Chapter 27 Avery

• We climb the stairs, our footfalls the only sound in the narrow passageway. The lower levels contain storage, a wine cellar, along with a gym, sauna, and pool. A ring echoes through the hall, coming from the main door. We round the top of the curved steps, Hayden holding on to me, terrified I’ll run if I get near the exit. He isn’t wrong. I’ll bolt the second I get the chance.
• He answers, leaving me in the shadows, the delivery man unable to see me from his vantage point. Damn him for seeing all of my plays ahead of time.
• He pays for our food, offering me the bathroom with a nod, but I decline. I’d rather soil myself than ever leave him alone with my food or drink again. I’ll wait until after dinner to excuse myself. It’s another stall tactic to stay alive until I can escape or call for help. He hasn’t found the letter opener, his hands occupied with other parts of me, and I have to keep it that way.