help people who had no means of doing so themselves, not become a prized possession for some kind of drug lord. Or whatever horrors he’d inflicted in order to amass his fortune. The Serpent was a pig.
“Do you like pretty things, Lindsey?” he’d asked while he moved in a circle around me, his eyes burning with intense desire, my stomach nauseous from the realization of what he wanted to do to me.
“I don’t want anything from you,” I responded, struggling with the rope securing my wrists and ankles.
He chuckled as he closed the distance, sliding the tip of his finger down my cheek and neck, finally rolling it around my nipple. “You and I are going to become very close, American princess. I suggest you accept that you now belong to me. Otherwise, you won’t like the treatment you receive.”
“I will never accept anything from you!”
The hard slap across my face was one I’d never forget, nor the way he’d allowed his goons to drag me into a cinderblock cell. I’d been shackled to the wall, my clothes stripped from me. Then I’d been left in the dark, the sounds of creatures scuttling across the surface of the prison the only thing to keep me company. Shuddering from the thought, I knew better than to trust anyone, including the two men who’d set me free.
Because there was obviously a price to that freedom.
“And I said that I demand to know who you are. If you are military, I want to know your ranks. If you are civilians, I deserve to know the organization you’re working for.” I stood to my full height, daring to take a step closer.
“Civilians,” the Spaniard repeated, laughing softly.
That told me they were military of some kind, or at least they had been.
The blond chuckled as he shook his head. “The less you know the better.”
“Not good enough!” I snapped. “You are going to tell me what the hell is going on and who you are or when I get out of here, I will have you arrested. If your story is true, then you are well aware that my father is an important man who will eat you alive if you so much as hurt a hair on my head.” The words wanted to stick in my throat, fear crawling along every inch of naked skin. While I wanted to believe them, I honestly had no idea whether or not my father was powerful enough to find a way to save me.
But I knew a family that could. A sickening feeling washed over me, the concept that my life was being manipulated by my ex a fate more horrible than what I’d faced with the Serpent.
The blond once again towered over me, his grip on my arm firm. “Fine. Have it your way. You were abducted by one of the sickest fucks in the entire world. While you’re still alive, I assure you that he would have grown weary of the flavor of you eventually. You see, he’s gone through several women, their bodies turning up in pieces. You have bruises on your body. I assume it’s a product of the asshole, but trust me, he was just getting started. Now, do you understand your predicament?” His tone was demanding, yet his eyes showed concern.
Was I supposed to buy that crap? I remained quiet, tilting my head in defiance. More than a trickle of fear slithered down my spine.
“The man is a bastard for hurting you and it seems as if you know much more about him than I do, partner,” the dark-haired man hissed. “I will be very happy to slam the blade of my knife into his brain.”
“Yeah, well, you’re going to have to take a number. I’ve run into men like the Serpent before.” The blond turned his attention back in my direction. “What the Serpent would do to you if you were caught makes the desires of a serial killer seem like Disneyland. If you attempted to escape and survived the snakes, alligators, and wild boar, could possibly avoid sinking into the quicksand or falling off a cliff, I assure you that his soldiers would find you. After that?” He laughed as his heated gaze fell to my bare feet. “Another thing that nightmares are made of. Now, if you want to live, and there are no guarantees, I suggest you shut your mouth and obey our rules.”
Myriad emotions swept through me from rage to hatred, the anxiety spreading like a