for my abduction stole my confidence. He took my security and blew it apart.
I don’t want to live in fear. I don’t want to constantly look over my shoulder to see who the next asshole will be who thinks he can take what doesn’t belong to him. I want to walk the world with my head held high and do it with the knowledge that no man will ever hurt me again.
I’m a murderer now. I can kill that man, too. What’s one more life on my hands?
Zoe nudges me in the shoulder. “The sun’s setting.”
“Yeah, it’s gorgeous. I see why you like this place so much. It’s amazing.”
“I was talking more about the time.” She taps her watch. “When was Griff coming back?”
“Oh shit!” I scramble to my feet and dust off the tiny bits of dirt and rock that cling to my clothes. “I’m late.”
“Sorry.” Zoe grimaces. “I lost track of time.”
“Don’t be.” I take her hands in mine. “You’re a gazillion times better than a stuffy old shrink.”
She laughs. “I hope so.” Standing beside me, she dusts off her pants, but then she stills. Zoe holds up a finger, silencing me.
When she cocks an ear, I do the same. The sound of rocks crunching underfoot is not only unmistakable, it’s getting closer by the second.
Something snaps inside of me. My heart slams against my ribs, banging away as my breaths quicken.
I look around the roomy cave for a weapon, suddenly terrified. There is literally no place to run.
Zoe puts her hand back, pressing it against my stomach. She pushes me back as she takes a step away from the cave entrance.
“Who is it?” I know I should be quiet, but I can’t help it.
“I don’t know.”
I listen again. This time, I pick up the tread of two pairs of feet. From their heavy step, I conclude they are men. My scalp crawls with dread and that sensation slithers down my spine. A rustling sound from outside the cave makes me jump. I whirl at another sound coming from outside. I know what’s out there. Men who intend great harm.
Icy fear shoots through me, locking my joints and making my lungs seize on my last breath. I try to cry out, but my voice is gone, fled somewhere I can’t find it.
I need to move. Every instinct screams at me to flee, but there’s nowhere to go.
Backed into a corner, there is no escape. My legs feel like rubber and don’t seem to want to work the right way. My eyes are wide, unblinking, but blind to everything around me.
Keep breathing.
A voice inside my head tells me to stay present and keep functioning, even though that does no good. No matter how much I fight, or how much I beg, men always come for me, and then they take.
“Who knows about this place?” Terror flows through me as I break apart, reverting to my most base instincts.
Survival.
But is that what I want? A human can only endure so much before they snap, and I’m breaking into a million pieces. I won’t survive being taken again.
“Forest and Axel. I don’t think Forest told anyone about it but me.”
I grip the back of her shoulder and pull her to me, not sure if I do it to protect her, shelter myself, or to give me some semblance of control over the boiling fear raging inside of me. She’s my anchor and I desperately need something to hang onto.
My insides twist and churn with the adrenaline spiking in my blood. Wild, rabid, and far beyond terror, my heart bangs against the walls of my chest as I wrestle with the fear triggering inside of me.
If I don’t get a grip, I’ll lose all grasp with reality.
My fight is a valiant one but ultimately doomed. Darkness creeps into my vision. Tingles of sensation prick my lips. And my breaths come in shuddering gasps; fast, rhythmic, panting sounds that don’t draw in enough oxygen to feed my fear-filled mind. Panic rips through me and I stumble my way back until the cool surface of the cave wall presses against my back.
Zoe turns. I barely recognize her. Her fingers snap in front of me and her mouth moves, but all I hear is the howling of my blood. A vice constricts around my ribcage, making it impossible to breathe, squeezing, tightening, as violent spasms rip through me.
My mouth opens on a scream, but nothing comes out except a hoarse moan. My eyes glaze over.