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“It opened,” I gasped.
“What? Are you serious?” Giulietta asked in disbelief.
“Yeah, it just popped open.”
“How’d you do that?”
“I don’t know. Maybe it was just old and broken or maybe it jammed when he closed it, so it didn’t fully latch. Either way, it’s open.” I scrambled to remove the lock and quickly opened the cell door before scurrying out. “There’s a high window in the room where I train, almost level with the ground. We should be able to get out there and run.”
Giulietta tugged furiously on her own lock, switching to the door in frustration. “Well, that’s great for you. Now, get me the hell out of here.”
“Shhh, if you make too much noise they will come check on us. I remember seeing an extra set of keys in the room where that bastard trained me. Maybe they’re still there.”
“Hurry, Mira.” Alessia whisper-yelled encouragingly and I ran into Luca’s office.
I hurried to the desk drawer where he said the keys would be and grabbed the small ring from on top of a small stack of papers. I ran back to the door but just before opening it, a man’s voice echoed against the concrete walls. “Shit, she’s gone. Where the fuck did the other girl go?”
That wasn’t part of the plan. I listened as footsteps ran back up the stairs, the door slamming behind him. Once the coast was clear, I sprinted back into the room but the sound of loud boots running upstairs signaled that the men were coming back. I had no idea what was going on, but I had to try my best to continue with the plan and trust that Luca and the others knew what they were doing.
I ran to Alessia in the closest cell and scrambled, trying to find the right key for her lock but the sound of boots moved closer to the basement door. Even though I knew the whole thing was staged, it didn’t stop it from feeling way too real.
“Mira, get out of here before they come back.” Alessia looked at me earnestly and I realized in that moment that of the three of them, she was the best one. She followed their lead, though I had no idea why, but she wasn’t actually cruel herself.
I hesitated for a moment as the commotion upstairs grew. If the situation were real, I would run at that point, knowing that our best bet would be to escape and get help. But how was this going to work into Luca’s plan? If I didn’t go, it would be suspicious.
I handed Alessia the keys and looked at her as if to say that I was sorry. “Free yourselves.”
“Mira, don’t you dare leave me here,” Giulietta barked but I was already darting into the office.
I closed the door behind me and moved an old wooden chair underneath the window before climbing up. It was hard to lift myself through the small window and wiggle my way out but, when I finally made it through, I found myself behind a cluster of bushes.
I glanced at my surroundings to find the best way to go but there was nothing. We were literally in the middle of woods. I had no idea where we were or where I should go but I couldn’t stay there.
I looked around, making sure that no one was there to spot me, and darted out along the overgrown grass to the first cluster of trees just past the clearing of the house. My heart raced in my chest and blood roared in my ears in the quiet night.
Luca is in control of this, not an actual bad guy. He knows you. He knows what you would do, and he’ll act accordingly to make this work.
“If this was real, what would you do?” I whispered to myself as I frantically surveyed my surroundings.
There was good cover in the overgrowth just a few meters away. I could wait there to see if any of the other girls managed to escape before going too far. I took a chance, sprinting in my bare feet across the rough dirt and twigs.
Several minutes went by and no one came. Movement along with some loud yelling came from the back door of the house as a search party armed with flashlights spread out to find me.
Why would there be a search party actually coming to look for me? That doesn’t make any sense. The girls weren’t around to see this act.
A dreaded thought crossed my mind just as the image of that man’s face flashed in my mind’s eye. That look on his face. The lust, the way he looked at me...had this been a set up? I knew that Luca wouldn’t do anything to hurt me or put me in danger, but I didn’t know the rest of those men. What if they had betrayed Luca? What if they realized who I was...who my family was...I would be worth a lot just for my name.
Luca.
My first response was to run back to the house, to try to find him and make sure that he was okay. But if he was okay, me being there could put him in more danger, because deep down I knew that he would do everything he could to keep me safe. I was just one person and even with Luca we would be outnumbered and outgunned. And if it was part of his plan, then my going back could ruin everything.
I needed to get out of there and find help. It was the only way any of us stood a chance.
Casting one last glance back at the house, I darted off into the woods in the opposite direction of the search party.
I ran through the woods, small twigs lashing at my bare arms and legs, stones slicing my feet, but I didn’t stop even as my lungs cried out for air—not until I came to a small stream.
I glanced around again, unable to see a way out of the woods still. I wasn’t sure which way to go. All I knew was that I had to keep going. I carefully leaped from rock to rock, watching out for the patches of slippery moss, until I reached the other side. Once I reached solid footing, I continued my sprint.
