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”I think so,” I replied.
”You’re not going to try to make a run for it, are you? Because that would be exceptionally stupid.”
He was right. He was much taller than me and I could tell he was faster. Even if I wasn’t injured, barefoot, and practically naked, I wouldn’t have been able to outrun him. Not that it would’ve done me any good, anyway. We were somewhere downtown, but it was indistinct, and I wouldn’t have been able to get out of the neighborhood without a vehicle.
I was stuck.
”I’m not,” I said, when I realized he was still looking at me, waiting for me to answer.
A smile softened his sharp features. ”Good,” he said. ”We’re not far. Lean on me if you have to.”
Unfortunately, despite everything in me, I had to.
We made our way down the alley, the darkness and heat enveloping us. I tried to focus on putting one foot in front of the other, but my mind was racing. What was going to happen to me? Why had they taken me? Who were these men?
I stumbled again, but Victor caught me before I fell. ”Just a little further,” he said. ”We’re almost there.”
We turned a corner and found ourselves in front of a nondescript building. From the outside, it looked like a parking lot, all white concrete. It was about five stories tall, I noted. There were no signs, nothing to suggest what was inside. Victor pushed open the door and led me inside.
The inside of the building was just as nondescript as the outside. White walls, white floors, and fluorescent lighting. The only difference was the heavy metal door at the end of the hall. I was swaying on my feet. Victor wrapped his arm around my waist with some effort–he was tall, I wasn’t–and he kept me upright. My eyes darted from one corner to another until Victor opened the metal door.
”Relax,” he said. ”It’s just an elevator. Not a torture dungeon or anything.”
”Wow,” I mumbled. ”I feel so much better.”
”Nah,” he laughed. ”We save the dungeon for special occasions.”
I wasn't sure whether his words were meant to reassure me or to taunt me. Regardless, I stepped forward with him, allowing him to guide me into the elevator. I knew that it was in my best interest not to piss him off.
The door he’d opened swung closed by itself and the metal doors of the elevator clanged shut in front of us, enclosing us in a small, confined space. We were surrounded by floor-to-ceiling mirrors. I looked at his reflection first, before I caught sight of mine.
Victor's reflection was just as imposing as the real thing, his broad shoulders filling up the small space. He looked like a predator, ready to pounce on his prey at any moment. My reflection, on the other hand, made me look like a fucking mess. The bruises and cuts on my face stood out in stark relief against the pale walls of the elevator, and my hair was a black and blonde tangle of blood-crusted curls.
I needed a doctor, not…whatever this was. I had the feeling I was probably concussed.
I looked away from the mirrors, not wanting to see my broken reflection any longer. Victor seemed to sense my discomfort and leaned against the wall, crossing his arms over his chest. The silence between us was thick, only the soft hum of the elevator breaking it.
After what felt like hours, but was probably only a few minutes, the elevator dinged and the doors slid open.
”Ladies first,” he said as he pressed his hand against the sensor to keep the doors open.
I hesitated for a moment before stepping out of the elevator and into a vast, luxurious-looking penthouse. The walls were lined with floor-to-ceiling windows that offered a stunning view of the city below. Expensive-looking furniture was scattered throughout the room, and the scent of luxury cologne hung in the air.
Victor stepped out of the elevator behind me, shutting the doors behind him.
”Don't be nervous,” he said, his voice softening. ”No one's going to hurt you here. We're just going to talk.”
I turned around to look at him. ”Would you hurt me, though? If your boss hadn’t told you not to?”
As soon as I said it, I realized it wasn’t necessarily a question I wanted an answer to.
He considered this for a long second. It was the first well-lit environment we’d been in, and for the first time since I’d encountered him, I couldreallysee his face.
He was all sharp angles and chiseled features. Even his face looked like it could slice through flesh. His nose was slightly crooked to the left, like it had been broken before, and never set the right way.
”Yes,” he finally replied. ”If you gave me a reason to. So don’t.”
I swallowed, looking around the luxury penthouse for a sign of personality, a clue, something that would let me get out of this. But there was nothing, and when I saw that Victor was still staring at me, an expectant look in his eyes, all I managed to do was nod.
