The CEO's Heiress

The Escape

When I woke, the room was dark, and my head was killing me. My nose and throat still hurt from whatever chemical I had just breathed into my lungs. I grunted softly and attempted to relieve the pain in my arms, but they were restrained behind me. Maybe it was the sudden adrenaline of realizing I was tied up, or the fact that the drugs were out of my system, but I was fully aware of my dire position now. It was dark because I was blindfolded, and my hands were tied behind me. My skin was biting into a hard chair made of a kind of metal or wood and that was why I hurt. Fist instinct told me to tug, but my father had always warned me that if I was kidnapped never to alert my kidnappers to my presence. So, instead, I had to rely on the other senses around me to get an idea of where I was at, and if I was alone enough to try and twist my hands free of the ropes. I slowed my breathing, clamming my heart, which wasn't easy, and listened carefully.

There were muffled voices on the other side of the door, so it wasn't a metal room. That was good. It meant I wasn't in a factory or some kind of steel building. I was in a house or apartment. No one was in the room that I could tell, and if they were, they were stealthy ninjas. I took in a deep breath through my nose, not that I could have through my mouth if I wanted to. The gag was tightly secured in place, keeping me from being able to do much past swallowing. The room smelt like mildew and bleach. Like someone had tried to clean it up before they put someone in here. Or maybe clean up from whoever was here before.

I tried to think about what had happened before this. I could visualize the garage outside the mall that Natalie and I had come out of. She had been showing off the new her when Marcus' voice had come out of nowhere. When I turned, he had been there, and when I tried to run someone had grabbed me. Nat had been on the phone, with Cassius maybe? It was a blur and I had passed out, but not the whole ride. I remember being taken out of the car and fighting a little bit to get free before more chemicals knocked me out. The threat from Marcus ran through my mind from our wedding day. He had sworn that he would kill me if I didn't marry him. This was him acting on that promise. If I died, my dad would have to pick a new heir, and he could influence a grieving father to give it to him and Madison. Like hell was I going to let him succeed. I gave a test on the ropes. Yes, these were Marcus' knots. It was a good thing I had spent years learning how to get out of them if he ever killed over while we were having s*x. He wasn't good at b**m and that was a good thing...for me.

"Look who's awake." An unfamiliar voice spoke up as the door opened. The presence of two men filled the room, and panic ran through me. Was he really going to kill me with an unfair advantage? That was just uncouth. I began working on the knots, but I needed time and to do it very subtly. I stopped when I felt someone standing over me. The blindfold came off first, then the gag. I smacked my very dry mouth and pulled away from the hand reaching for my face. "Damn, it seems such a waste to destroy such beauty. Are you sure you want her disposed of?"

"Have your way with her, by all means, but I need her to be gone before Madison and I get married. If I want her father to do what I ask, he can't have his precious Elena around to stop him from making me the new head of Edgington HQ." Marcus' lips turned up into a sadistic smirk and I looked up at him through my brows. He leaned down and grabbed my face. I tried to pull away, but he held my chin and snarled. "You should have listened to me, you might have lived if you had just done what I asked like a good little slut."

"f**k you!" I would have spit at him, but there was nothing to spit. The driness in my mouth even made that insult sound timid. He snarled again and let me go. The two men moved away to talk and I got to work. This was one of his easier knots. Obviously, he had never paid attention when I had gotten out of the knots before, when he would leave me tied up in his bed for fun. Maybe he thought a servant had done it for me, but that was going to be his mistake. They were distracted enough that I was able to get the ropes off and wrap the rope around one of my hands. When I made my move, it would be easy to access.

"You get paid after you finish the job," Marcus said, shaking hands with the tall, handsome man I didn't know. The man reluctantly let him go and turned to me. I didn't need to pretend to feel fear. It was creeping up my back.

"Whatever he is paying you, I will pay you double. My fiancé can pay you triple. Just let me go..." I trembled as he neared me, admiring my body. He paused to think about that, then knelt down in front of me.

