is normal. You’ll feel better with time.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“Because I felt a little of it too. Trust me, things will get better.”
“But I thought things were better. I spend a year here, learning how to be normal, learning how to defend myself, and all of it was for nothing. I’m still that same helpless girl. How am I ever going to feel safe again?”
“You will.”
“I killed a man.” My words come out a whisper and aren’t really meant for Zoe’s ears. A part of me needs to say it because I need to own what I did.
I took a life.
“In self-defense,” Zoe repeats what she’s already said dozens of times. “He deserved it.”
Does anyone deserve death? I’m not so sure. He deserved to suffer. I agree on that, but death? Somehow, I feel cheated. Like, Bossman should have suffered more. I freed him when I took his life. I should’ve made him suffer.
“You don’t understand. I plotted his murder for days, moving that damn knife around to find the perfect hiding place.”
I’d been very methodical. Obsessive comes to mind. I killed him hundreds of times in my head before that knife ever sliced through his flesh. He should’ve suffered—more.
“He kidnapped you and was going to give you to a monster. You did nothing wrong.”
“Then why does it feel like I did?”
“Have you talked to Griff about this?”
“No.”
“And why not?”
“Because I don’t want to.”
“Why?” She runs her fingers through my hair, comforting me.
My eyes close as the tips of her fingers dig into my scalp and pull through the long strands. My hair is my pride and joy. It’s also the root of all my problems. I know what I look like. I know what men see.
My hair only enhances my natural beauty, turning me from pretty to bombshell beautiful. I’ve been compared to Aphrodite, Madonna, and Marilyn Monroe—all iconic beauties.
Men covet my beauty. They yearn to own it, control it, and show off their pretty little slave to other men.
“I wish I killed the man who bought me.” My fingers grip tight around my wrists as I tug my knees to my chest. The skin over my knuckles turns white.
“I know.”
I squeeze my lids together, fighting off a fresh flood of tears. I lean toward Zoe, tipping my head until it touches her shoulder. She wraps her arm around me and we sit quietly, looking out over the vastness of the Pacific Ocean.
It’s a calm day. The ocean’s at peace. It reflects back the tranquil blue of the sky. The only distortion on its surface is the relentless march of swells as they approach the shore. I wish I was out there, lost in the vastness of it all.
“Do you ever wish you were someone else?” I wipe my nose on the fabric of my sleeve and sniff back the tears.
“Sometimes.” Zoe takes in a deep breath and blows it out. “But if I were someone else, I never would’ve met Axel.”
“He never would’ve hurt you.” Their road to happiness was twisted and complicated.
“True, but in the end, it was worth it. Our path wasn’t easy, and I definitely had to fight for it, but in the end, I wouldn’t trade it for anything.”
“I’m happy for you.” I saw the beginnings of their romance at the Facility when Axel decided to take what he denied himself for too long. After Zoe’s rescue, he decided to tie her to him forever, placing an engagement ring on her finger. She told me everything that happened the night we were abducted.
“And I’m happy for you.” She gives another playful nudge and peeks at me through her lashes.
“Why?” I shift a little to find a more comfortable position. I kick my heels out and grasp the back of my thighs, still hugging my legs tight to my body, but this way, I can lean forward a little more.
“Griff,” Zoe says Griff’s name with surprise. “You never would’ve found Griff.”
“Is that what I’ve done?”
“What do you mean?”
“I don’t know if what Griff and I have is anything more than sex.”
“I’m not sure what to say about that, except I have a feeling you mean a lot more to Griff than sex.”
“How would you know?”
“Because of something Axel said.”
“What was that?”
“That Griff disobeyed a direct order to get you.”
“I don’t know about that.”
“It’s the truth. Axel said the helicopter pilot covered, but he knows Griff. Those two are closer than brothers. From what Axel didn’t say, I think Griff put his job on