Page 43 of Kylie

Unfortunately, I found nothing.

Cold sweat trickled down my spine as I headed back to my room. Trying to rein in my fear, I headed to the bathroom. I relieved myself and washed my hands and face. Surely Nurse Ratched just stepped out for a few minutes. Maybe a smoke break, although I’d never smelled cigarettes on her.

Swallowing past the lump in my throat, I stood up straight. If Martin Calloway was watching me, the last thing I wanted was for him to see me have a complete meltdown. I’d spent the past few months pretending to be unaffected, but in truth, I was desperate to get out of here. Desperate to get home to my babies, my husbands. I should’ve done something sooner, pushed him to let me go.

It was obvious Martin wasn’t good, nor was he completely evil. An evil man would’ve spent these past few months torturing me, not giving me time to heal. He was somewhere in between, straddling the line. I should’ve pushed him to lean one way or the other. Since he seemed more intent on strutting like a peacock and boasting about his attempt at villainy than waterboarding information out of me, I figured it was easy to assume he would’ve opened the doors and sent me out into the sunshine if I’d pushed him hard enough. Since he’d kept me here, allowed me to have access to food, water, and basic healthcare, surely he was merely waiting me out.

But his attempt to bore me to death wasn’t working. As far as I was concerned, this game was over. I was leaving. Going home to my family. If I could figure out how to get out, anyway.

I started swallowing rapidly, holding the tears at bay by sheer will. I was about to do another check of the facility when I heard something. I stopped beside the bed, staring at the door, waiting.

A moment later, Allison stepped into the room. Beside her, a man. He looked familiar. Eerily familiar, but I couldn’t place him right away.

“Kylie?” Allison moved closer. “Are you okay?”

Determined not to let them see my panic, I squared my shoulders. “That’s a stupid question, don’t you think?”

A small smile formed on her pretty face. “Of course. Silly me.”

“Who are you?” I asked the man, my brain attempting to place him. I definitely knew him.

He didn’t respond, but continued to watch me closely.

Allison glanced at her partner, then back at me. “We’re here to move you.”

I frowned. “To where?”

Her eyes slid toward the ceiling, although she didn’t move her head. She was reminding me that we were being watched. “You know I can’t tell you that.”

My gaze darted to the ceiling, searching for the red light. It wasn’t there, but evidently that didn’t mean they didn’t have eyes on me. Or perhaps Allison didn’t realize the red light was gone.

Swallowing to clear my throat, I returned my attention to Allison and the stranger, my gaze darting back and forth. I knew that man from somewhere. But I had no idea where.

Allison took another step closer, and her partner moved with her. I forced myself to relax. She had given me no reason to think she would hurt me, and I mistakenly believed that would continue.

Right up until she pulled a syringe out of her pocket. And when her partner grabbed me, holding me still so she could shove that needle into my neck, I couldn’t help but wonder if my blind trust would be my ultimate demise.

Chapter Eighteen

Kylie

And to think I had disliked that hospital so much.

I came to groggy, my head throbbing. I opened my eyes slowly because I got the feeling someone was watching me. When I managed to focus on my surroundings, the first thing I saw was a man leaning against the wall, his crude gaze pinned on me. The room I was in was hot, unlike the relatively decent temperature at the hospital. And the reeking aroma of mold and dirt had replaced the antiseptic smell.

“Where am I?” I asked, feigning a calmness I didn’t feel as I sat up, attempting to get my bearings.

I patted my stomach, my thighs. It was then that I realized I was no longer wearing a hospital gown but rather a pair of dark blue scrubs, similar to the ones Nurse Ratched had worn. I only hoped Allison was the one who’d done the wardrobe change because the thought of Creepy Guy here doing that… A shiver darted down my spine.

The room I was in was completely bare, save for a cheap mattress on the bare wood floor beneath me. Well, that and the chain that connected my leg to a giant loop screwed into the floor. Oh, and there was no leather strap on this one. Just a thick, rusted-metal cuff that looked like gangrene in the making.

Shifting my foot, I noticed the cuff moved as I did, but it was heavy, and it had already left an indent in my skin. If someone had bothered to get me shoes, perhaps it would’ve been bearable.

“Where do you wanna be?” the guy asked, smacking his gum.

I peered up at him, noticing the leer on his face. He didn’t look like he cared to be there. I couldn’t say I blamed him. He also didn’t look like he’d showered in the past week. His blond hair was long and stringy, and the sheen on his forehead might’ve been from sweat, but more than likely it was the oil from his skin. The Metallica T-shirt he wore had probably been black at one time, but was now a dingy gray with pit stains.

Great. Definitely a step down from Nurse Ratched.