Bound By Pain: The Billionaire's Captive

The cold rain hit Carole Dawson like a barrage of tiny stones. She slipped on the slick mud, her fingers desperately clawing at the rusted iron bars of the Pennington Estate wall.

She threw her weight over the top. Her boots hit the wet ground on the other side. A sharp crack echoed in her ears, followed instantly by a blinding pain shooting up her right ankle.

Carole bit the inside of her cheek until she tasted copper. She swallowed the scream that tried to tear out of her throat.

She looked back through the iron bars. The main house was a glowing beacon of wealth and suffocation. Eleanora's voice rang in her head, cold and absolute, telling her she was nothing but a bargaining chip for the Cherry family.

The frantic barking of hounds cut through the sound of the rain. Flashlight beams sliced through the dark. The guards were closing in.

Carole pressed her hand over her mouth and nose. She dragged her injured foot and threw herself into the dense bushes. The thorns tore at her clothes and skin.

The rain washed the mud over her tracks, but one of the hounds stopped. It pointed its snout directly at her bush and barked wildly.

Her heart hammered against her ribs so hard she thought it might break them. She did not wait for the guards to surround her.

Carole burst out of the bushes. She ignored the stabbing pain in her ankle and ran toward the highway.

A black SUV sat idling on the shoulder of the road. She raised her hand to scream for help, but the high beams flashed on, blinding her.

It was a family car.

The heavy door swung open. She couldn't see past the blinding glare of the high beams, but she recognized the distinct splash of expensive leather shoes hitting the muddy puddle. It was Adalberto. She could sense the cruel, asymmetrical smirk twisting his face just from the heavy, arrogant way he stepped toward her.

Carole turned to run. Two massive guards grabbed her shoulders. They forced her down. Her knees hit the muddy water with a heavy splash.

Adalberto walked up to her. He grabbed a fistful of her wet hair and jerked her head back.

"You look like a drowned rat," Adalberto laughed. "Did you really think you could run away?"

Carole kept her mouth shut. She reached her hands down into the freezing mud. Her fingers found a sharp, jagged rock. She gripped it tight.

Adalberto leaned down. His breath smelled of expensive cigars and malice.

"Try fighting me again," he whispered. "And I will make sure your adoptive parents disappear before morning."

The fight drained out of Carole. Her chest caved in. Her fingers went numb and the rock slipped back into the mud.

Adalberto smirked and adjusted his left cuff. He raised his hand high, ready to slap her across the face.

His hand never landed.

A massive hand clamped around Adalberto's wrist mid-air. The grip was like an iron vice.

The guards froze. Carole opened her eyes. A tall, broad-shouldered man stood in the pouring rain. His face was a mask of pure violence, though he moved with a barely perceptible limp, his jaw tight as if fighting off a persistent, nagging pain in his right ankle. His eyes were dark and lethal.

Adalberto screamed. The sound of bones grinding together was loud enough to hear over the storm.

Hollis Wall did not blink. He twisted Adalberto's wrist until a loud snap echoed in the air. He kicked Adalberto in the chest, sending him flying backward into the mud.

The guards pulled out their stun batons and rushed forward. Hollis did not even look at them. He moved with brutal efficiency, striking throats and knees. Both guards collapsed into the dirt in seconds.

Carole stared at the stranger. Rainwater dripped from his sharp jawline.

Hollis turned his head and looked down at her. His eyes locked onto the dark bruise forming on her cheek. For a fraction of a second, a muscle in his jaw twitched, and his thumb rubbed hard against his index knuckle.

He took off his custom suit jacket. He threw it around Carole's trembling shoulders. The fabric was heavy and smelled of cedar and danger.

Adalberto rolled in the mud, clutching his broken wrist.

"Let her go!" Adalberto screamed. "She belongs to the Pennington family!"

Hollis ignored Adalberto's screams as if they were merely part of the storm, his demeanor completely devoid of any emotion. He bent down and scooped Carole up into his arms, his movements brutally efficient and coldly indifferent to the Pennington heir's threats.

