She’d been hoping she’d wake up and realize this was all a nightmare.
That her normal life would resume.
That none of this had been real.
But it was real—and terrifying.
Nausea rose in her at the thought.
She struggled to sit up. The rope still bit into her skin around her wrists.
Did anyone even realize she was missing? What if people thought she’d just left?
She hated the thought, but it was a real possibility.
Two years ago, the pressure of trying to make a living in Hollywood had gotten to her. She’d decided she couldn’t handle it anymore.
So she’d left to visit a friend in Nebraska for a week. She didn’t tell anyone—there wasn’t anyone to tell.
But someone had broken into her apartment—the window had been busted.
Her neighbor had noticed and become concerned. He’d reported the vandalism to the police.
When the police came to investigate, they realized she was missing.
They began to search for her.
She hadn’t known any of it was happening until she came back home.
She’d apologized but had still felt a sting of embarrassment over it all.
What if people thought she’d just run off again? Would anyone take this seriously?
Tears pressed at her eyes.
They quickly dried when she heard the door creak open.
Light flooded in—too bright, too sudden—and she squeezed her eyes shut, breath catching as footsteps approached. Unhurried. Confident.
He didn’t rush.
He never did.
He paused at the bottom of the stairs, the light still trained on her.
“Good.” The man’s voice sounded calm, almost conversational. “You’re awake.”
Kate swallowed hard. Her throat felt like sandpaper. “Please. Don’t do this. Let me go. I won’t tell anyone anything.”
He chuckled softly, as if she’d said something mildly amusing. “I told myself I’d change things up this time. But some rules work for a reason.”
Her stomach clenched.
Rules.
He crouched in front of her, just out of reach, and cut the rope at her wrists in one smooth motion. Her hands fell into her lap, numb and burning as blood rushed back.
She stared at him, waiting for the blow that didn’t come.
