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Forcing my attention away from my clothes and the bed, I take in the rest of the room. The walls are kind of mossy and it smells like mold in here. The ceiling looks similar to the floor—cracked concrete that’s been pitted in places. Also, there are areas in the ceiling where water drips down into the room. Thankfully, the water isn’t dripping on me and I’m not chained against the disgusting walls. Unfortunately, that means I’m secured in the middle of the room.
Looking up, I groan when I see they’ve secured metal shackles around my wrists and the chain that connects them is wrapped a few times around a pipe that goes from wall to wall. My ankles are shackled as well. Each one is connected through a metal loop that’s been secured to the floor which has my feet spread about shoulder width apart.
Then I notice the rust on the loops.
When I test them, the bases of the metal loop jiggle. Looking up, I’m about to test the pole when a nearby whimpering sound has me straining and looking around.
I’d somehow missed that there was an opening in the wall with metal bars looking into the next room. Looking at the other wall, there’s one there, too.
Or I should say cell, not room.
“H-hello?” I asked hesitantly.
Instantly, the whimpering stops.
Nibbling on my lip, I try again. “Hello? My name is Mae. What’s yours?”
“I’m not falling for that again. Last time that happened, they beat me and hurt Mama.”
Oh dear lord... She sounds like a little girl. Could it be?
“Lindsey?”
She doesn’t answer me right away. “How do you know my name? You’re one of them. That proves it,” she whispers.
“No, I swear to you I’m not. I know your daddy, Drae. I’m Smoke’s daughter. A little over a month ago, Timber and I got married. I’m also trying to find my mom. My stepdad, Preston, took her away and has been hurting her.”
Silence meets my words before I hear the chains moving and then her little face appears through the window as she leans against the back wall.
“Oh, Pumpkin,” I whisper when I see how thin she’s gotten compared to pictures I’ve seen of her before she was taken.
“What’s your mama look like?”
Frowning, I decide to answer her question to keep her talking.
“The last time I saw her, she had long blond hair, but it was dyed and she had about a half an inch of brown roots at the top. The brown sections are probably longer now. Do you know what I mean by that?” I ask and she nods her head.
“Mama was the opposite. Her hair was blond and she dyed it brown.”
I nodded, relieved when I noticed the little girl is relaxing further the more I talk to her. “Other than that, she has blue eyes like mine, she’s really really skinny, and...” I pause and swallow thickly “And she’s missing a finger on her right hand.”
Lindsey frowns, her eyes darting over to her right before quickly looking back at me.
“What was your mom’s name?”
“Lillian Cole.”
“So you’re telling me the truth, then? You aren’t with them.”
“That’s right, Pumpkin. I’m not. I really am friends with your daddy and we’ve been looking for you and your mom for a long time.”
She sniffles and hugs her legs. “I miss Daddy. He calls me Pumpkin, too.”
My heart breaks even more at seeing her tears streak down her dirty face.
After a few minutes, she dries her eyes.
“Mae, your mama... She’s in here with my mama.”
