Total pages in book: 28
Estimated words: 26820 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 134(@200wpm)___ 107(@250wpm)___ 89(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 26820 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 134(@200wpm)___ 107(@250wpm)___ 89(@300wpm)
“Shut up.” More banging and metal groaning.
The doors crack open a slither, then fingers poke through, pushing it wider. My heart soars.
Lily.
CHAPTER
SIXTEEN
Lily
“Kelly isn’t working at Bare Flesh,” Rylie announces as the elevator descends. “She’s a manipulator and a thief.”
“Know her well?” I ask, my eyes roaming over his face.
The muscles in his jaw twitch, and he clasps his hands in front of him. “If she’s ghosted Leo, it’s because she found another idiot to take her in.”
“You sound bitter.”
“Bitter would mean I give a shit. I don’t.”
“Who are you trying to convince?” I scoff as the doors ping. He shoves me forward, and I snap, “Don’t push me asshole.”
“What are you going to do—hit me with your purse?”
“I don’t have a purse, but I have fists and teeth.”
“Are you trying to scare me or turn me on?”
We round a corner, and my mouth drops. Various platforms border a club floor, sex acts being performed by couples and groups on them. Booths surround the stages with raised backs for privacy. A circular bar sits in the center. All the bartenders are fully naked, barring a small black mask over their eyes. Rylie leans in and murmurs into my ear, “No one is forced to perform down here. They beg to.”
A soft pulse vibrates the floor and sets my blood bubbling. “Come on.”
He tugs me toward a door, stopping abruptly when an alarm blasts over the music. “What’s going on?” I ask, looking around.
“Fire.” He frowns, clutching my arm. He drags me back the way we came to the elevator and forces me inside with him. Hitting the button, the doors close. We start to ascend, only to stall as the elevator jolts to a stop.
“What the fuck?” I hate small, enclosed spaces. Panic flares inside me.
“The sprinkler system must have been activated.” He bashes the buttons, growling when nothing happens.
“If the sprinklers went off, that means it’s a real fire, right?”
Zane.
Looking around the small square tin, he nods to the ceiling. “There’s a latch. I’ll lift you.”
“And then what?”
“See how far we are from the doors.”
“If this starts up again and I get squashed, I’m coming back to fucking haunt you.”
He attempts to wrap his arms around my thighs, and I smack him away. “Use your hands to make a step. No grabbing the goods.”
“Get over yourself. I prefer more meat on the bone.”
“Fuck you. I worked hard for the meat I have.”
Interlocking his fingers, he holds them out for me. I kick off my heels and grab his shoulders, stepping into his hands with one foot, knowing he’s getting a view straight up my dress when he boosts me up.
He lifts me with ease, and I fiddle with the lock, pushing the latch open. I hoist my body through the small gap. Thick metal cables surround me, keeping the elevator suspended. The shaft is just concrete blocks and cables. A fire shouldn’t spread in here. The metal doors are right in front of me, and I hear voices on the other side.
“What do you see?” Rylie calls up.
“They’re right here,” I shout back, attempting to pry the doors open. I smack my palm against them when they don’t budge.
“I can’t open them.” I hold my hands out, looking down the gap to where Rylie stands.
“I’m not fitting through that.” He frowns. “I’ll give you something to help you open them, but you have to promise you’ll tell someone I’m down here.”
“What do you have?” I look over the black suit he’s wearing. There’s no way he’s hiding something on him.
“You better not fuck me over.” Gritting his teeth, he turns and opens a panel under the buttons on the elevator wall. There’s a fire extinguisher and a small axe. “Promise me you’ll get help,” he demands.
“Promise.” My tone is solid, believable. He holds up the hatchet, and I lean into the hole to grip it. Snatching my wrist, he almost tugs me back inside. “Rylie,” I warn, my breathing ragged. I attempt to steady myself with my free hand, but he’s strong.
“I have a family. Don’t leave me here if this place is on fire.”
“I won’t.”
He releases me, and I shove away from the hole, getting to my feet. Taking a couple calming breaths, I adjust my grip on the hatchet and jam the blade into the crease of the doors, pushing all my weight into the handle. Metal creaks and groans, and suddenly, the doors give way. “It’s working.” Relief pours into my veins.
“Keep going.”
I throw more of my weight into the handle, and it wedges open enough for me to get my hands through. Placing the hatchet down, I pry with my hands, forcing the space to become big enough for me to fit through. Picking the weapon back up, I squeeze through the doors.
“Lily.” Zane’s relieved voice coats me in a cloak of joy. He’s soaking wet, his tee clinging to him, showing his toned physique beneath.