"Are you that eager to see your old friend, baby? When you see him later, don’t get too excited. If seeing him takes a toll on your health, I won’t let him off easily."
He was still smiling, but his words were chilling.
Iris Yates swallowed hard, a flicker of fear in her eyes, and nodded. "I understand."
William Quinn nuzzled her forehead affectionately. "Don’t be afraid of me, baby. I would never do anything to hurt you."
Iris closed her eyes and remained silent.
Satisfied, William carried her down into the basement.
She hadn’t noticed much of a chill out in the garden, but the moment they stepped into the basement, a bone-deep cold washed over her from all directions.
She instinctively shrank back against the chill. It was a purely subconscious reaction, completely forgetting she was currently being carried in William’s arms. To him, her flinching felt like she was nestling closer against his chest.
His eyes brightened as an overwhelming wave of tenderness melted his heart. His baby was relying on him! He tightened his grip, pulling her flush against him.
Iris sensed the sudden shift in the man’s mood. He had grown inexplicably excited, which she found utterly baffling.
Keeping her eyes fixed straight ahead, they soon arrived at the first door. This was as far as she had made it last time. She had called out into the darkness and heard a faint response.
The person had been calling out for Iris. That was how she knew it was someone she recognized.
Now, she watched as the bodyguards opened the heavy door. They were about to step inside, and she would finally discover exactly who was being held captive in this dreadful place.
Yet, for some inexplicable reason, a sliver of dread crept into her heart. She instinctively wanted to retreat. The dark, freezing basement reeked of blood. She barely dared to imagine what kind of horrific torture the prisoner had endured.
Noticing her shrink back again, William chuckled. "Are you scared, baby? If you’re afraid, we don’t have to go in."
"No." Iris took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down. She looked up at him. "Can you put me down? I can walk on my own."
William just shook his head. "I can’t do that. I haven’t seen my baby in days. I’ve missed you so much, I just want to hold you tight every single second."
Iris bit her lower lip. Knowing it was pointless to argue, she dropped the subject and turned her gaze back toward the depths of the dark corridor.
In the dim lighting of the basement, William’s blue eyes took on an eerie, macabre glint. He stared at her, an unsettling excitement dancing in his gaze. He could hardly wait to see the look on her face when she saw that man! How could a pathetic wretch, beaten into a bloody pulp like a dying dog, ever be worthy of his baby?
Just the thought of the two of them walking down the aisle together filled William’s eyes with a murderous, hostile rage. He wanted to kill him.
As William carried her closer step by step, Iris’s heart hammered frantically against her ribs. Soon, he came to a halt outside one of the rooms.
The door was made of thick iron bars, allowing a clear view inside. Before she could even make out who was in there, she saw a figure sprawled on the floor, drenched in blood. The metallic stench of gore was overpowering. She gasped sharply, her eyes widening in sheer disbelief.
She whipped her head around to glare furiously at William. "Why would you do this?!"
Rage boiled over within her, even though she still hadn’t seen the victim’s face. There was just so much blood... Was that person even still alive?
As if in response to her words, the motionless figure sprawled on the ground suddenly let out a heavy, ragged gasp. Slowly, agonizingly, the man raised his head and looked toward the door.
Iris instinctively looked back into the cell.