Breathe, I tell myself.Come on. Breathe.
I vaguely hear the metal door in front of me swing open. Someone approaches. They’re saying something, but their voice sounds like they’re talking through water.
A flash of steel at their side has me falling back on my ass and my senses sharpening. My vision clears enough that a masked man comes into focus. It’s the one with the jaw painted as black as night.
“Easy,” he says, then shows me the wicked sharp dagger. “Relax. I’m going to cut you loose.”
I think it’s the shock of hearing his actual voice again, so smooth and confident and calm, and not warped like in their videos, that has me sitting still long enough for him to slide the blade between the ropes and cut me free. But as soon as the tattered remains hit the ground, I’m on my feet.
I whirl, grabbing the closest object I can get my hands on and spin back, ready to fight him off.
His wild laugh makes me jump. “Gonna fight me with a lamp, Siren?”
My eyes narrow.Siren?
“Thinking about it,” I quip back. My eyes dart around the room, taking in the details as quickly as I can, looking for an exit, but I’m trapped. There’s only one way in and out of here and this fucker is blocking it.
He plays with the blade between his fingers. “I would advise against it.”
“And I would advise that you kiss my ass.”
That mask tilts. “Tempting.”
What the fuck? I raise the lamp like I might take a swing. “You’ve been following me all week.”
He slips the knife back in its sheath, and shrugs. “Yeah.”
“What the hell do you want from me?”
“What Cerberus always wants. To reveal the truth. To make the guilty pay.”
“And what does that have to do with me?”
He crosses his arms, leveling me with that intense stare. “You know why you’re here.”
“No, the fuck I don’t.” I wish he’d take off that damn mask so I could read him better. “Seriously, why am I here? I haven’t done anything. Unless you’re in the business of kidnapping innocent women, you have me confused with someone else.” I clench my teeth at the little voice in my head calling me a liar.You aren’t innocent Fallon.
His shoulders tense and then he moves, stepping into me so that I have to backtrack to keep the distance between us, but the back of my knees hit the bed and I fall on my ass, still clinging to the lamp.
He leans down so that his face is inches from mine, and there’s a moment, however brief, that I think I see regret swim through the dark pools of his eyes. But the harsh, almost angry tone of his voice makes that thought vanish.
“We know exactly who you are, Fallon Helix. You’re right where you belong.” He straightens and stalks back toward the door. “There’s water on your nightstand. Drink it.”
Panic punches through me. “Wait! You can’t just leave me here.”
“Don’t worry.” He waves to a camera above the door frame, and a second later a mechanical jolt sounds, unlocking and opening the door a crack. “We’ve got eyes on you, Siren.” The guy looks over his shoulder at me. “I know how much you like to put on a show.”
Did he just…?
He winks and slips silently from the room, shutting the door behind him.
A scream tears from my throat as hot rage and embarrassment hit me like a freight train. I don’t recall letting the lamp go, but the next thing I know, it’s shattered to pieces right where the creepy fuck had been standing.
This isn’t happening.
I sprint to the door but there’s literally no door knob for me to use to even attempt to get out of here. My fists bang against the heavy metal. “Let me out of here, you motherfuckers! I didn’t do anything wrong!”
Of course, there’s no answer. I step back and flip off the camera.
