Chapter 155

Hannah

“Hello, Hannah. I see you’re already dressed for a swim.”

I didn’t even have a chance to be scared about that statement; I could only stare at Jake in disbelief, my mind reeling from his sudden appearance. This wasn’t the Jake that I knew. Yes, he was a cheater and a liar, but a kidnapper? And a… murderer?

No, this had to be some kind of bizarre nightmare. Maybe I was still back in the hot tub, dozing off and having strange dreams from the heat.

But even then, in my heart, I knew that wasn’t true. If this was indeed a nightmare, then why hadn’t I woken up yet?

“What’s going on, Jake?” I asked, trying to keep my voice steady despite the fear coursing through me and the throbbing pain in my body from being attacked. “Why are you here?”

Jake sneered, his once-friendly face now twisted with malice. “Oh, Hannah. Always so curious, aren’t you? Well, I suppose you deserve to know the truth now. After all, you seem to have worked so hard to uncover it.”

He began to pace in front of me, his eyes never leaving mine. “You see, I’ve always known I was gay,” he began. “I never had any interest in women, least of all Amber.” He shuddered a bit just at the mention of her name, and I felt my blood begin to boil. Even now, on the edge of a cliff with a waterfall raging below me, the thought of someone speaking poorly about my friend filled me with fury.

“But that airhead…” He shook his head and clicked his tongue. “She bought my act for four years. Hook, line, and sinker.”

“But… why?” I asked, struggling to comprehend whatever madness this was. “Why pretend for so long? Why propose to her if you didn’t love her?”

Jake laughed, a cold, humorless sound that sent chills down my spine. “Money, of course. Amber’s family fortune, to be precise.”

So that was what this was about in the end: her enormous family fortune. I should have known it from the beginning.

“The plan was simple,” he continued, counting on his fingers. “I just had to seduce her, marry her, then convince her to sign over a sizable chunk of money before I divorced her. That was it.”

I felt sick to my stomach. “But how could you do that to her? She loved you! She trusted you!” I growled.

“Oh, please,” Jake scoffed, rolling his eyes and waving a dismissive hand. “No one would have gotten hurt. Amber has more money than she knows what to do with. She would still be comfortable even after I took my hefty share.”

“But that’s not the point,” I argued. “You lied to her, manipulated her... She was planning to spend her life with you, you bastard!”

At the sound of my rising voice, one of the armed men stepped forward and swiftly raised the butt of his gun. A jolt of pain lanced through me as he whacked me squarely on the back with it, causing me to double over and let out a strained grunt. Thankfully, my hands were tied in front of me, so I was able to catch myself—but just barely.

Jake sighed. “No need for that, Joseph,” he said, shaking his head. “Help her back up. I’m not finished with my evil villain speech.”

With a huff, the man—Joseph—grabbed my arm and righted me. I bared my fangs at him, but it did nothing. Finally, I sank back onto my heels and blew a strand of hair out of my eyes.

“I just don’t understand how you could do something like that to Amber,” I growled. “If you needed money, you know she would have helped you. She’s a sweet person who takes care of her friends. Why go straight for the cruel route rather than just… befriending her?”

“Befriend her? Please.” Jake scoffed and placed his hands on his hips. “I can’t stand that insipid little bitch. All she wants to do is go shopping and get her nails done. Do you know how many nights I had to sit up with her, pleasuring her with toys just to make her happy?”

I grimaced at the thought, but said nothing.

Jake’s eyes flashed dangerously as he continued. “I was so close, too. Just a month until the wedding. And it would have worked perfectly if you hadn’t stuck your nose where it didn’t belong. You and your little schemes to figure me out. And now Amber has dumped me, and I’m left with nothing.”

“That’s your own damn fault,” I hissed.

This time, Jake was the one who hit me—right in the side of my face. I saw a flash of light and felt a burning sensation on my cheek, followed by the feeling of the hard rocks beneath me as I fell to the side. Then, just as quickly, I was righted again by Joseph’s callused hands.

“Hit me all you want,” I said, spitting out a wad of blood and saliva, “but you know it’s the truth.”

Jake growled menacingly. In a strange sort of way, I almost hoped he would just kill me now and be done with it. I had died once before; I could do it again. Maybe this was the real reason why the Moon Goddess had brought me back: to give me the chance to save my friend. If I would die again for that, then so be it.

But he didn’t kill me. Instead, he crouched in front of me, his hand coming up to touch my chin. I recoiled, but didn’t have anywhere to go, so I let him turn my head to look at him.

“What do you want from me?” I whispered.

Jake’s lips curved into a cruel smile. “If I can’t get Amber’s money,” he whispered, “then I’ll just have to take yours.”

My mind scrambled to understand the implications. Then, it hit me: “A ransom,” I muttered.

“Smart girl.” Jake rose and dusted himself off.

“You won’t get it,” I said, swallowing. “No one would…”

“Oh, don’t be so miserable,” Jake cut me off. “As if your precious husband wouldn’t give everything he owns to get you back.”

I raised a disbelieving eyebrow at him, and he chuckled. “Amber told me everything about you two, you know. She told me everything about, well… Everything. That idiot still loves you. Of course he’ll pay whatever necessary.”

I didn’t know what to say. I wanted to believe him, but at the same time, I just… couldn’t bring myself to believe that Noah would pay a ransom for me. Maybe if I were Zoe instead…

But at the same time, a bigger part of me knew that I had to try. If not for myself, then for my baby.

“Very well,” I said, leaning back on my heels again. “You can try to get Noah’s money. Just let me go home whenever you get what you want.”

Jake’s laughter echoed off the rocks around us. “Oh, Hannah. You’re not going home. Did you really think it would be that easy?”

The finality in his voice made my blood run cold, but before I could ask what he meant, he continued. “I can’t risk you coming after me. So, you’ll take a little swim over this waterfall the moment Noah wires that money to me.”

“By the time your body washes up somewhere far downstream…” Jake took another step forward and lowered himself to me again, and this time, his voice was even more menacing than ever. “...I’ll be long gone.”

It was at that moment that the finality of the situation finally hit me. My blood ran cold, my chest tightening until I was certain my heart would explode.

But before I could even begin to process it, Jake was taking a burner phone from one of his cohorts and dialing a number. “You’re going to follow our script,” he said as another one of his goons pulled out an index card and held it up in front of me.

He crouched in front of me and held the phone out, pressing it to my ear. I could hear it ringing already.

“And if you stray from our script,” he whispered, “then your friends back at the cabin will get hurt—not just you.”