Carole kicked her legs, trying to push against his solid chest. The pain in her ankle flared, and her muscles gave out. She was completely exhausted.

Hollis carried her to a black Maybach parked further down the road. He shoved her into the back seat and slammed the door shut.

The noise of the rain and Adalberto's screaming vanished.

The car was warm and dry. K. Sterling sat in the driver's seat. He put the car in gear immediately.

Carole pulled her knees to her chest. She watched the dangerous man slide into the seat next to her.

Hollis opened a compartment, pulled out a bottle of whiskey, and took a long drink. The veins on the back of his hand bulged. He was breathing heavily, as if he was fighting off a deep, physical pain.

Carole stared at his furrowed brow. A strange, unsettling feeling crawled up her spine.

The Maybach sped down the dark highway, leaving the Pennington estate far behind. Carole gripped the edges of the suit jacket, her knuckles turning white.

Carole lunged for the door handle. She pulled it hard, but it did not budge. The child locks were engaged.

Hollis slowly turned his head. His eyes were cold and empty.

"Keep moving," Hollis said. "And I promise you will wish you stayed in the mud."

"Who are you?" Carole yelled, her voice shaking. "You have no right to take me!"

Before Hollis could answer, a loud crash shook the Maybach.

Carole looked in the rearview mirror. Three black SUVs were riding their bumper. The Pennington guards had caught up.

Another violent jolt hit the car. Carole lost her balance. Her forehead slammed hard against the reinforced glass of the window.

A dull thud echoed in the cabin. Carole groaned, holding her head.

At the exact same second, Hollis let out a sharp hiss. He grabbed his own forehead. His face lost all color. His chest heaved, and his eyes turned murderous.

"Do I return fire, sir?" K. Sterling asked, gripping the steering wheel.

"Get rid of them," Hollis ground out through clenched teeth.

Sterling yanked the steering wheel. The Maybach drifted around a sharp curve. The heavy rear bumper clipped the first SUV, sending it spinning into the metal guardrail.

The other two SUVs swerved past the wreckage and kept coming.

Hollis reached under his seat. He pulled out a handgun with a silencer attached. He rolled down his window.

The cold wind blasted into the car. Hollis leaned out, squinting against the freezing rain and the severe, throbbing pain pounding behind his eyes. His first shot went wide, ricocheting off the pursuing SUV's side panel. He cursed under his breath, taking a sharp, agonizing breath to steady his trembling hand, and fired again. This time, the bullet found the tire.

The front tire of the pursuing SUV exploded. The vehicle flipped over, sparks flying across the wet asphalt.

The final SUV tried to speed up and cut them off. Sterling slammed the brakes and turned sharply into an abandoned warehouse district. The Maybach tore through an open loading bay. The Pennington SUV followed right behind.

Sterling hit the brakes. The Maybach slid to a halt inside the dark warehouse.

The Pennington SUV stopped, but it was instantly surrounded by ten heavily armed men stepping out of the shadows. Wall family security.

Hollis kicked his door open. He marched toward the SUV. His men had already dragged the driver out onto the concrete.

Hollis pressed the barrel of his gun against the guard's temple.

"Please," the guard begged, shaking violently. "Adalberto ordered us to bring her back."

Hollis stared at him with dead eyes. He flipped the gun and smashed the heavy metal grip directly into the guard's kneecap. The bone shattered.

"Crawl back and tell him she is mine," Hollis said.

Carole watched through the window. Her stomach twisted into a tight knot. The violence was casual to him.

Hollis turned around. He walked back to the Maybach, bringing the smell of rain and blood with him.

He got into the back seat. The moment the door closed, he suddenly grabbed his chest. He let out a low groan and leaned forward. Sweat formed on his forehead.

Carole stared at him. Her own forehead was throbbing from hitting the window. She noticed Hollis was rubbing the exact same spot on his head.

She looked down at her hands. She pinched the back of her left hand with her fingernails.

Hollis's left eyebrow twitched.

