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“Where is she?” Prism asked.
“Jess!” I yelled. “Jessica!”
A loud bang jerked my head up. “Ben!” a muffled voice yelled. “Ben, help! Let me out!”
Prism made a harsh sound as a hand slapped against the glass. “Ben!”
“Christ!” I spat, rushing across the room to where Jess was trapped inside a washing machine. A fucking washing machine.
“Help!” she wailed, beating the door hard enough to make the machine rattle.
“I’m here,” I called, grabbing the door to yank it open. It didn’t budge, the lock holding it in place. She coughed, and my vision nearly blacked out. “It’s locked! Turn it off,” I insisted, going for the power button.
At the same time, Prism yanked the cord right out of the wall.
The entire machine shut down, the lock disengaging. I yanked the door open, nearly falling back on my ass with the force of my pull.
“Jess!” I bellowed, reaching into the opening as she tried to scramble out.
She was gasping and coughing as I grabbed her, hauling her to safety. We fell back onto the floor with her sprawled over me, her clothes soaked and her teeth chattering.
“Oh my God,” she wailed, collapsing against me, her gasps giving way to deep sobs.
I pushed into a sitting position, tucking her into my lap while clutching her against me with both arms, pressing her head beneath my chin.
Holding her tight, I locked my jaw and endured the deep harrowing sobs that cut me so deep I’d wear the scars the rest of my life. As she wailed and clutched at me, I stared over her head and the washing machine I’d just pulled her out of. The door was still ajar, the glass streaked with water as wet clothes spilled out of the dark opening, creating a puddle on the floor.
Her teeth started to chatter, and I hunched around her, rocking us back and forth. “Shh.” I soothed. “You’re safe now. It’s okay. I got you.”
Her hand lifted between our bodies to curl around the back of my neck, her icy, wet skin pressing against mine.
“Ben,” she rasped.
“Right here, baby girl.” I promised. “You’re safe.”
She calmed, her cries turning into hiccups as I continued to rock us back and forth. Above her, I looked at Prism, and our eyes met. We shared a dark look, his lips flattening into a grim line.
“Who did this to you?” I demanded, unable to keep the question in a second longer.
She whimpered and pushed her cold nose into my throat. I rumbled a rude sound and peeled her away from my body, still keeping her in my lap but holding her out of my chest.
“Jessica. I want a name.”
“I don’t know,” she whispered, head dipping toward her chest. The ends of her hair were wet and tangled, pissing me off all over again.
Using my fingers, I pushed her chin up so I could study her face. It was deathly pale. Except for the fresh, shiny bruise on her cheek. “What the hell happened to your face?” I roared, pushing her hair back so I could get a better look.
Prism came around, dropping into a crouch beside us. He reached out, but I smacked his hand away and used mine to gently turn her cheek so he could see.
He released a short growl. “Tell us what happened,” he ordered, voice tight.
Now he’s going to be agitated all over again.
“I was doing my laundry,” Jess explained. “All the electricity cut out. I thought maybe it was a power outage, but then…” Her voice trailed off.
I gave her a little shake. “Then what?”
“Then someone came in with a flashlight like they were looking for me.”