"Will your fiancé still pay me after I have my way with you?" I swallowed hard and shook my head. I didn't take Cassius as the sharing kind. I shivered and cringed as he ran his hands up the back of my calves. "Then I guess your deal means nothing to me. Don't worry, I will make this last night one you will never forget..."

"Please," My lip quivered, and when he looked up wanting me to finish my words, I twisted my lips into a snarl. "Don't touch what isn't yours." He hadn't been expecting the kick between his thighs. He doubled over in pain and I made my move. He was twice my weight, at least, but I had done some self-defense training. I just substatuded my hands around his neck for the rope. There were gags and choking sounds as I tightened the rope around my hands to tighten it around his neck. He clawed at his throat with one and at me with another, until his body went limp. I let go when he fell, reached over to check his pulse. I wasn't a killer, and then stood up with my weapon. I did, however, liberate the man of the gun on his hip. I check for the safety and then the how many bullets I had. I had no idea what I was stepping into.

There was sudden chaos outside the door and I c****d the gun, running for it. My "murder" was still passed out on the floor when I looked back. Taking the moment, I ripped open the door and aimed in case someone was standing there. It was empty. The chaos was much louder now, men yelling and lots of fighting sounds. I ran towards it hoping it would lead me to the way out, and provide a decent enough distraction, so I could slip away before Marcus noticed.

"Where is she, Marcus?" I halted on the stairs as Cassius' voice reached me. He had Marcus on the stairs, his men pinning other men on the ground. Marcus was a bloody mess and was begging for his uncle's mercy. "So help me, if you hurt her..."

"My pride, maybe." I spoke, dropping the gun to my side and finishing my decent. Both Cassius and Marcus looked up at me, shocked. Marcus to see me alive, and Cassius to see that I had gotten away unscathed. "The man he hired to kill me, well he might have a crushed windpipe." I dropped the rope on Marcus' chest and smiled. "I have spent years getting out of your knots, Marcus. Next time you kidnap someone you dated, maybe have the murder tie them up. You're just not that good at it."

"You're okay?" Cassius left Marcus, grabbing onto me and scanning over my body. I pulled away and handed him the gun in my hand.

"Very much so. It was a very shitty attempt by your nephew to kill me, so he can take over my company. Piece of advice, darling, don't try to outsmart a viper. She is always one step ahead of you, and knows precisely when to strike. I am being nice by not calling the police. It makes me regret it, and I will make sure your whole operation suffers." I smiled at him, pulled away from Cassius completely and sauntered out of the house. I recognized it. The one Marcus had brought me to when he was "conducting business for the company." When I was madly in love with him, I had ignored the fact that his "business" meant dealing drugs and illegal weapons. He didn't need the Yearling money because he was a yearling. No, it was because if he didn't have a litigate company to back him up...well, he might get caught. He might get caught anyway. I had a very long revenge plan.

"You keep surprising me, Ms. Edgington," Cassius said once he got into the car beside me. His driver was eagerly waiting for his instructions. Before he could speak again, I straddled him, kissing him deeply. He was only shocked for a few seconds before his hands were grabbing onto my grinding hips, and he was growling into the kiss, deepening it. His driver cleared his throat a few seconds into our make-out session, and I pulled away, dropping back into my seat wiping my face. Cassius, a panting mess beside me, looked at the driver with daggers. "Take us to the house, now."

"I need to get my car." I said with a smirk, he growled low, and leaned over to whisper into my ear.

"I will send someone for it, we are going home." I smiled wide and turned my face, so our lips were millimeters apart.

"Whatever you say, sir. I certainly hope you're better at knots than your nephew." Cassius' eyes darkened, and he banged on the seat in front of us. The drive sped off, and I fell into my seat feeling a mix of excitement and turned on. Apparently, danger was in fact an excellent aphrodisac.