Carole's breath hitched. A crazy, impossible thought entered her mind. She reached down and pinched her own thigh as hard as she could.

Hollis sucked in a sharp breath. He turned his head and glared at her.

"Stop doing that," Hollis snarled, his voice vibrating with rage.

Carole pressed her back against the door. "What did you do to me?"

"You did this to yourself," Hollis said, wiping the sweat from his brow.

Sterling handed a clean handkerchief over his shoulder. "Sir, we should go."

Hollis grabbed Carole's wrist. His fingers dug into her skin like steel.

"From this second on," Hollis said, his face inches from hers. "You are not allowed to feel any pain. Do you understand me?"

Carole tried to pull her arm away, but he did not let go.

The Maybach drove out of the warehouse and back into the night. Carole looked down at her red wrist. She was tied to a monster, and she had no idea how to break the chain.

The Maybach pulled into the underground garage of the Wall Industries Private Medical Center. The entire floor was empty. The security team had cleared the area.

Hollis got out. He reached into the car, grabbed Carole's arm, and pulled her out.

Carole stumbled. Her twisted ankle gave out, and a sharp pain shot up her leg.

Hollis's entire body went rigid. He sucked in a breath through his teeth.

He cursed under his breath. He bent down, scooped her up into his arms again, and carried her toward the private elevator.

Carole pushed her elbows against his chest. Her elbow hit the bruise on her own ribs.

Both of them groaned at the exact same time.

"Stop moving," Hollis ordered, his jaw tight. "Unless you want to kill us both."

The elevator doors opened on the top floor. A team of doctors and nurses stood in the hallway. They looked at Hollis's dark expression and stepped back nervously.

Hollis carried Carole into the VIP suite and dropped her onto the examination bed.

"Check her head," Hollis told the lead doctor. "And fix her ankle."

The doctor stepped forward. He reached out and gently pressed his fingers against the bump on Carole's forehead.

Carole flinched.

Hollis slammed his fist into the wall. The drywall cracked.

The doctor jumped back, his hands shaking.

"Be gentle," Hollis growled, rubbing his own forehead.

Carole watched him. A strange sense of power washed over her fear. This terrifying man was at her mercy. Her pain was his weakness.

The doctor finished the exam quickly. "It is just a mild concussion and a sprain, Mr. Wall. She needs to rest here tonight."

Hollis waved his hand. The medical team rushed out of the room and closed the door.

Hollis sat down in the chair next to the bed. He stared at her like a predator watching its prey.

Carole pulled the thin hospital blanket up to her chin. "What do you want from me? Ransom?"

Hollis let out a dry laugh. He reached into his jacket pocket, pulled out a folded document, and tossed it onto her lap.

Carole picked it up. Her eyes scanned the thick paper. It was a prenuptial agreement. The groom's name was Hollis Wall.

She looked up, her heart pounding. "You are insane."

Hollis stood up. He looked down at her. "It is the most efficient way to solve our problem."

Carole crumpled the paper and threw it at his chest. "I am not marrying a kidnapper."

Hollis caught the paper. His eyes darkened. He leaned over the bed, planting his hands on either side of her hips, trapping her.

His warm breath hit her face. "Sign it. Or I will crush the Pennington family and buy your adoptive parents' debt by morning."

Carole bit her inner cheek. She glared up at him, refusing to let the tears fall.

Hollis straightened up. He turned around and walked to the door.

"You are not leaving this room tonight," Hollis said.

The heavy door slammed shut. A loud click echoed in the room as the lock engaged.

Carole threw the blanket off. She ran to the door and pulled the handle. It was completely locked.

She slid down the wooden door and sat on the cold floor. She looked at the crumpled marriage agreement.

Through the massive glass window, the lights of Manhattan shined brightly. She was in the most expensive cage in the city.

She picked up the contract. She tore it in half, then tore it again, ripping it into tiny shreds. She threw the pieces into the trash can. She would never give in.

Outside in the hallway, Hollis leaned against the wall. He rubbed his thumb over his knuckles, waiting for the dull ache in his head to fade.