Hellbound Heart

Elle had finally arrived at a certain hotel near an airport.

She was being extra careful and had chosen an average hotel instead of going for a high class one, as she knew that most of the luxury hotels all over Dalenn were owned or closely connected to Brandon Haze. Elle also knew there was a high possibility that Haze might have already mobilized all his men to be searching through the airport to spot her. So, she did not dare go straight there even though she badly wanted to leave the country as soon as possible.

An hour ago, Elle had stopped their car midway during their escape and took a cab by herself. Her maid and bodyguard had protested but Elle had told them that she did not trust any cars that were from the palace. She was quite confident that they would have been bugged and a tracker might have also been planted somewhere in the car. That was how insane Brandon Haze was!

So here she was right now, checking herself into an average hotel, pretending to be another tourist that had come to visit the country. She had made sure that no one recognized her. Thankfully, it was easy enough to disguise herself and blend in as their country do have tourists coming in all year round to visit.

Locking the door and fastening to latch to her room, Elle finally took in a deep breath. Her legs gave out and she slid weakly down to the floor. She had been so tensed and scared ever since her maid had come running to her with the news that Haze was coming to get her. All her previous attempts in the past to leave the country had been foiled again and again that she had not realized that she had developed a certain anxiety whenever she attempted it again.

Wherever she goes, she felt as though a sinister eye was following and tracking her every move. Trailing after her and watching her back, just waiting for the right time to pounce on her. She had lost count on how many times she had looked behind her before she entered this room.

Another couple of deep exhales escaped Elle's lips as she looked around the room. It was dim and tidy and quiet. "I am safe now, right?" she asked no one before her gaze fell to the telephone on the side table.

A certain event in the palace flashed in her mind, causing her to immediately fumble in her pocket. She opened a small, folded paper and saw a phone number written on it. Just as she was running out of the palace, Sebastian's uncle, Alexander, had stuffed this piece of paper into her hands. He had told her that this number should be the one she must call if she ever needed help.

As she stared at the number, the doorbell suddenly rang.

Elle almost jumped out of her skin in fright. Her fingers trembled and the piece of paper fluttered to the floor.

When it rang the second time, she pushed herself up from the carpeted floor and forced herself to stand. Convincing herself that it most probably is just the hotel staff.

Hesitantly, Elle peeked out the peephole.

She stumbled back, nearly tumbling over her feet onto the floor. Her throat constricted and dried up. Her breathing was raspy, her skin turned clammy and cold. She could recognize those men in black anywhere, even in her dreams. They were Brandon Haze's goons! How? How could they have found her already? She had not even checked-in to this hotel for an hour!

Elle had left her bag and phone in the car before taking a cab because she did not even trust her own belongings. She did not even trust her servants. She had always thought that the reason all her plans for escape had failed was because they knew all her secrets. She had strongly believed that Haze must have planted a mole and was spying on everything that went on in her phone. Thus, the reason she left them all behind. She only took all the cash she had in her purse with her. There should be no way they could have tracked her! At least not this quickly!

Fear started to consume her entire being. She could feel herself almost hyperventilating. No! She must not! She needed to stay as calm as possible and find a way out for herself quickly. Clenching her fists, she dug her nails into her palms until there were deep and red crescents marking her fair hands. That helped to stabilize her volatile emotions somewhat.

Her eyes desperately combed the room for a weapon. But she did not find anything that could be effective enough for her to use to fight against them.

When the doorbell rang for the third time, Elle's pulse leapt into her throat, as her whole frame shook with fear. She rushed towards the curtain, wishing there was a window where she could probably escape out of.

There was no window that she could open. It was only a wall of glass she knew she could not possibly break.

Her lungs constricted when she heard loud noises at the door. Hope was being ripped out of her and no matter how she tried to hold onto it, the more seconds ticked by, the more she felt like giving up. There was no use. She was done for. She thought she had finally escaped this nightmare when her engagement with Sebastian was finalized. It appeared that she was wrong. That monster was not going to let go of her unscathed.

Just when all hope started to fade, the piece of paper on the floor caught her eyes like a beam of bright light in the murky and thick darkness. It was as though this was her last hope of salvation and she clung to it. Her body moved so fast even before her mind could think and rushed to grabbed it. When she realized it, her fingers were trembling as she dialed the number.

But before the telephone could even ring, she heard the click of the doorknob to her room being turned.

___

A/N: Don't forget to vote for this book with your Golden Tickets guys!

Top 3 in Golden ranking = mini mass release

Top 1 in Golden ranking = mass release