“Housekeeping,” the voice repeated.
She gave an annoyed sigh and glowered at the ceiling. It was nighttime. Why would there be someone knocking on her door at this hour? Maybe they did things differently in England. To be honest, she didn’t care; she just wanted to be left alone to wallow in her misery. She might as well let the bothersome maid in, and maybe she would leave.
Swinging her feet out from under the blankets, she rolled lazily out of bed. The pillow fell off the bed, and she stared at it for a moment.
Let the maid earn her salary. She can pick it up.
Shaking her head at the laziness of such an action, she nevertheless walked to the door, leaving the pillow where it lay. Not pausing to look at the maddening maid, she unlocked the bolt, turned the knob, and swung it open.
“Come in.” She stomped back to the bed in a huff. Her hands were braced on the bed to climb in when the maid spoke.
“Thank you, Sabrina. You made it even easier than I thought it would be.”
She froze in horror, and a chill ran down her spine. She knew the voice behind her all too well—and she didn’t want to hear it when alone in a hotel room.
And she’d just invited her in.
Idiot.
“Surprised, I see? Well, I don’t know why. You didn’t actually think your pathetic plan to leave Isaac would save you, or him, did you?”
She growled in a paltry imitation of Isaac and stepped toward Louisa. “You leave him alone! He’s done nothing to you. He never did anything to deserve what you did to him. He was innocent in all this. He still is.”
Louisa laughed, lounging comfortably against the closed door. She looked so calm, so relaxed. So normal. But looks were deceiving more often than not, and Louisa couldn’t be farther from normal. She’d come with one purpose and one purpose only: to kill her.
It chilled her.
“Oh, Sabrina. You’re so funny. It will truly pain me to hurt you.” She grabbed her heart, a pained expression on her face.
Sabrina stiffened. “How about you don’t? I’m leaving. Elijah’s staying. Even Isaac is staying. Why do you feel the need to do this?”
Her mind raced as she attempted to stall her enemy. She knew Louisa to be a formidable opponent, impossible to beat. But, she wouldn’t let the bitch kill her while she begged for her life.
Hell no.
She’d done this to herself. Stupidly, she now knew, she’d flown the relative safety of her home and ran straight into the waiting arms of her enemy.
Now, she’d die.
“They won’t let you leave, you know. You’re stupid to even think your plan would have worked. Isaac won’t stand by while you leave him. Neither will Elijah. Even if he can’t have you, he won’t let you leave. You’re his one and only love. It’s disgusting.” She glared at Sabrina in spite and continued. “I don’t know what it is you do to cause this unwavering devotion. You must be incredible between the sheets. You certainly aren’t much to look at.”
Fury overcame her, and she forgot her fear. She glared and spat, “Go to hell.”
Louisa laughed. “Maybe someday, but first I will personally see you get there.”
The small talk obviously over, Louisa stalked toward her. Sabrina forced herself to cower until she reached the foot of the bed. Sabrina knocked the lamp off the bedside table, plunging the room into darkness. She launched herself over the bed to land on the other side. She ran for the door as fast as she could, and felt the cool brass knob under her hand before Louisa threw her backward through the air. Painfully, her head slammed on the floor and the wind whooshed out of her lungs, leaving her gasping for air. She attempted to roll to her feet, but the heel pressing down on her throat halted her.
Louisa smirked down at her. “Nice try, Sabrina. Impressive, even. You’ll be so much more fun than that weakling Amelia. I bet you won’t even faint from the pain.” She spoke with a far-off look on her face, as if she thought of the torture to come.
Sabrina clawed at Louisa’s foot, desperately trying to free herself. The world turned black, and still she fought until her hands fell to the floor beside her head, and she fought no more.
Chapter Twenty
Louisa picked up her useless bundle and snuck back outside. Once there, she didn’t pause until she’d reached the clearing. And when she and her unconscious guest arrived, there had been no time to waste in setting the scene.
A glance up poured rain down on Louisa’s raised face. The clouds covered the sky so densely that not even the moonlight could be seen. The only light illuminating the forest surrounding them were the intermittent flashes from lightning strikes. The resulting effect was gloomy and shattering. Sabrina watched her as she approached and crouched down beside her.
Louisa laughed, mocking her. “This is too much fun, Sabrina. I can’t wait for the show.”
Sabrina locked her jaw and refused to look at her. It hurt like hell to talk through her bruised throat, and she didn’t feel the desire to amuse Louisa. Stuck on the ground like a sacrificial animal waiting to be slaughtered, she knew she would soon die. She only wished she didn’t have to break Isaac’s heart in the process. Losing her would kill him.
Louisa hissed and slapped her. “Look at me.”
Though her cheek stung from the force of the blow, she still refused to look at Louisa. She stared into the moonless sky, allowing Isaac’s storm to wash over her. It gave an odd source of comfort, as if he were there by her side, holding her hand.
The excruciating pain in Sabrina’s legs cleared her head, leaving her unwillingly aware of every detail. When they had arrived in the clearing, the storm raging above knocked down a nearby tree. Unfortunately for Sabrina, it had given Louisa the wonderful idea to put the tree on top of Sabrina—better drama, she had said. Sabrina had fought, to no avail. It seemed impossible to win against Louisa’s inhuman strength.
Not a big tree by any means, it still proved heavy enough to effectively render her motionless. So, she’d gotten pinned down to helplessly await her death as her tormentor mocked her. But she’d be damned if she gave her the satisfaction of seeing her cower in fear. Even if it did paralyze her with its force.
Apparently Louisa had suffered enough of Sabrina’s silence, for she cursed and in a fit of anger, reached forward to grab her arm threateningly. Sabrina tensed, but managed to glower in stubborn silence. Louisa flicked her wrist, and a snapping sound met Sabrina’s ears. Pain shot up her arm, from her wrist to her shoulder, and she felt the arm drop, useless. Sabrina flexed a finger, testing it, and clamped her jaw tight to stop herself from crying out from the pain.