be
hit or dragged back to the basement, and I was now worried that I’d
spoken when I shouldn’t have. I wanted to run and hide—cower. I was
a mouse quivering and scared of every squeak I made or movement. I
was so uncertain of everything that I sought the only reassurance I
could get, and that assurance was from Logan.
“ I
get you .”
I felt the
twitch of his finger on my skin. Logan was steady as a rock; he
didn’t twitch. Never did he falter. There was something more to his
answer. Raul may be giving me to Logan, but there was something
else he wasn’t telling me.
“Why? Why are
you doing this? Was everything we had ...” I couldn’t finish the
sentence. I shouldn’t have asked, and yet, I was losing control. I
wanted answers. To know why he lured me into his trap.
Logan
pulled me further into the room then turned me to face him, hands
on both my arms. “Do you fear me, Emily? Because if you don’t Raul
will know. He excels at knowing fear. You give him something else,
he’ll know. Then we’re dealing with more than you ever
imagined.”
“I hate you,”
I shouted the words, and his grip tightened.
“I know,” his
voice was steady and composed as if he was unaffected by my words.
“But fear must override your hate. Remember what I taught you? You
can’t have that here.”
What he taught
me? The self-defence? What did ...?And then it hit me—he’d wanted
my anger when he’d been teaching me to fight. After Logan
reluctantly agreed to be my teacher, he took my fear and turned it
into a controlled anger. He gave me confidence to fight back, and
now ... now he wanted the fear back?
“You will fear
me, Emily. And if you don’t ... I will make you.” His words were
abrupt and unruffled. It sent shivers down my spine.
Did I fear
him? Yes. I was scared of who he’d become, of what he was, and of
that cold, emotionless face I thought I once knew. I was scared of
how my body still reacted to him. How it betrayed me. And yes, I
was scared that he’d give me to Raul. Because Raul I feared the
most, and I was uncertain if I could survive him.
“This is his
business. Raul kidnaps girls, women. They are trained then
auctioned off. They bring him lots of money. You would bring him
lots of money.”
“Kat and
Matt—”
“You’re
twenty, old enough to disappear. Raul made you disappear. One more
girl missing won’t bring the law down to Mexico looking for you,
especially with a mother who doesn’t give a shit about her
daughter.”
That hurt, but
was unfortunately true. My heart rate picked up, and I licked my
dry, cracked lips. Kat and Matt wouldn’t give up on me. They’d come
for me; they had to.
He took my
wrists and tied what felt like rope around them. I start to
hyperventilate, afraid of what he’d do, scared of being so
vulnerable. “I do.”
“You do what,
Emily?”
“I do fear
you.”
Silence as he
continued to tighten the ropes. All I could hear was the coarse
nylon as it moved back and forth from whatever he was doing to it
after he tied it to my wrists. Suddenly, he let me go, and I heard
his footsteps stride away like he was angry. Then a door slammed in
the opposite direction of where we entered the room.
I fell to my
knees, my wrists tied together, and my skin cold and clammy and ...
dirty. I felt so dirty inside and out. I’d been in the same clothes
for days, no shower, little food.
The door
opened again.
Footsteps. He
stopped in front of me. “There are rules you have to follow. Kneel
when someone enters the room. Never speak unless spoken to. Keep
your head down, and if you want to live then you will submit to
me.” He grabbed my wrists, pulled me to my feet, and raised my arms
above my head. I felt something snag on the rope.
He let me
go.
I yanked and
realized he’d tied me to something above me. I tugged harder, but I
couldn’t get free. Panic crawled over my skin.
His knuckles
brushed over my neck, and then I felt the tug on the neckline of
hit or dragged back to the basement, and I was now worried that I’d
spoken when I shouldn’t have. I wanted to run and hide—cower. I was
a mouse quivering and scared of every squeak I made or movement. I
was so uncertain of everything that I sought the only reassurance I
could get, and that assurance was from Logan.
“ I
get you .”
I felt the
twitch of his finger on my skin. Logan was steady as a rock; he
didn’t twitch. Never did he falter. There was something more to his
answer. Raul may be giving me to Logan, but there was something
else he wasn’t telling me.
“Why? Why are
you doing this? Was everything we had ...” I couldn’t finish the
sentence. I shouldn’t have asked, and yet, I was losing control. I
wanted answers. To know why he lured me into his trap.
Logan
pulled me further into the room then turned me to face him, hands
on both my arms. “Do you fear me, Emily? Because if you don’t Raul
will know. He excels at knowing fear. You give him something else,
he’ll know. Then we’re dealing with more than you ever
imagined.”
“I hate you,”
I shouted the words, and his grip tightened.
“I know,” his
voice was steady and composed as if he was unaffected by my words.
“But fear must override your hate. Remember what I taught you? You
can’t have that here.”
What he taught
me? The self-defence? What did ...?And then it hit me—he’d wanted
my anger when he’d been teaching me to fight. After Logan
reluctantly agreed to be my teacher, he took my fear and turned it
into a controlled anger. He gave me confidence to fight back, and
now ... now he wanted the fear back?
“You will fear
me, Emily. And if you don’t ... I will make you.” His words were
abrupt and unruffled. It sent shivers down my spine.
Did I fear
him? Yes. I was scared of who he’d become, of what he was, and of
that cold, emotionless face I thought I once knew. I was scared of
how my body still reacted to him. How it betrayed me. And yes, I
was scared that he’d give me to Raul. Because Raul I feared the
most, and I was uncertain if I could survive him.
“This is his
business. Raul kidnaps girls, women. They are trained then
auctioned off. They bring him lots of money. You would bring him
lots of money.”
“Kat and
Matt—”
“You’re
twenty, old enough to disappear. Raul made you disappear. One more
girl missing won’t bring the law down to Mexico looking for you,
especially with a mother who doesn’t give a shit about her
daughter.”
That hurt, but
was unfortunately true. My heart rate picked up, and I licked my
dry, cracked lips. Kat and Matt wouldn’t give up on me. They’d come
for me; they had to.
He took my
wrists and tied what felt like rope around them. I start to
hyperventilate, afraid of what he’d do, scared of being so
vulnerable. “I do.”
“You do what,
Emily?”
“I do fear
you.”
Silence as he
continued to tighten the ropes. All I could hear was the coarse
nylon as it moved back and forth from whatever he was doing to it
after he tied it to my wrists. Suddenly, he let me go, and I heard
his footsteps stride away like he was angry. Then a door slammed in
the opposite direction of where we entered the room.
I fell to my
knees, my wrists tied together, and my skin cold and clammy and ...
dirty. I felt so dirty inside and out. I’d been in the same clothes
for days, no shower, little food.
The door
opened again.
Footsteps. He
stopped in front of me. “There are rules you have to follow. Kneel
when someone enters the room. Never speak unless spoken to. Keep
your head down, and if you want to live then you will submit to
me.” He grabbed my wrists, pulled me to my feet, and raised my arms
above my head. I felt something snag on the rope.
He let me
go.
I yanked and
realized he’d tied me to something above me. I tugged harder, but I
couldn’t get free. Panic crawled over my skin.
His knuckles
brushed over my neck, and then I felt the tug on the neckline of
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