Page 49 of The Devil of Hollywood

I had to run.

Noooooo….

I couldn’t run.

I had to stay.

I had to hide.

“Marian. Shhh, Marian. Calm down, it’s me. Marian.”

I pushed back against the chest of the man who held me. My legs were kicking despite the pain, and nothing was registering as I was trying to put as much distance between us as I could.

“D-Don’t hurt me. Don’t hurt me.”

Green eyes rounded with emotion and lips parted.

“Marian, look at me. See me.”

“Don’t hurt me!”

“Marian.”

I was juggled, but the man didn’t drop me. I blinked hard, looking around the open room, not sure what was happening. Were they bringing in more guards? More men?

As I spotted the uniform, I clawed at the man who had me. Where I’d been so quick to escape him seconds ago, I was now trying to move inside his jacket. Inside of him, if I could. He was in a suit. He wasn’t in a uniform. Safe? Was he safe?

“Marian. Marian.”

The angry, loud tone froze me as still as a statue. My eyes rose and connected with green again and… time stopped. I fell into their depths, and I broke. My shattered pieces grew smaller, crumbling until they were nothing but dust. Was I dead? Had I died?

“D-Drayton?”

“That’s it.” He let out a deep breath, pulling me into his chest to hug around me. “I got you. Calm. You’re going to be okay.”

My head shook, and I looked around the room again. Guards. They were still here. And I wasn’t in my cell. My gaze stopped on a large chair. A throne. Two thrones. Bad man. Penny. Penny. And she was crying. She was crying so hard. But… I turned back to Drayton. So many questions came, but none I could formulate. I couldn’t begin to figure them out. I’d been taken… but he was here? How was he here? This couldn’t be real.

My eyes traveled to the figure next to him. To a man I hadn’t seen in a decade. Elec. Elec. … He worked with my mother. He’d… killed my mother. The Unavowed had said so. Elec ran a place like this. He… And Drayton… were here? Drayton… knew?

“W-water?”

It was the only thing that would come. It was all I could manage. I couldn’t think over details when I was dying. I’d gotten water… at some point. They’d thrown it in my face first, but they left a cup that was halfway full. I didn’t want to think about what else was in it. I couldn’t do that right now.

“I’ll get it.”

Elec walked off, and I moved my gaze back up to Drayton. Back up to a man I didn’t quite recognize. I knew him, but the acknowledgement was so far away.

“How bad is it? How hurt are you?” Drayton’s tone was cold. Hard. Nothing like it had been on the phone the last time we’d spoken. Wait… Did that even happen?

“Bad.”

“Do you think anything is broken?”

My lids closed as I shifted in his arms.

“I… don’t know. I… don’t—Just me.”

The last was so breathless and meant only for me. This wasn’t real. I wasn’t here.