Travis backs the Audi out of the garage, mouth tight, knuckles pale against the wheel.
He exhales sharply. “We’ve gone from Colorado… to Fresno… to Silicon Valley… and now Oregon. What’s next, Alaska?”
“Just drive, Travis.”
Beau looks back at me. “Hang in there, Seth. We’ll get to her.”
Every highway we cross, every state line, every hour without her feels like it is pulling me apart thread by thread. There's a limit to how much distance I can take before something inside me snaps.
I keep one hand on Krueger’s head, the other on Luna’s carrier. Their warmth keeps me tethered. Keeps the worst thoughts from eating me alive.
I’ve seen enough of Elliot’s manor to know what it's built for. What kind of men walks its halls.
And I know this, every second I’m not there is a second he could be destroying her. Hurting her. Breaking her down piece by piece.
And I’m running out of time.
Chapter 18
Brooke
Ican’t sleep.
The light buzzes overhead. The concrete stays cold. The air feels heavy and stale, and every sound comes from someone else struggling to keep breathing.
My stomach cramps again.
I press a hand low over my abdomen, fingers trembling against the thin fabric of my dress. I don’t know how far along I am. Weeks maybe. Barely anything. Just a cluster of cells fighting to become something more. Every cramp feels worse. The nausea comes in heavier waves. Every hollow twist of hunger feels louder than the last.
What if they are starving me on purpose? What if they already know this is killing it?
I swallow hard and keep my palm where it is. I try to breathe evenly, try to imagine something small and stubborn hanging on inside me.
Across the room, Miles lies on his side, arms wrapped around his ribs. The others are sprawled where the guards left them. No one has the strength to talk. No one has the strength to cry.
They only give us protein shakes. No real food, just enough to keep our hearts beating.
Then I remember. Sophie on the pool table with Elliot, Knox, and Asher. The three of them using her, and her letting them. Sophie uses sex as currency. That is how she climbs into their circle. She lets Elliot, Knox, and Asher do whatever they want with her. In return, she gets a room upstairs, clothes that aren’t stained, food, hot water, knives. Access.
If I pretend I will do the same, then maybe I will get close enough to find a way out. Or close enough to kill as many of them as I can before they kill me.
I push myself up until I can stand. My back pulls tight where the physician restitches it. Sweat slides down my spine even in the cold air.
“Enzo.”
The guard sits at the bottom of the stairs, bored, massive, his hands resting on his knees. He looks over at me without interest.
“I need to speak to Elliot.”
He snorts. “Do you?”
“Tell him I want to cooperate,” I murmur. “He'll understand.”
Enzo stares at me for a long second, then taps the earpiece at his collar and speaks quietly. I can’t hear the words. I only hear the short reply on the other end.
Enzo stands. He grabs my arm and drags me up the stairs. Every step makes the sutures pull. By the time we reach the main floor, my breath comes out in tight, careful bursts.
The hallway outside Elliot’s study is elegant and warm. The walls hold expensive art.
