street p>
Petunia wailed, collapsing onto the floor. “No! Liam, please! We’re family p>
“I have no family,” Liam spat.
While Liam was distracted with Petunia, Victor saw his chance. He scrambled up, slipping on the wet marble, and bolted for the back door leading to the kitchen and the servants’ exit.
“He’s running!” one of Alistair’s guards shouted.
Liam turned. He didn’t hesitate. He ran after Victor, stumbling but driven by manic energy.
“Let him go,” Skye said, her voice hollow.
Alistair looked at her. “He’ll kill him p>
“Let them eat each other,” Skye said. She swayed, her vision graying at the edges.
Alistair caught her before she fell. He touched her forehead. “You’re burning up. The stress, the ether… Skye, we need to get you to a doctor p>
“I want to see Victor caught,” Skye mumbled, leaning into him.
“My men will track them,” Alistair promised. He lifted her into his arms, carrying her out of the house of horrors. “Right now, you are my priority p>
He placed her in the back of the second SUV, next to where Arthur was being tended to by a medic from Alistair’s team.
“Liam will kill him,” Skye murmured again as her eyes closed.
𝘌n𝗷оу rе𝗮𝖽𝘪𝗻𝗀 𝗅е𝘨аl𝘭y 𝗈ո 𝘣𝘦𝘭n𝗈𝘷𝘦𝘭ѕ.𝗰o𝘮
“Good,” Alistair said darkly, slamming the door.
In the woods behind the manor, the rain was blinding. Victor crashed through the underbrush, sobbing. He could hear Liam behind him—heavy, stumbling footsteps, splashing through the mud.
“There’s nowhere to run, Victor!” Liam’s voice echoed through the trees.
Victor reached the old mill—a decaying brick structure by the river. He scrambled up the rusted fire escape, slipping on the wet metal.
Liam reached the bottom. He looked up. Lightning flashed, illuminating his face. He looked like a demon.
“Climb,” Liam whispered to himself.
He gritted his teeth, sweat mingling with the rain on his face. Every muscle in his body screamed in protest, his broken ribs feeling like knives in his chest. He gripped the ladder with his one good hand and began to pull himself up, his breath coming in ragged, painful gasps.
The hospital room was quiet, a stark contrast to the storm raging outside. The only sound was the rhythmic beeping of the heart monitor attached to Arthur Sterling.
Skye sat in a chair beside the bed. She had been checked over, given fluids, and something to counteract the ether. She was wrapped in a thick blanket, but she still felt cold.